Mitred Borders-My Brain is Exploding
 

Please help. This quilt has 3 borders and they are to be mitered. Now, I have read that all the border strips should be sewn together and mitered as one. That's all fine and dandy but I'm not sure how to get them all the right length. The first border in 3 1/2 inches, the second border is 2 1/2 inches and the outside border is 5 inches. I did the math and have the inside borders cut and they appear correct. Do I just cut the next ones the same size or do I recalculate the quilt size, which is 60 x 80 1/2 in the middle and add on 3 1/2 inches for the next border and then recalculate and add on 5 inches for the outside one? And do I calculate in the finished width of the border or the actual width? This is too hard and I may never mitre another border!

LyndaK

What I have done in the past is to make all the side borders one length and then the top/bottoms the same length allowing lots of extra length because you lose so much in the mitering process. Sew all borders together beginning/ending 1/4" from the edge. Then fold your quilt in half diagonally (right sides together). Line up your mitered borders, matching seams where necessary. Draw a line at a 45 degree angle this should be your stitching line. After sewing that line, check that your borders and corner are flat before trimming your sewn border seam. Adjust as necessary and then repeat the same process for the remaining corners. Hope this makes sense for you.

You can attach mitred borders separately or all as one. If you want to attach them all as one, you first sew them together like a strip set. Then treat that strip set as one piece of fabric. You would measure your quilt width, add the width of the borders (times two, because they'll be on both sides), add a couple of inches for insurance, and then cut two strip sets for that width. Do the same for the quilt length, cutting two strip sets.

If you want to add all 3 borders together, then for your quilt, if the center is 60x80.5 and the 3 borders together total 11 (3.5+2.5+5, and I am assuming these are FINISHED sizes, not the unfinished sizes), then two of your strip sets should measure 60 + 2*11 +2 = 84" and the other two strip sets should measure 80.5+2*11+2=104.5". (You should check my math, because I haven't.)

This is the way I do it too.

That's how i do it, too. I just finished a quilt w/ a mitered corner.

The other way you might want to try - w/ the right side up, lay your border pieces so that the overlap. Then, fold under the top piece, forming the diagonal - press it so that you get a crease.

Then, fold it as mentioned above, sewing on the creased line.

I hope that makes sense...

Pleased to report 2 borders on, one corner mitered and moving forward! Many many thanks for all the help!

another option is to do what 117Becca suggested then use the school glue to lightly glue the two borders together, then sew. This is what Sharon Schamber shows to do on the binding when you put the two ends together. I've done it on miters and it works just as well.