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Originally Posted by LindaM
Originally Posted by ube quilting
Milliequilter didn't say anything about wanting to miter the corners so what is all the reference to miters?
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STOP!! We have been presented with two different situations.
First (and easiest one) we want to put a border on a quilt. Measure the distance (width or length) thru the center of the top (if you are REALLY anal, measure a couple of other points too and take an approximation) Cut the borders for the sides you have measured and attach them (I usually halve and quarter the border and quilt side to make sure everything is attached evenly. Now do the same for the other two sides--yes measure again because you have just added a couple of borders. Cut and attach these borders the same way. IF YOU WANT A MITERED BORDER: You will still measure the same way and divide the border and sew the same way so that any 'extra' will be eased in as to be un-noticeable. BUT before you start all that, you will have to cut your border pieces longer--the amount will be the width of your border times 2 plus a bit. Reasoning: to miter the border: it must be as long as the quilt top plus the width of the border times two plus a touch (just for good luck). You should at least measure the half of the quilt and border and match, before sewing and stop a quarter inch from the end. You will then sew the neighbouring side to the quilt and stop a quarter inch from the end. Then you will fold the quilt and border in half and find the 45 degree angle, mark it using a straight edge and sew along that. Check if it sits flat before trimming. Read this to my DH who is a woodworker--twice and he said he 'thought' he understood what I meant. Hope you all do! |
You should do whatever is best for you. BUT, the reason I measure down the middle and make each side/bottom border the exact same length is so that my quilt will be square (or rectangle).
My quilts never, ever, come out the exact same measurements so it's really necessary for me to straighten things up when I add the border. If you don't need to do that -- good for you!! |
If your borders lay flat and you are happy with them, then you are doing just fine! I used to use this method and found that my borders were a bit "rippled" and they didn't lay flat. I now measure the width/length across the middle and ease my quilt into that measurement and that works for me. No quilt police!! Whatever works for you is fine!
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Originally Posted by GingerK
Okaaaay...good news is that what you have been doing is not 'terrible'. The reason that a person should measure the width or length thru the center of the quilt top, is that sometimes the edges can stretch, that's all. And if those edges have stretched, then the borders will actually be longer than the center of the quilt. When it has been quilted, bound and put on a bed, it could look like a skirt that has been 'sat out'.
So, long story short, measuring thru the center of the quilt top helps to keep the width and length even along the whole sides. |
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