Mitered Borders made Easy! 1. Measuring through the middle of quilt, get BOTH length and width measurement. Write them down. 2. Subtract ½” from each measurement for seams. 3. Sew all border strips together end to end and use as one unit. HINT: There is no need to make a diagonal seam when doing this. Just trim off any selvages, be sure you have a nice 90 degree angle and sew using a 1/4" seam. Press this seam open. This seam IS NOT decorative in anyway and this will make the seam the least noticable. HINT: If your fabric is really going to show the seam because it is a stripe or a plaid or a hand dyed fabric, etc, consider cutting your borders from the length of your fabric. You would need the length of your quilt plus about 6 inches. Cut 4 strips and don't use any seams. HINT: You may be able to make your second piece of border using the 45 degree cut made from your first piece of border, etc. If your cut in going to be too close to an end to end seam, trim the short piece off and start so you don't have a seam in your miter. Makes your quilt border a lot neater. 4. Cut one end of border using 45 degree angle on ruler. Your INSIDE border will ALWAYS be the shorter end of the cut. (Think of a picture frame) 5. Draw a line with a pencil or other marking tool ¼ inch in from the short side of the angled edge and ¼ inch from straight edge of border on the inside of your fabric. This line doesn’t need to be dark and only has to about ½” long, just long enough to see the crossing spot. This will create an "X." Where the lines cross, the "X" will be your starting and stopping spot when sewing border to quilt. This mark will be ¼ inch in from the edge of the quilt when sewing border to quilt top. 6. Measure the length of the border using measurement in step 2. Mark a “dot” on wrong side of border, ¼” in from edge. This is the end of your border. 7. Using the 45 degree angle on the ruler, cut border ¼” on OUTSIDE of the “dot.” Be sure to have the INSIDE border on the shorter side of the cut. (Think picture frame) 8. Match the “dot” at the end of your border and the “X” spot marked from step 5 with ¼ inch from the end edges of quilt. Pin border to quilt top matching centers. 9. Sew the border to quilt top. You must backstitch (or pull threads ends to inside of quilt and tie threads together in knots) at the beginning and end of seam. Sew sides on first, then ends. 10. Press seams away from the center of the quilt. 11. Sew corners together last, matching borders. Sew from INSIDE edge, to outside edge. You must backstitch on the inside corner. 12. Press seam of miter to either side. Turn quilt top over and admire your perfectly mitered corner! Please share this with your quilting friends. I do ask that you leave my name and website on any copies you make. Barbara Raisbeck www.Quiltsbybarb.com
