Figuring out the right border sizes isn't as hard as you might think!
Last week, we learned how to use the Golden Ratio to determine your sashing sizes. Use the same formula to find the best range of border sizes for your quilt or wall hanging. You can also use Fibonacci Numbers for multiple borders.
It boils down to what looks good and the size of quilt that you are making with a little bit of math thrown in.
Golden Ratio for Borders
As with sashing, the Golden Ratio for borders is 1.618 to 1 or 1 to .618. Start with the finished size of the most commonly used block in your quilt. If your block measures 15 inches wide (finished size), multiply that by .618 for a 9.25-inch border, then add quarter-inch seam allowances.
Using the Golden Ratio, if a border is 3” wide, the next border would be 3” x 1.618 = 4.854” wide (for ease in calculations, round it up to 5”). The next border after that would be 5″ x 1.618 = 8.09” wide (round it down to 8”). Calculations are pretty consistent with the Fibonacci numbers (3, 5, 8).
1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, etc.
Fibonacci Numbers are another, centuries-old, method for getting appealing results with border widths.
Add the widths of the first and second border together to get the width of the third. Add the second and third together to get the width of the fourth, etc.
Any sequence of these numbers will result in borders that are pleasing to the eye. If you don’t want to bother with the math, Jinny Beyer created a genius caliper gauge that makes the task of determining multiple border sizes much easier.
How do you determine the widths of your borders?