Hi all. I'm about to attempt my first Seminole border!!! And I have a question: The border is to be 3" finished. I'm cutting my squares 2 5/8" to include the seam allowance - I came up with this size by lining up a sheet of paper to my cutting mat, one point being at the 1.5" mark and the two sides coming down from that point being even w/ each other at a 1.5" mark on each side. Then I measured the sides that made the square, and came up w/ 2 1/8". Added the 1/2" for seam allowances.

My question is, am I right???? Do any of you calculate it out like this? Or do you have a resource that you use?

Thanks for any help!!!
Becky

The measurement should be 7/8 but I usually add 1 inch then square them up.

I had to search the internet to find out what a seminole border was - and am glad I did! I came up with this site, which has a much easier way to make one (assuming this is the border you want to make). It will be a pretty border, so be sure to send us pictures!

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/...00693245vUVPDH

I don't understand, which measurement should be 7/8?

That's the one, but there are no instructions with the purdy picture!!!

She cut two inch strips ...
one of one color (the center square) and two- 2 inch strips of contrasting color.
Sew those strips together, and then slice them into two inch sections --
Then, when you sew the sections together,
One section right side up -- next section, right side down, placed on the first section so that the white block lines up (exactly) with the colored block in the center.
sew down one side. Put them together in sets of two sections in that manner ... press open, then sew the sets together (four by four) press - -
until you have the length of the border that you want.
THEN!
You need to trim the edge triangles off so that your colored block looks like it is floating ... I will see if I can find you a better explanation.
Actually... when you are trimming, you must insure that you have a quarter inch at each point of the colored section.

Eleanor Burns does a seminole border, and has a video on Quilters TV that may help. Go to quilterstv.com, click on the word "Programming" (top menu bar), select "Programming Lineups" - it'll open a new window with the days of the week on the right hand side. Chose Monday, and on the list of Programs from Monday choose Stars and Four Patch Quilt. It will give you a little box that says your program opened in another window (actually, it opens the list in the first quilters tv window.)

She does hers with strips 2 1/2" wide - I think it's much easier, but that's JMHO!

Here's the link; if it doesn't work, try the instructions above. Hope it helps!

http://www.quilterstv.com/?bcpid=152...tid=1126042211

http://www.austincc.edu/hannigan/Pre.../MathofSP.html

Not only does this site have a variety of pictures, it also helps do the mathematics of the technique.
Hope it helps.
The keywords were: Seminole patchwork

http://www.craftstylish.com/item/4318/seminole-piecing

I also found this, with a real human showing photos step by step

I think I just got my answer!!!

I just told my boss that I spent the evening last night looking for something, ANYTHING, on line that would answer my question, and I told him I'm looking to find out how big to make the square, when the vertical measurement would end up at 3" (unfinished). He said, "Multiply 1.5 (or half of the height) by 1.414" - it came up to 2.121. Or 2 1/8", basically. Then he said maybe it should be 3 divided by 1.414 - which comes out to 2.121641, or basically the same thing. He said that 1.414 is "the tangent of 45 degrees". (Whatever that means!!!!) It's evidently a trigonometry equation, which I didn't get to in college!!!!! LOL! Not that I'd remember it all these years later, anyway!

So, I drew a square, 2 1/8", and measured it corner to corner, and it's 3"!!!