When I was going to sew on my sixth border, it became obvious to me that the middle of the quilt was shorter (about 29″ long) than the fifth borders (about 30″). And I’ll be honest, I knew exactly what had happened. In the very first quilt class I took in 2014, I was trained to calculate the correct length of a border by measuring the length of the two outside edges and the middle of the quilt, and using the average of the three measurements to figure out how long to cut the border strip. And this also applies to the horizontal borders too. See this post for a more detailed explanation of the process. But I was lazy and calculated my borders and sashing strips simply by measuring the previous border or sashing strip.
So I ripped out the white sashing strip between my fourth and fifth borders and correctly calculated the length of that sashing strip. I had to shorten the fifth border by trimming down some of the print fabric. After I added the sixth border (which believe it or not was too short and I had add one-inch coping strips at the top and bottom of each border), I calculated measurements for the outer borders. Because everything still wasn’t perfectly lined up, these borders were a pain to sew on. I had to pin the heck out of them and do a lot of easing of the fabric, but overall, I’m happy with this finished quilt top that measures 33.5″ x 57″. I will send it out for quilting which help it lay flatter, and I believe it will look nice on my pressing table (when I’m not pressing anything!) during the holiday season.
Here are the previous posts I wrote about this project:
I absolutely enjoyed participating in the Stay at Home Round Robin for the third year in a row. See my finished SAHRR 2023 here and SAHRR 2022 here.
Linking up to Quilting Gail: SAHRR 2024 Quilt Parade.
Quilting is in my Blood 
Oh man, I can relate to the border woes, but it turned out really well! I look forward to seeing it quilted and done!
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I think that it turned out really well, and I’m sorry the final borders made you work hard to get them to work out. I really love the holiday line you used and I think it will definitely add the right holiday cheer during the season.
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Sorry the borders gave you a fit. I calculate my borders just as you do. Your SAHRR turned out well though! Thanks for quilting along with us.
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Even though you struggled with your borders, you managed to end up with a beautiful quilt!! And yes, it will look fantastic on your ironing board during the holidays! Thank you for participating in the SAHRR’24 and for linking up!
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It turned out so pretty! Love the Christmas colors and fabrics. Thanks for that link to doing correct borders. And isn’t knowledge of “easing” a good thing? 😉
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I’m glad this all worked out for you. I know it’s hard work to redo parts of a quilt. It’s been fun watching your progress. What a neat idea to use it to decorate your sewing space during the holidays!
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Your quilt is wonderful! Love it!
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