Have you ever wanted to give a little added punch to your borders? Here is a very easy way to do just that! You can make this any size you want. If you want larger diamonds, just cut the center strip wider. Although this is more time consuming than many methods, you achieve a very pleasing result that looks much more difficult than it really is! This is actually a form of Seminole Patchwork.
 |
| 1. Cut strips crosswise (from selvage to selvage) in the width you want. I have cut my outer borders 2" wide and my center strip 1 1/2". This will give me a 2" border when I'm finished and before it is sewn into any seams. |
 |
| 2. Now cut your strip into strips the width of the center strip (with it's seam allowance). So if you cut your center strip 1 1/2" to begin with, you will cut the strips into 1 1/2" segments. |
 |
| 3. Now sew these strips together, offsetting the center strip each time you sew the next strip. (Line up the 1st seam of each center strip you are sewing with the 2nd seam of the last strip you sewed.) |
 |
| 4. You now have a row of diamonds. You can make this as long or as short as you wish. (Although I don't have a photo of this, after making this I have decided it would be a good idea to mark and then sew a line of "stay stitching" on the inside of your cutting line in the next step as you will be left with a very stretchy bias edge!) |
 | |
| 5. Trim the "dog ears" off the edges and you are ready to sew this fancy border on! |
 |
That's it! Easy, right? Just imagine how this little border can dress up and frame even a very simple little Nine Patch. Keep it in mind the next time you are trying to decide on a border. Imagine the center diamonds in different scraps! (Just make many strips with different center fabrics and mix them all up when you cut.)
Until next time.....
thankyou Linda for sharing this with us,you are very kind,and i think this is a great idea for a border.
ReplyDeleteLinda, I am most definitely going to do this very soon. I am kind of stuck in that place with adding plain borders and this will really make a difference. I am piecing a maple leaf quilt and this would make a GORGEOUS border using two fall colors. Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteYou'd think that I'd have known how easy this was - nope, didn't! Thanks for opening eyes, Linda! I'm definitely going to be giving this a try - so very simple yet adds so much.
ReplyDeleteVery nice! I've done Seminole work before, it's been a while. I never thought to use it for a border!
ReplyDelete:-}pokey
Very clear tut. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, a diamond border looks great. I may have to make one soon.
ReplyDeleteLinda, you know you make it look too easy, don't you!!! I will just have to try it..thanks!!
ReplyDeleteKathy
Wow! That did look easy!
ReplyDeleteOooh, thanks Linda, I've just finished a scrappy mini quilt (brights and black) and knew I wanted a scrappy binding. This is a great idea!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea and so well written. thank you.
ReplyDeleteQuestion is there a certain way to determine the size your borders HAVE to be??
Love this tutorial, Linda! Thank you - a diamond border would be very eye-catching!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great tutorial Linda. I've thought about doing that sort of border before but thought it would be too hard. But now I know it's not!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the very clear directions. It definitely looks like something I would like to try.
ReplyDeleteGreat tute, thanks Linda!
ReplyDeletethat looks great. I don't think I've ever done anything other than a plain border. Definitely putting this in my ideas folder
ReplyDeleteWonderful tutorial, Linda! This makes a very easy and striking diamond border. Thanks sew much for sharing ... :-) Pat
ReplyDeletethank you for this!!! I can't wait to share your tutorial on my blog...if that is okay with you.
ReplyDelete*stitches* :)
Well, this is a great tutorial!!!! I have to make a little baby blanket this week and I am going to try this! You are too smart! Very nice that you like to share... :)
ReplyDeleteI love tutorials that make sense and yours surely did. I can easily see me making this border. Thanks
ReplyDeleteThank you for the tutorial. I will be putting it to use for sure.
ReplyDeleteWell not sure it is that easy for a girl like me...but you do make it look like fun...one day I will learn to quilt...one day!
ReplyDeleteHugs.
What a great idea! Thanks for the tutorial! I know I will be adding that border some time soon to a quilt.
ReplyDeleteHave you cooled down at all in your part of Texas yet?
New idea I haven't thought of yet! Thanks for the tute!
ReplyDeleteClever girl! By the time I get to the borders, I'm so ready to slap a strip of fabric on and call it done! I'll bet even I could do this. Thanks! Whoop Whoop!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing this tutorial - it's very clear and makes it look simple! Whoop whoop!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting! I'm coming to the blog a little late, compared to when it first went up and I have a question: If I want my diamonds to measure 1 inch square, as in the picture, but would like the border width to be a total of 3 inches (before attaching to the quilt), how wide should each of the outer borders need to be?
ReplyDeleteWell i decided to go with the original measurements but now i need to join four strips to go around the central quilt piece. Can anyone explain how these offset strips will join together at the corners?
ReplyDeleteI just tried out this technique and it is so simple and yet looks great. Much easier than dealing with all those triangles. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteThank you This is so easy and I have used on 2 quilts and looks stunning
ReplyDeleteHi I am a new quilter and I love this pattern and I did a sample one just now and I want to know how do you do the ends to make them square
ReplyDeletethanks
I am not a anonymous person and I still did not get a answer how do you finish the ends it has to come to a square thanks
ReplyDeleteladyfan3
What a cool border. Thank you for sharing. I'm going to use this pattern.
ReplyDeleteHow does one determine the measurements for cutting if you want the squares to end up equal? In other words, if my quilt side is 38 inches and i want completed squares top and bottom without cutting into them, how do I determine that. The border width is finished at 5 inches. I appreciate your help.
ReplyDelete