Quick answer
Buy the Border Builder Bootcamp Design Workbook if you are taking Natalia Bonner's Border Builder Bootcamp class and want a place to plan borders, sketch quilting designs, and take notes. Skip it if you need written step-by-step instructions or a standalone pattern book. It is a companion workbook, not a tutorial.
Border Builder Bootcamp
What the workbook actually contains
The Border Builder Bootcamp Design Workbook is built as a companion to Natalia Bonner's class, Border Builder Bootcamp. It includes Natalia's machine quilting designs illustrated in full color, plus blank pages with space for notes, illustrations, and doodling. Natalia's quilt top finishes at 50" x 60", which gives you a real reference size for planning border proportions.
The most important thing to know before buying: the design workbook does not contain any written instructions. It is a planning and sketching tool, not a teaching manual. The class supplies the instruction; the workbook supplies the space to apply it.
How to use it for quilt border planning
Use the full-color design pages as a visual menu. Before you mark fabric, flip through and pick two or three border designs that fit the scale of your quilt. Then use the blank pages to sketch how those designs interact at corners, where borders meet, and how a narrow inner border changes the feel of a wider outer border.
Because the workbook has no written instructions, treat your sketches as your own reference notes. Jot thread choices, ruler names, or spacing reminders next to each drawing while the class is fresh. That turns the workbook into a personalized border design for quilts you will make later, not just a one-time class handout.
Paper or PDF: choosing your format
The workbook is available in Paper and PDF options. Paper suits quilters who like to sketch with a pencil, erase, and flip pages at the machine. PDF suits quilters who want to reprint blank pages, zoom in on design details, or keep a copy on a tablet in the studio. If you plan to experiment heavily, PDF lets you print fresh pages without worrying about using up the book.
Decision rules for buying the Border Builder Bootcamp Workbook
- You are enrolled in or planning to take Border Builder Bootcamp: The workbook is designed as a companion to the class, so the full-color designs and blank pages line up with what you learn there. Buy it with the class, not instead of it.
- You want to plan borders before you quilt: Use the blank pages to sketch corner treatments, border widths, and quilting motifs. The 50" x 60" finished quilt top gives you a concrete proportion reference. Choose Paper if you sketch by hand; choose PDF if you reprint pages.
- You need written instructions or a standalone pattern: The workbook contains no written instructions. If you want step-by-step teaching, the class or a different book is the better purchase. Skip this workbook if you are not taking the class and do not already know the techniques.
Product facts
- Border Builder Bootcamp Design Workbook: Companion design workbook to Natalia Bonner's class, Border Builder Bootcamp, with full-color machine quilting designs and blank pages for notes and illustrations. No written instructions are included. You get visual design reference and planning space, but you must take the class or already know the techniques to use it fully.
- Let's Stitch - 365 Quilt Block Designs: Let's Stitch - 365 Quilt Block Designs is a 440-page full-color companion workbook to Natalia Bonner's free A Block A Day class, covering 6" square, circle, and triangle designs with QR codes linking to machine quilting videos. If you want a broader daily design reference with video support, this is a different tool from the border-focused workbook.
Who should buy it
Best for
- Quilters taking Natalia Bonner's Border Builder Bootcamp class who want a dedicated planning and sketching workbook
- Quilters who already know machine quilting basics and want a visual border design reference with space for notes
Not for
- Beginners who need written step-by-step instructions to learn border quilting from scratch
- Quilters looking for a standalone pattern book with complete project directions
