Savanna's Quilt Part 3

This is the last part of the free quilt pattern, Savanna's Quilt. Instructions on how to make the borders are found by clicking Savanna's Quilt Part 3. I love pieced borders and use them often in my quilts. It fascinates me to go from one color to another without using straight lines. I don't know what the name of this border is. I saw a picture of an Anne Orr style basket quilt from the 1930s that used this style for the final border. I call it Dental Border because it reminds me of a design used in moldings made by woodworkers.

Pieced borders can be tricky. For the borders to turn the corners successfully, measurements and construction must be accurate. In the course of quiltmaking many things affect the outcome. First the math in the design must be right. Next, measuring, cutting, sewing and pressing all have an impact.

In my instructions, you will find measurements given for every stage of construction. This will help you remain on track before going to the next step. When I design a pieced border, I almost always have a floating border between the body and the pieced border. I like the look of the body being separated from the pieced border and it's a place where you can make adjustments if your measurements are off. For instance, if you've finished the body of the quilt and it is too large, you can make the floating border narrower to accommodate it. If the body of the quilt is too small, you can make the floating border wider to accommodate it.

Another problem can occur in the pieced border itself. Most pieced borders are long and it's very easy for a small error in each seam to multiply into a problem when fitting it to the quilt. While sewing the pieced units together, stop and measure after a few to see if you're on track. If you still end up too long, choose a few seams over the length of the border to re-sew with a slightly large seam allowance. This will be less noticeable than if you just lopped off the end of the border. If the border is too short, you can do the opposite and choose a few seams to re-sew with a narrower seam allowance.

Pieced borders are one of my favorite things to design and sew in a quilt. This is an easy one and I hope you enjoy making it.