Add one-half inch for seam allowances and the sashing should be 1.75-inches wide. Your sashing can fall anywhere within these two measurements - 3.25 inches at the widest and the narrowest at 1.25-inches wide (finished) - and it will look wonderful.
The Golden Ratio
The ratio, in its simplest form, is 1.6 to 1. This is applied so that each border should be 1.6 times larger than the previous one. One border is 2”, the next is 3.25″ (rounding number to the nearest 1⁄4” makes cutting nicer). These are finished widths.
Quilt sashings can be narrow or wide, ranging in any width desired from 1” finished (or even smaller for mini quilts) to several inches in width. Sashings should generally be proportional to the size of the blocks — you can effectively use a wider sashing with bigger blocks.
The width you choose for your sashing strips will determine the size that you'll cut your setting squares. For example, if your quilt blocks are 12 inches square when finished, a common sashing with would be 3 inches (a number that easily goes into 12 and is proportional to the size of the block).
Completing the Quilt - add sashing - Sashing strips are the horizontal and vertical strips between blocks. The horizontal strips should measure 15" in length x 2" wide. Cut enough sashing strips to add to all the t-shirts except the bottom row.
Decide the width of binding. The standard choice is 2 1/4″ or 2 1/2″ depending on how wide you want your finished binding to look. They are both attached in the same way. Consider the thickness or loft of your quilt as this will affect the finished look of the binding.
Gather your supplies and get ready to sew. Our Rail Fence Quilt Size Guide calls for precut 2.5” x 6.5” strips, but if you're starting with longer strips you can save time by sewing 6.5” wide strip sets. From your strip sets, you can subcut those into 6.5” squares.
Cut the sleeve 8½” wide x the exact width of your quilt. Fold the ends in twice (¼” and ¼” again) to finish each end of the sleeve. Stitch using a scant ¼” seam allowance. Press the long sides of the sleeve so they meet in the center.
If you baste and quilt it yourself, a couple of extra inches overhanging for both the batting and the backing on each side is adequate. If you would like a long arm quilter to quilt it for you, a 4" overhang for both batting and backing on each side is the standard requirement.
You can find the Golden Ratio when you divide a line into two parts and the longer part (a) divided by the smaller part (b) is equal to the sum of (a) + (b) divided by (a), which both equal 1.618.
Thus 1/d = DC/AD = FC/CD = (d-1)/1, so 1 = d(d-1), or d^2 – d – 1 = 0. The positive root of this quadratic equation is (1/2)*(1 + sqrt 5). This is called the Golden Ratio. For any regular pentagon with side s and diagonal length d, the ratio d/s = the golden ratio.
One very simple way to apply the Golden Ratio is to set your dimensions to 1:1.618.> For example, take your typical 960-pixel width layout and divide it by 1.618. You'll get 594, which will be the height of the layout. Now, break that layout into two columns using the Golden Ratio and voila!
Decide On A Post and Rail Fence Layout
8ft post spacing provides for practical installation, because the rail boards we used were 16ft in length and an 8ft spacing between each post did not produce excess waste.
STANDARD RAIL SPACING
On two-rail and three-rail fencing, there is 11 inches between rails. On four-rail fencing, there is 9 inches between the rails.
A 1/4” seam allowance is by far the most common size; sometimes 3/8”, 1/2” or 5/8” is used. Keep in mind if there are points next to the binding, because there is no border or corner blocks are pieced, the seam allowance needs to be 1/4” so the points are not cut off.
Binding a quilt is the final step in finishing. Before you bind, you need to somehow “quilt” your quilt. This means to attach the front and back, with batting in between.
It's this: Press your binding. Let me explain. It doesn't matter if you've sewn your binding to the front or to the back of your quilt. Once you've sewn your binding completely on either side of your quilt, press the binding out, away from the quilt.
Generally, the side borders are added first. Measure the length on each side, and also measure the center of the quilt. If the measurements differ, take an average of the three.
We usually add the side borders first, then finish with the top and bottom borders. After you know which borders you are adding first, measure along each side of the quilt and write that measurement down.