Quilting the Border

I don't know about you but because I quilt on a sit- down machine and start quilting in the center, by the time I get to the borders I just want to be done!  I just want to stipple some all-over design and get that quilt finished.
At the Springville Quilt show (now on display at the Springville Art Museum in Springville, Utah), I really noticed some extraordinary quilting on the borders of the quilts.  It has inspired me to want to do MUCH better!

I am not much of a quilt marker - I'm kind of lazy that way - but I am learning that some of these nifty designs can be done with very little, if any marking. This one for example, I don't think would need to be marked too much, just mark even sections and then use a ruler or guide for the straight lines?

This is hand quilted and I'm sure it was marked - beautiful quilting.

Interesting leaf design on this border adds a lot of interest.  It looks so perfect that I'm guessing it was marked, or a pantograph on a long arm maybe.  I'm not sure....

This is back to my style of some sort of stipple, but I like how she's mixed swirls with pebbles to make it more interesting.  It's pretty densely quilted too.

I love this one.  I'm not sure how it was accomplished but I love it!  And look at the loopy edge treatment too - very nice!

I have quilted this border design before!  I love feathers.  I've quilted one gigantic feather all around the whole border before!

I really love this one too!  I'm guessing this is all free motion by someone who is really, really good.  Check out the butterflies and dragonflies quilted in amongst the swirls!

Nice quilting in the white area where it will show up and ditch quilting in the colored area.

I've quilted these loops in borders before and like how these look as well, especially in a busy border like this where the quilting is not going to show that much anyway.

Speaking of a busy border and the quilting not showing!  Here the fabric is so busy that you can't really see the quilting.  You can see the triangular shape she's added though and it does add texture.  I have learned, the hard way, not to spend too much time on fancy quilting in a busy border or on busy fabric.

Your thread choice makes a huge difference too.  I probably would have been chicken and chosen black thread for this border, and any fancy quilting I did would not have shown up!  I love how she used a lighter thread and her beautiful quilting adds another design element to the quilt.


So here is my plan on my next quilt.  Quilt the center and then stop and wait a day before quilting the border.  That way I'll be starting on the border when I'm fresh, awake and ready to go - not when I'm tired and ready to be done.  Sound like a good idea?  I'll let you know how it works out :)