Your Border Plan
Buy 1 yard
Final quilt top: 68" × 80"
Cut From Your Border Fabric
- Border cut width
- 4 1/2"
- WOF strips
- Cut 8 strips at 4 1/2" × 42"
Layer 1
- Side borders
- Cut 2: 72" long (finish 72"; 2 WOF segments each)
- Top & bottom borders
- Cut 2: 68" long (finish 68"; 2 WOF segments each)
Each straight WOF join uses a 1/4" seam, so the strip count includes a 1/2" loss per join. Yardage rounds up to the next 1/4 yard.
Continue with this quilt size in the Quilt PlannerHow This Plan Works
Sew the two side borders first, then add the top and bottom borders across the new width. For two layers, the second layer starts from the first layer’s finished size.
View assumptions
- All borders use one entered finished width and one border fabric.
- Cut width includes a 1/4" seam allowance on each long edge; strip lengths match the measured attachment edges.
- When a border needs multiple WOF segments, this plan uses straight end-to-end joins. Each join uses a 1/4" seam and reduces usable length by 1/2".
- WOF yardage rounds up to the next 1/4 yard; buy extra for directional prints or matching.
Measure Through the Center
For flatter borders, measure the quilt top through the center rather than following a stretched outer edge. Press the side borders, then measure across the center again before cutting the top and bottom strips.
FAQ
Measure through the center of the quilt top instead. After sewing the side borders, measure through the center again before cutting the top and bottom borders.
This calculator sews the side borders first. The top and bottom borders then span the original quilt width plus both finished side borders.
No. It plans straight, butted borders only. Mitered corners need different cutting lengths.