What is the difference between butted and mitered corners?
Butted (straight) corners are sewn with side borders first, then top and bottom borders are attached over them — the border fabric overlaps at each corner. Mitered corners meet at 45° angles for a more formal look. This calculator uses butted corners, which are more common and require less fabric.
How wide should quilt borders be?
A common guideline is to make the inner border narrower (2–4") and the outer border wider (4–8"). Borders that are roughly proportional to the quilt blocks tend to look most balanced. Avoid borders wider than the blocks unless it's a deliberate design choice.
Can I calculate more than 3 borders?
The calculator supports up to 3 borders in one pass. For more borders, note the final quilt size shown after border 3 and run the calculator again with that as your starting size.
Should borders be cut on the lengthwise or crosswise grain?
Lengthwise grain (parallel to the selvage) is more stable and less prone to stretching. For long borders, cutting on the lengthwise grain gives the best result, though it uses more fabric. For shorter borders, crosswise grain works fine and is more economical.