Mastering Quilt Sashing & Borders

To follow along in this How to you can open a 2x2 block quilt in the software: 

You should now see a basic quilt layout.

Note: I changed the color of the blocks and border to white for better visual clarity, but this step is optional.

Sashings: 

Click on Sashing, then click the toggle bar to activate sashings. By clicking the Add Sashing toggle bar, you can turn the sashing on or off to preview how your design will look with or without sashings.
Once activated, a new panel will open, displaying various sashing settings. Let’s take a closer look:

Sashing Type Options

You have three choices here: Cornerstone, Horizontal, or Vertical sashing.

Cornerstone

By clicking the Add Sashing toggle bar, you can turn the sashing on or off to see how the design is affected. Cornerstone means that the sashings are the same size as the blocks, and the corners feature square pieces in a contrasting color. This is a great design choice when you want to introduce more color into the sashing. It works well for both large and small quilts, as there are no long sashing strips—this also helps save fabric. Another great benefit of cornerstone sashing is that, if you’re a lucky owner of a SINGER® MOMENTO™ fabric cutter, you can cut out all your sashings and cornerstones with ease!

Horizontal

With this option, your sashings will run horizontally across the quilt. This means you'll sew the vertical sashings to the quilt blocks first, and then add the longer horizontal pieces when sewing the rows together. On larger rectangular quilts, this is a good design choice since the longer sashing strips will be shorter than they would be if you chose vertical sashing.

Vertical

With this option, the longer sashing pieces run from top to bottom of your quilt. This style is typically used for smaller quilts, as the long sashing strips require more fabric on larger quilts. Of course, you can piece shorter strips together, but additional seams can be visually distracting—whole strips usually give a cleaner look.

Sashing Border 

For all three sashing options—Cornerstone, Horizontal, and Vertical—you have the ability to Include a Sashing Border. This adds an extra row of sashing around the outside of the quilt, giving your design a more structured, framed look. It neatly surrounds the quilt blocks and enhances the overall appearance.

Sashing Width

You can adjust the sashing width from 1–4” (2.5–10 cm). If you select a size outside this range, the software will automatically default to the minimum or maximum allowed size.

Tip: Play around with the width setting to see how different sashing sizes affect your quilt layout and visual balance.

Sashing Fabric Colors

When you select Add Sashing, the default sashing colors will appear in Teal and Turquoise.

To customize the sashing colors:

• Click the Edit icon in the panel.

• Select your preferred color from the color picker or fabric palette.
  

Borders

Now that we've covered sashings, let’s explore Borders!

Borders help bring the quilt blocks together into a cohesive whole. They can be narrow or wide and play a key role in the visual impact of your quilt.

Borders also act as size modifiers, allowing you to enlarge your quilt by adding extra width. Additionally, borders are a great place to showcase a special fabric you don’t want to cut into small pieces.

When I design a quilt, I usually start by selecting the border fabric first, then use the color dots on the fabric selvedge to help choose coordinating fabrics for the blocks.

Border Width

You can adjust the border width from 1–8” (2.5–20 cm). Just like with sashing, if you enter a value outside this range, the system will automatically set it to the nearest valid size.

Tip: Play with the width settings to see how different border sizes change the overall design and balance of your quilt.

Changing Border Colors

You can change the color of the border the same way you change the sashing colors:

• Click the Edit icon.

• Choose a new color or fabric to update your design.

Sashing, Borders, and Quilt Size

When you add a border or sashing, it will affect the finished size of your quilt. This is important to keep in mind if you’re aiming for a specific final size.

Always check the finished quilt dimensions after adding borders and/or sashings to ensure your project stays on track.

Example: How Quilt Size Changes

Let’s walk through an example:

We start with two 12” (30 cm) blocks and add a 1” (2.5 cm) border. The finished size becomes 26” (65 cm).
If we increase the border to 3” (7.5 cm) The finished quilt size becomes 30” (75 cm).
Now, if we add 2” (5 cm) sashing to the design The finished size increases to 32” (80 cm).

Resizing the Quilt to a Specific Measurement

If you want the quilt to be a specific finished size, you can set the total size manually.

In this example, I set the finished size to 26” (65 cm).
The software automatically adjusts all the components proportionally:

• Block size: 9.59” (24 cm)

• Sashing width: 1.61” (4 cm)

• Border width: 2.57” (7 cm)

Proportional Resizing

When you adjust the overall quilt size, all pieces—blocks, sashings, and borders—are resized proportionally. This also affects the individual pieces within each block.

Cutting Tip:
These new measurements can sometimes be tricky to cut by hand. But if you have a SINGER® MOMENTO™ fabric cutter, it’s no problem at all—the machine will cut each piece with precision and accuracy, making assembly smooth and effortless!

Layout Examples

Here are three examples showing how different sashing and border choices affect the overall look of the quilt:

• Left Quilt:
  This is the original sample quilt with the border color changed to navy. The blocks appear a bit crowded, and the designs blend together, making the stars harder to see.

• Middle Quilt:
  This version includes cornerstone sashings and a sashing border. The cornerstones add a pop of color and help lift the design visually. The quilt looks more structured and balanced.

• Right Quilt:
  This version features horizontal sashing, no outer sashing, and a wider border. The result is a calm, clean appearance where the blocks stand out individually. This layout works well for sample quilts where you want each block to shine on its own.

Final

Once you've finalized your design choices, the fun part begins—bringing it all together.

As we stitch the blocks, sashings, and borders, we’re reminded that quilting is more than a craft—it’s a journey of creativity, patience, and love.

Every piece we add and every seam we sew brings us one step closer to creating something that tells a story—not just of fabric and thread, but of dedication and passion.

Keep quilting. Keep creating. 🧵✨