In the past, the size of a panel was usually 24" wide. Over the last few years other sizes have been become available.
So what do you do if a pattern you like is one size, and the panel you want to use isn't that size?
If your panel is wider, you can simply trim it to the size specified in the pattern, but what do you do if your panel is not wide enough?
Sometimes it won't matter, you can use the size you have. But if you are adding a pieced border to surround the panel, you need a specific size for the blocks to fit.
I'll give you an example.
The pattern tells you to trim the panel to 28½” x 40½”, but your panel is a 24". By the time you square it up, you may have only 23” -- your panel is 5½" too narrow.
It will probably look best to add the same size on each side. For this example, 5½" divided by 2 (left and right sides), you need 2¾" for each side. Don't forget to add seam allowances, so 3¼" for each side is needed: 3¼" + 23" + 3¼". When sewn together, ¼" is removed from each border strip, and from each side of the panel: 3" + 22½" + 3" = 28½".
I usually cut my border pieces slightly wider than I need, so I can then trim the panel+border to the specified size.
If you need to add to the length, it's the same procedure: determine how much is needed, divide that measurement by 2, and add a seam allowance to each piece (and another half inch just to be sure!).
I hope you will find this helpful!
