I need some border help....
 

Ok, I'm having a dickens of a time. I am relatively new to quilting and could use some advice. I recently completed my first small bargello (Yeah!) I did the border as directed and hated it. I felt it needed the mitered corners - which the directions didn't tell me how to do. I had decided to do a small solid border, then a strip border of the tubes and then a wider border of the first border fabric - like the directions called but just miter them. I found a youtube video that showed a woman sewing mitered corners, and she made it look so easy. She also recommended sewing the different edgings together and then mitering them. Which was great. Except when I did that with the recommended overages of fabric that she mentioned, I don't have enough fabric to make the corners meet. So now I'm trying to decide what to do. I can go back to the original plan, which I didn't like in the first place. I think it didn't feel right because I felt the pieced section needed to be mitered to make it join smoothly.

I don't have any more tubes sewed together that I can simply cut more strips for (but I do have enough scraps that I could make another tube, and then use it.) I'm not sure I have enough of the outside border (but could make a trip to the quilt store). Plan 2 would be to make a new tube, cut more strips, and recut the borders to try and miter them. I'm still not 100% certain of my mitering skills. What seemed like a good idea at the time, has been an exercise in patience.

Third idea I have is to do standard border of the solid pieces. I can sew the inner solid border, piece the strip section, and then do standard border of the outer solid piece. I'm not convinced it would look 100% right if I miter the middle but not the surrounding pieces.

Advice desperately needed and appreciated. I really want to get the border on so I can take it to have it quilted. I've fallen in love with bargellos and decided that I will have them longarmed whenever possible. Please help. Thank you!

Try the sharonschambers video mitred corner part 2 the glue idea would hold without pins the beginning part one glueing the seam I assume yours is sewn.
Utube I know quilting a day and missorie star also do good video for a mitred border. Watch out as some are binding.s
Good luck.

Do post a photo of your quilt so that we can see it and think of new border options for you. Sounds like you are missing corners at this point? Why not applique a Dresden fan onto corner squares in one of the colors of your top?

you may have more luck if you attach the 3 borders separately- you could *easily-once you learn how* miter the inner narrow solid border- add the strip borders straight- then miter the outer wider solid border. mitering the pieced section may be a bit difficult. practice mitering with a couple pieces of scrap fabric to get the hang of it- once you get it you will find miters are really not difficult- it's just learning the process.

Could you use cornerstones? They may be easier for this quilt.