Have you ever created a few quilt blocks and thought, “These just need a little something extra, but what?”
I know I have, and one of my favorite things to do is add sashing to my quilt blocks.
In this post, I’ll explain why sashing can be helpful.
Then we’ll check out 15 beautiful examples of how other quilters have added sashing to their quilts for an extra design element.
What Is Quilt Sashing and Why Do You Need It?
Quilt sashing is the borders added between quilt blocks in some quilt pattern designs. Sashing can be as wide or as narrow as you would like and can add a lot of visual interest to a quilt.
Someone might want to add sashing to their quilt pattern for a few reasons. I’ll list the most common reasons you would like to use sashing on a quilt.
- It adds length and width to your quilt.
- It breaks up the quilt blocks, which you sometimes need depending on the block design.
- It adds a nice frame around the quilt blocks.
Sashing a Quilt: 15 Quilt Sashing Ideas You Can Try
Let’s check out some fun sashing quilting designs. Many of these examples are perfect beginner-friendly sashing ideas.
1. Thin White Sashing
This gorgeous quilt features a super simple thin white sashing that breaks up each block to create a window frame design. The quilt maker also added small cornerstone squares in the center of each block, making it look like a flower. This is a great way to add visual interest to a seemingly simple quilt pattern.
2. Sashing with Cornerstones
Here is an excellent example of a quilt that uses sashing and cornerstones to break up the quilt blocks. The cornerstone blocks are the blue and green squares between each sashing strip. This is another common way to add sashing to a quilt.
3. Strawberry Quilt
Here’s a fun example of how you can use sashing so that you can barely see it. This is an excellent option if you want the quilt blocks to be the main focus of the quilt design, but you still need some space between the designs. Fabric selection is key and can drastically change the look of the quilt.
4. Mary’s Quilt
How cool is this quilt sashing? This free quilt pattern uses small HST (half square triangle) blocks to create eye-catching sashing. The sashing is also wider than the average sashing strip.
5. Floating Cornerstones
If you look closely, this quilt does have sashing, but the quilter chose to use the same fabric for the background of the quilt blocks for the sashing. They then used a bright yellow for the cornerstones, which makes it look like they are floating in the background. The cornerstones add a fun detail and break up the white background.
6. Two-Toned Sashing
How fun is this quilt sashing? The maker used two fabrics to create this modern sashing with a nine-patch quilt block as the cornerstone. She used three thin strips to make the sashing strips, which is such a great idea to add a fun little detail to your quilt.
7. Hourglass Block Sashing
With the added hourglass block sashing, this sweet pinwheel quilt looks even more adorable. Each sashing strip is made up of four hourglass quilt blocks. The large white square cornerstones allow the hourglass blocks to shine in the sashing.
8. Scrappy Sashing
This sashing is IMPRESSIVE! The maker used scraps for this entire quilt, but the sashing is an excellent way to use your fabric scraps. You could also use this technique to make quilt binding.
9. Contrasting Colors Sashing
This quilt features a striking cream diamond-shaped sashing on a navy blue background. This sashing makes a unique border around each of these sampler quilt blocks.
10. Star Sashing
Here is an excellent tutorial on making this adorable star sashing for any quilt. The star sashing adds a fun detail to any quilt design and is surprisingly easy to make. This is an excellent beginner sashing project.
More Related Articles
13 Free Scrap Quilt Patterns For Your Next Project
21 Exquisite Barn Quilt Patterns To Create a Work Of Art
19+ Stunningly Beautiful Modern Quilt Patterns
11. On Point Sashing
Here is a beautiful example of using dark fabric to make a statement with your quilt sashing. The design of this quilt is unique because the blocks are on point. This makes the sashing look like a fun lattice pattern and looks incredible using this dark blue fabric.
12. Patchwork Sashing
The sashing of this quilt was made using small squares in a patchwork design. The sashing makes a beautiful border for the star blocks and breaks up all the white backgrounds. This is another great way to use your fabric scraps.
13. Framed Sashing
Here is a modern take on sashing that features strips of fabric sewn together to make a colorful frame for the simple square blocks. This sashing can be used for all kinds of quilt patterns and is another excellent way to use up scraps or jelly roll strips.
14. Charm Pack Sashing
The sashing in this quilt pattern is charm-pack-friendly. The sashing is made by sewing strips and squares to make four patch cornerstones and strip quilt sashing. This is an excellent beginner quilt pattern.
15. Black Sashing
Black is rarely used for quilt backgrounds and sashing, but it looks striking compared to the scrappy blocks’ vibrant colors. This is another great beginner-friendly quilt project.
I hope you enjoyed checking out the quilts with sashing in this collection. There are endless possibilities for quilt sashing; no matter what you choose, it’ll add a fun design element to your quilts.