Nancy’s Quilting Classroom: Mitered Quilt Borders
Do you love the look of mitered quilt borders, but find them a bit daunting? Some quilters add mitered quilt borders to all of their quilts. On the other hand, I only add them when I’m using a gorgeous border stripe like the one in Berry Wreath from the Love of Quilting Nov/Dec 2011 issue. Then mitered borders are the perfect choice and nicely frame a quilt.
There are several ways to sew the corners on mitered borders. However, I’ve found the following method gives me the best results:
- Start by estimating the finished dimensions of the quilt top, including the mitered border. Add 3″ to 4″ to this measurement and cut the border strips to that length.
- Use a pin to mark the center of the quilt top edges and border strips.
- Measure the quilt top through the center to determine its width and length.
- On each end of the side border strips, place a pin equidistant from the center pin to mark the length of the quilt top. On the top and bottom borders, mark the width of the quilt top with a pin in the same way.
- Pin the side borders to the quilt top, matching the centers and aligning the pins at both ends of the border strip with the quilt top edges.
- Starting ¼” from the raw edges of the quilt top, sew the border strip to the quilt top, beginning and ending with a backstitch. Add the top and bottom borders in the same way.
- Press the seam allowances toward the borders.
Now comes the tricky part – mitering the corners!
If you’d like to see mitered quilt borders in action, take a look at this free quilting video tutorial – Sew Easy: Mitered Quilt Borders.
Now, sit back and enjoy your beautifully mitered corners. Chocolate for everyone!!
Happy Quilting!
Nancy
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