Chatelaine- Free BOW Sampler Quilt Border Inspiration Part 2

In Part 2 of my Border Inspiration, I'm going to share how I bordered my Chatelaine Sampler (and give you a few sneak peeks of my quilt). Firstly, I set my blocks on point, which is a lovely, classic layout for sampler quilts. I used Option 3A in the On Point  Layouts file, which can be found HERE:

Once the quilt centre was complete, there were a few things I needed to consider before adding my borders:

• I wanted a simple, scrappy border, incorporating all the fabrics I had used in the blocks.
• There would be no fabric purchasing; stash busting only, so I was working with fabrics and quantities I had on hand.
• I wanted the border to frame the blocks, not overpower them. Those blocks must shine.
• Large border elements would look out of proportion to the tiny piecing in the blocks, so I wanted smaller elements to compliment..
• I wanted to float the quilt centre and give the quilt lots of lovely negative space.
• The finished size of the quilt centre (a little over 59" x 79") meant I had a little fudging to do to make the borders fit.

With those things considered, I chose a simple, scrappy checkerboard border, with some pretty baby pinwheels in each corner:

Borders like this, work so well with quilt tops that finish at a size that isn't easily divisible by 2,3,4,5 etc. but they also give the quilt a lovely frame, without overpowering the blocks. My quilt centre finished at a little over 59" x 79" and with the added borders, my quilt top finishes at 77 1/2" x 97 1/2".
So here's a rough idea of the look I was hoping to achieve:

I love how open and uncluttered the quilt looks and feels. I did consider doing something dramatic and fancy in the corners but instead I kept it simple and added the pinwheels, which break the checkerboard and to add another element of interest to the borders.
So instead of going into all the details/measurements etc. with you here, I have compiled a file for you to download which has all of the information included. (Please note, if you have chosen a horizontal layout, you will need to adapt the lengths of the borders to suit)

You can download and print the file by visiting HERE.
I hope I have provided some inspiration for your quilt borders. You can find Part 1 of my Border Inspiration, HERE. I'll keep adding ideas to my Pinterest board, as I find them, so you have another point of reference to use for this quilt or any other quilt you make in the future.

As I mentioned earlier in the week, I am quilting my Chatelaine but as soon as its finished, I will take it out for a photo shoot and share as many photos as you can bear to look at :)
Until then, I'll get back to that quilting :)