Sheila Sinclair Snyder                                                                                                      
License to Quilt – Eugene, OR  
“Perfect Fit Pieced Borders” Lecture & Trunk Show                                                                
Thursday, June 2, 2022 – VQG Member Meeting                                                                                   

Learn to set off your quilt center with a border that looks complex but is as easy as building one block or row at a time. Avoid all the fussing fitting and fudging – and greatly increase your design options. Discover clever alternatives to long border strips and sashing, with traditional as well as contemporary designs. When you build a border of individual blocks, it’s so easy to add them to your quilt and simplify final construction of the quilt since everything fits together. Learn to create harmony, depth, emphasis, and novelty.

From Sheila’s 2011 book Perfect Fit Pieced Borders. She says it’s exciting to see the great photography, graphics, and clear instructions.

Our Friday June 3 class, her Walled Garden scrap quilt is included in this book, available from her website and on Amazon (including some “good” used books).  

You already know from my previous patterns that I like to piece the quilt right out to the edge; that includes the borders!  Some designs have traditional looking borders, some have what I call finishing elements that give the quilt a finished look without borders.  Be sure to look at the slide show to see the fun designs.  It really has been an honor to work with Martingale & Co. to develop this book as they are easy to work with and have allowed me to have so much control.  Of course, the quilting is very important to me as a longarm quilter, and I was able to include quilting designs for each quilt that also included photography of the quilting so you could get some ideas of how to quilt your version!

Pieced borders will change the look of a quilt, making it more interesting and exciting by adding a surprising finish.  What I love most about quilting is what I call the “layers” of design: choosing the fabrics, cutting the shapes, piecing, creating appliqué designs, sewing everything together, adding borders, quilting, and the final statement of the binding.  Each layer relates to the others, and this always teaches me something and keeps me interested.  Every step along the way can be fun and creative, and I think traditionally the borders are often overlooked.  I always take the time to consider border options.  Almost every quilt can benefit from pieced borders; they make a quilt extra special.