Description
Bonnie Browning shows you many ways to finish your quilts – it isn’t rocket science.
Use the downloadable pattern included with your class to make a small wallhanging along with Bonnie or add borders to a small quilt you have already finished.
Start by designing a border that will fit your quilt. You will love her method for folding adding machine tape to take the math out of making borders that will fit your quilt every single time. Then learn Bonnie’s tricks for mitered borders and a fun piped border.
Shark’s teeth and prairie points add so much interest to a quilt and you’ll be surprised how easy they are to make to fit the edge perfectly. Mitered binding or a two-sided binding finishes the edges.
See how blocking your quilt can take away ripples to make your quilt hang straight. Bonnie even shows you how you can adjust the sleeve to make the quilt hang better.
Once you’ve taken this class and learned these basic techniques, you’ll be surprised how much more fun it is to finish your quilts. Any time you want a refresher, watch it again.
As a bonus, Bonnie shares some of her quilt collection and talks about the variety of borders you can add to your quilts.
For your convenience, this class can be purchased for online viewing or purchased on DVD.
Click here for full curriculum, supply lists, and more.
Bonnie joined the American Quilter’s Society (AQS) team in 1994 as show director. She has traveled around the world teaching, judging, and attending quilting events in Australia, Canada, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Switzerland, and Turkey. She is a certified master quilt judge and a Certified Zentangle Teacher®. She began quilting in the late 1970s and has won numerous awards for her work. She currently has two quilts in The National Quilt Museum and two quilts in the Artists of Iowa Collection. Bonnie has published thirteen books on quilting and has served on the boards of local guilds and the National Quilting Association. Bonnie enjoys leading the AQS team to produce the AQS QuiltWeek events across the country. She enjoys teaching basic quiltmaking techniques.
Peggy Morrison (verified owner) –
This is my review of the entire class…..IT WAS WONDERFUL! ‘Is very appropriate for beginner to advanced quilter!! It’s SEVEN great lessons on how to do mitered border, mitered and 2 sided binding (it’s so easy with these instructions!), Plus the finishing touches of blocking which is so often overlooked….and adding a sleeve. Bonnie gives you tips all along…and has obviously done this many times as she knows the mistakes I’ve made!! The closeups are wonderful!! And best of all, I can now come back and watch this class again and again. It’ll be wonderful to watch the video as I’m actually doing the process. I liked how she reminded me to check my 1/4″, and the tip about using the positioning pin was very helpful. I also liked that she showed HER mistakes!! 🙂 I would highly recommend this class. Dollars well spent!! Enjoy.
Angela Petrocelli (verified owner) –
What a fantastic set of seven lessons by Bonnie Browning. With her friendly demeanor it made me feel as though I was sitting right there. The lessons are filled with easy, step by step instructions on how to finish off your quilt in style. With wonderful tips and tricks on what to do when things go wrong, secrets that the pros use, recommendations for products and even what judges look for in show quilts.
The lessons begin with a fun mini quilt show from Bonnie’s collection great for inspiration and then dives right into mitered borders. I am a huge fan of borders, especially mitered ones because they frame a quilt so beautifully, but sometimes they can be tricky and it can be frustrating when your points don’t match. Bonnie’s techniques make it so simple. As does her methods for adding piped borders, borders with shark’s teeth and prairie points (all of which have intimidated me until now).
I wish the lesson on binding had been around before I bound my first quilt. It could have saved me a lot of frustration, specifically when I attempted and failed to make continuous bias and when I joined the two ends together. After viewing this lesson these things won’t be a problem and I may even attempt two-sided binding, which she also goes over.
To finish it all off she discusses and demonstrates how to block a quilt and add a sleeve so that your finished quilt hangs beautifully and straight.
Best of all, I can access the lessons again and again anytime I want. So the next time my quilt needs that perfect mitered and piped border or I need a little refresher on binding I know exactly where to go to without having to sift through countless YouTube postings.
Mickey Depre (verified owner) –
Bonnie’s course if full of great tips and words of wisdom for any level quilter. Her “stopping pin” tip will be used by myself from now on! And I do believe I see a quilt with a Shark Tooth finish in my future. All this knowledge is shared in a “pieceful” and easy going manner makes this course one that I will revisit again and again for hands-on instruction when I am bordering out a quilt.
Claudia Myers (verified owner) –
Even if you are an experienced quilter and think you know how to do borders, bindings and other finishing techniques, you may be surprised to find that Bonnie’s methods are better and easier. I especially enjoyed learning how to do two-sided binding and adding piping to a border, something I haven’t done. Figuring measurements without a lot of complicated math was very informative, also.
If you are a novice quilter this is a rewarding group of classes to take, to give your quilts that professional finish. And Bonnie explains her techniques in easily understood directions, even adding some valuable tips along the way, including helpful “fixes” when something doesn’t go right.
