How often do we finish stitch the last block of a quilt and decide we’re done? All that’s left is to add some borders, then it’s ready to sandwich, quilt and bind. Nearly done!
WRONG!
Of a quilt top the borders are the song! They unify the central design through colour, style and size. Borders can transform a quilt from ordinary to extraordinary. Some general guidelines:
- Colour: the colours used in the border should be the same as those used in the central design
- Style: the style/design of the border should mirror/enhance/ highlight a design element in the quilt top
- Size: the size of the borders should measure half that of a block in the quilt. For example, if your blocks are 12″, then the borders should measure 6″ all around.
The task this month is to complete the Circle Challenge, so I thought I would show you how I put my quilt together.

I decided not to sew up my quilt as a traditional 3 x 4 quilt top with sashings between the blocks, but to rather have the arrangement completely random. I also continued with my theme of using up all my scraps in the spaces between the blocks.
I then added a border strip to that.

For the next border I needed to decide on size, style and colour.
A general rule is that your borders should be 1/2 the size of a block. For example, these blocks were designed to be 12″ finished. Therefor the borders should be 6″ all around.
However, with my quilt top I no longer have blocks, but rather floating circles! These then determine the size of the border. Here I made up circles in proportion to a 12″ block – 4″ circles. TOO SMALL! Wrong proportion!
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This was a better size. But to have “dots” around the quilt made a busy quilt top even busier! -
Preferred this arrangement but proportion wrong! -
Proportion better but still dotty!
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Proportion much improved. Style improved too -
How to make the border “flow” around the corner? -
Even though I have used stars in my circles it does not work having them on the corners!
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I’m winning! -
Now this is even better! the design flows, the colour is repeated, proportion works. But still not entirely happy. What am I missing?
I’ll show you next month!