Borders, Backings, and Bindings

 Usually we think about the quilt blocks when we are picking out a quilt pattern.  And, of course, that's the great thing about quilting - those wonderful blocks that help develop our basic skills or those that push our creativity!  But quilts are more than just blocks - you've got choices in adding borders to enhance your block arrangements.  You've got backings that can also add to the quilt and those bindings that frame your quilts.

Just finished my first "Borders, Backings, and Bindings" class at The Montgomery Quilt Company last night.  We just went over the basics of these three pieces of the total quilt, and it was a lot of fun!  I think I'll have to have a second version so that we can really look at how to use these three to jazz up the quilt tops that we finish.  My students wanted more!

I'd like to recommend that if you are looking for a basic measurement app for these you should download Robert Kaufman's "QuiltingCalc" from your phone's app store.  It's easy to use and does a good job of taking the math out of your borders, backings, setting triangles, and more!  I do think that it gives you measurements for your backing that is a little bigger than necessary but I like extra fabric when I longarm.  Doesn't bother me that I have a few inches or so to add to my stash either.  I'm planning a stash buster soon and it will become a memory quilt of all of the quilts that I've made this year.