The borders of quilts are seldom given the prominence that they deserve. Too often we say, “I want my quilt about 72 inches wide by 84 long so I’ll use blocks 12 inches square, that’s 6×7 – 42 blocks. All right, that’s that”; and the quilt may be ever so much work, beautifully done, and yet look disappointingly ordinary when finished. Personally I’d as soon hang my pictures unframed, as to finish my quilts unbordered.
The simplest and often most effective way is to use a wide band of white, say 5 inches wide at the sides by 8 or 9 at the ends. This, beautifully quilted, and bound around the edges with a color repeating from the pattern, is one solution. Color bands, white and two colors from the pattern make a handsome border, especially with mitred corners. Or the wide plain border may have pieced stars in the corners, or repeats of whatever block is used in the quilt center. Very distinguished looking coverlets are achieved by having a center square or oblong closely pieced, like Arabic lattice, Spools, Square and Compass, about a foot smaller than the bed top. Surround this with a 10-inch band of plain for display quilting, then a pieced border repeating the design and a narrow darker border to complete. This takes less blocks and makes a more effective top than when pieced clear to the edges.
Commonest of the pieced borders on old quilts is the “Saw Tooth.” This is simply a row of squares, each square made of two triangles, one light and one dark, so placed that the darks all go to the outside and the whites in next the white of the “set.” A triangle border in better design is made by using isosceles triangles instead of right triangles; such a cutting unit may be found with the block pattern called “Spider Web.” When a white strip is placed between two rows of Saw Teeth, with the dark to both outside edges, the “Double Saw Tooth,” a really handsome border, is formed. “Zig-Zag,” like the quilt design of that name, is another triangle border; “Flying Geese” or “Wild Goose Chase” yet another. This one takes two sizes of triangles as shown in the block pattern “Wild Goose Chase” and has a decided movement not found in the other staid designs.
A border that “stays put” is preferable to one which leads the eye relentlessly on and on. By alternating the colors in each little pieced oblong, as shown in one fourth of “Swastika” one gets a different border entirely, but built on the same two sizes of triangles as used in the “Goose Chase.” Diamond blocks sewed into a strip alternating dark and light make a neat little border, or two rows that lead in different directions and jog the color placing produce a very good one. This plan is sometimes called “Laurel Border” and does look like a laurel wreath when pieced of green and white. One similar to this, with the ends clipped to look even more like leaves, is shown on our original design, the Trumpet Vine. Ribbon border block, one of our hundred and one, is an excellent pieced border to use next a plain one, either around a whole plain center or with a pieced center.