How wide should my sashing strips be?
This is a question that many students have asked me over the years and I thought I would shed some light on this subject for all of you.
Sashing strips are used in quilts for more reasons than just to enlarge a quilt. Sashing can be a crucial part of the design and should get some serious attention. Using sashing strips with or without corner stones, will make plain blocks take center stage, while busy blocks find a place to rest. But be careful on how large those strips get. Because sashing strips that are cut too large can over power the quilt block and the block may get totally lost.
Follow this simple rule and your sashing compliments the blocks, instead of competing with them.
A good rule of thumb states that maximum sashing width should not be more than ¼ of the finished width of you block. Example: A 12 inch finished block should not have sashing larger than 3 inches.
What about a narrow sashing strip? How small can I go?
Minimum width is more flexible. It all depends on the look you’re going for. Using our 12 inch block again for our example, you can use a framing strip of say 1 or 2 inches wide, or go for a really narrow one. A leaded glass effect can go as small as a ¼ inch. Just be certain the overall result is in proportion and is balanced.
By the way if you would like tips like these sent directly to your mailbox, leave me comment here with your e-mail and I will add you to my list! Better yet, head over to Quilting weekly and join us in our forum where we discuss things like this and more! (This site is free so go ahead and join)
Until next week, happy quilting my friends!
Chris
1 comment:
I just found your blog. Enjoy reading your tips, etc. Keep it up!
Post a Comment