I liked the suggestion of using adding machine tape for the measurement template while making the shark’s teeth and prairie points and also using your over-edge foot to top stitch in the ditch of the piping, to get it just perfect. Nice selection of classes! Thanks, Bonnie!
Sabrina Stark (verified owner) –
THE best class I’ve ever taken! After watching this class, I learned how to deal with all those little glitches that kept me from wanting to submit my designs to Quilt Week. This class exceeded my expectations by addressing finishing issues like having a seam that got caught the wrong way when sewing. Bonnie gives clear & patient instructions about exactly how to execute each technique to produce a quilt that truly looks flawless in spite of tiny imperfections.
Bernadette Houghton (verified owner) –
In early June, I had three quilts in the Tulsa guild’s regional show. All three were judged as needing better finishing. When I saw I could take an on-line class to help me improve, I jumped at the chance. I have to tell you that you are a delightful instructor. Your demonstrations are easy to follow and the classes articulate really well with your book, which I already had in my library. Using the book as back-up and working though the quilt-making gave me insight into a lot of finishing steps I had glossed over or fudged. I now know where I am likely to make mistakes, and I will be extra careful when I’m finishing quilts in the future. I still have the prairie points and scallops to try, so I suspect there will be another quilt in the making in the coming weeks.
Thank you so much for all of your hints and tips. It’s an excellent course and I’ll be recommending it to my quilting buddies.
Karen Maloley (verified owner) –
Great class. I am using these techniques on my own projects rather than the class project. I found the information about adding a sleeve and blocking a quilt to be the most helpful.
Millie Shenton (verified owner) –
I tend to watch the entire class BEFORE attempting what is taught. I haven’t “tried” anything in this class yet as I haven’t completed the 4 block piece to which I am to add the borders and practice the techniques that Bonnie is teaching. But that will not stop me from giving Bonnie a glowing reference! I cannot believe how easy she had made it for me, or anyone – at any level – to bring the overall appearance of their quilts to a professional looking level. Oh, you better believe Bonnie’s class will remain in my repertoire FOREVER! This lady has a “gift” for instructing and you don’t want to miss it! Hey, what else you got, Bonnie???
Dena Lempede (verified owner) –
Bonnie, You are an incredible teacher!!! I’m an experienced quilter/seamstress but took this course as a refresher because I’ve not been able to sew for quite a while due to a shoulder injury. I knew I’d learn something but am thrilled to have learned much more than I imagined. Your explanations are clear and easy to understand and I love your extra tricks and tips. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise and knowledge with us.
Loraine Villeneuve (verified owner) –
Wow, this is such an awesome course. Very well done Bonnie!! I learned so much from you and I have been quilting for years. I had to buy your book. I would highly recommend this course to anyone that quilts! Your book is also amazing! Thank you so much for teaching and sharing your tips.
Julie Mott (verified owner) –
What an incredible teacher!!! I’m an experienced /professional longarm quilter and treated myself to this course thinking I’d learn a bit more about adding borders but have learned so much more. Bonnie’s explanations are clear and easy to understand. She adds little tricks and tips that I’m looking forward to trying.
Terry Radusin (verified owner) –
Excellent teacher!!! This course is such a valuable tool for me, It contains so many different types of applications and instructions on various design and finishing techniques that really work. I too would give it a hundred stars and recommend this as a must for any skill level quilter. The book is also amazing. I keep returning to this course and the book repeatedly to do all the different techniques and designs and is my number one resource for finishing my quilts. EXCELLENT…EXCELLENT…EXCELLENT!!!
Stephanie Risinger (verified owner) –
This was a wonderful course. I learned so much, many tips and tricks, not just about borders. I got some great ideas that I had never thought of before to make a quilt much more interesting. Bonnie is a wonderful teacher and I hope she does many more courses.
Kim Becker (verified owner) –
This is a great class with lots of information, tips and tricks. The instructions are easy to follow and apply to all kinds of quilts. It is great to be able to go back and rewatch a section when I am working on a quilt and want to review a technique. Bonnie is a great instructor!
Gricel Bloom (verified owner) –
God bless you! I am a beginner Quilter and because I followed your instructions to the 100th power, my pieced quilt top turned out amazing. I will upload it to the gallery (black and polka dot border). YOU ARE AMAZING!!!
Millie Shenton (verified owner) –
Thank you, Bonnie. Thank you, thank you… I struggle so badly sometimes with that French binding at the very end. If I don’t get it right the first time out of the gate, I end up ripping it out and hunting for a good video to see what I’m doing wrong. I was struggling tonight with a binding and suddenly thought, I bet Bonnie has this down pat! I dropped the quilt and headed for my iquilt courses and sure enough – Bonnie came through in her Borders and Finishing Touches class. Detailed and clear instructions, with a properly done video. I don’t know why this technique gives me trouble, but I know Bonnie has my back….on to the next one, Bonnie!