Mystery Block of the Month 2020 Big Reveal and Border Options

 As of last month (Step 5) we have finished the blocks and setting them with sashing. I promised I would offer multiple border options for those of you who wanted to achieve sizes other than the two offered during the quilt along.

BORDER OPTIONS

I added all the options to my quilt to make it a King Size Quilt and I have really enjoyed sleeping under it the past month during the bitter cold and rainy nights! In the photo above you will see the first inner border is the same width as the sashing strips. The second border is pieced using leftover strips from the blocks along with cornerstones from the same fabric as my block centers and cornerstones. The third border is a coordinating fabric (same dots as used in the center of the blocks but in a different color) and then the binding is the same fabric as the sashing. By using the same fabrics and the same prints in the border, I continued the scrappy look without really introducing anything new to the mix. 

***As always, these are just suggestions, you are welcome to create any borders you like and use any combination of fabrics and prints that make you happy! These ideas are for your use but not required by any means. Take a look at your leftovers from this project and see what you have to work with and get creative! It is a MYSTERY quilt after all, who knows what it will do? LOL

INNER BORDER

Measure your quilt across the center of the quilt, both directions. Adjust borders as needed. 

(Twin should be 58 1/2" x 74 1/2", Queen should be 86 1/2" x 86 1/2")

• Cut and piece strips 2 1/2'' x length of quilt top. Make 2.
• Sew a border strip to each side of the pieced quilt. 
• Press toward the border strip.
• Repeat with the top and bottom sides of the pieced quilt.

PIECED BORDER

(Twin should be 62 1/2'' x 78 1/2'', Queen should be 90 1/2'' x 90 1/2'')

• Cut four corner squares 4 1/2'' x 4 1/2''. Set aside for later.
• Piece 1 1/2' strips together. Press the seams to one side.
• Cut the strips sets 4 1/2'' wide. 
• Continue adding strip sets until the borders are the length of your pieced quilt. 
• Sew the borders to the opposite sides of the pieced quilt.
• Press the seams toward the inner border.
• Add the corner squares to each end of the top and bottom borders before sewing to the quilt.

OUTER BORDER

(Twin should be 70 1/2'' x 86 1/2'', Queen should be 98 1/2'' x 98 1/2'')

• Cut border strips 5 1/2'' wide by the length of the pieced quilt.
• Sew the side borders to the quilt. Press toward the outer border.
• Repeat with the top and bottom borders.

If you choose to add all of these options, your sizes will be as follows:

(Twin should be 80 1/2'' x 96 1/2'', Queen should be 108 1/2'' x 108 1/2'')

These measurements are given for planning purposes. You can add or delete as you choose to create the desired size quilt you prefer. Feel free to make any of the borders wider as needed as well. 

JUST NOW JOINING US?

I'm getting lots of messages on social media about "Is it too late to start?" and the answer is that it's NEVER TOO LATE! Go HERE to see all of the instructions in one place and please print it out now. I may have to remove the pattern at some point for copyright reasons (if a publisher wants to share it, etc.) so my advice to you is to ALWAYS print out any free pattern you see even if you don't plan to make it for a while. Things come and go from this sight without much warning and I would hate for you to miss out on something you were looking forward to. 

PLEASE SHARE

I would love to see your progress at any stage and especially your finished quilts. It's never a race, so even if it's a year from now, or longer, I always enjoy seeing your gorgeous work and creativity! Please send me a photo or share images on social media with the following hash tags so I'll be sure not to miss them.

#butterflythreadsquilting

#mysteryquiltalong2020

or tag me @dianedknott on Instagram.

I sincerely hope you've enjoyed this journey and had a wonderful time quilting along with the rest of us!

Diane