Everything You Need to Know About Creating Elegant Borders
If you’ve ever wanted to put a final elegant touch on a work in progress, consider scallop borders for your quilt. Scallop borders result in curvy edges sure to soften any quilt. Curved edges are also design elements that help extends or define the quilt’s interior lines.
Like most quilting techniques, time and practice has changed the way we create our borders. Traditionally, templates from cardboard or heavy paper are used to make curvy templates. Scallop shapes are measured and marked onto the border. Today, there is a variety of specialty rulers that make the measuring and marking very easy. With or without a specialty ruler, our tips and ten steps for making scallop borders will certainly help you round the corner to beautiful curvy borders.
Ten Steps to Making Scallop Borders
1. Measure the length of the border, end to end. 2. Choose a desired number of scallops. Divide the border length by that number. Round the answer to the nearest ¼”. Tis determines scallop size. Diagram 1
3. Measure this distance on a math compass and create and mark the appropriate arc on a template for further marking the border. Or; Measure the distance on a plate to use as a marking template.
Set a specialty tool to the correct measurement for use following manufacturer’s instructions. 4. Begin at one corner and mark a full scallop. Diagram 2 Or;