How to design the corners of a "Piano Key" border?
 

I am finishing up a log cabin quilt top with a "piano key" border. What should I do for the corner sections of the border? At first, I was going to make a "fan" corner, but it's getting to complicated and looks kind of sloppy, so now, I'm trying to come up with some other ideas. Any suggestions? Thanks.

~ Cindy

You could do a single fabric square which would be the easiest. Or you could extend the lenght of the borders and then miter the corners. If you still want to do a fan, try paper piecing it.

Oh...I never thought of just doing a solid fabric for the corners. Now that would finish things up in a hurry, now wouldn't it? Great idea! I did think of mitering the corners and yes, I paper-pieced the fan, but it still didn't come out perfect and there are bits of paper left in the area where all the points meet, so I'm chucking the fan idea. Thanks for your tips.

Google "Piano Key Quilt Borders" images and get inspired!!!

you can also put a log cabin block in the corner using pieces being used for piano keys.

I miter mine usually......

When I do a piano key, I have the borders 'chase' each other. Sort of log cabin style. Here's some instructions and a very rough sketch
1) add the border to right side. Make it even with the top, have extra piano keys, the width of your border. Leave an inch or two unsewn to the quilt at the bottom.
2) Add the top border, start even with the left side and end it even with the edge of the border on the right
3) add left border
4) add the bottom
5) now sew the little bit of the first border to the lower right edge of the quilt and the edge of the bottom border.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]544603[/ATTACH]
Here's an example of a quilt with this piano key method (it's the second quilt, the star)
http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...s-t261037.html

I downloaded a free pdf from windham fabrics for a pattern that had a piano key border but I think the fabric itself was piano keys. I haven't studied the pattern yet. I will post a link...maybe you could download and see how they did it.

http://www.windhamfabrics.com/cgi-bi...?patternID=484

I really like that pattern.. I would love to get all that fabric, but went to their site and didn't see any that the pattern shows. I looked around at the different shops that were shown, but I guess I'd need to call them!?!? Is that the only way to get that fabric?

You can just use a plain corner square or you can take some sewn piano keys and make a haft square triangle so it looks like you mitered the corner.

to bdschafer....
I have been buying up 'music' fabric over the past few months but haven't seen any with piano keys. I just downloaded the pattern a few days ago but haven't had a chance to really look at it.
Maybe someone else will pop in and have info on where fabric could be purchased.

Here's a google search...maybe you'll get lucky and find some for sale.
https://www.google.ca/search?q=music...o0Ae8Q_AUIBigB

I have used corner squares on some and mitered on others. Both looks fine. The corner squares make the border look a bit more formal.

No, the manufacturers themselves do not sell to the public. You can go to www.quiltshops.com and put the name of the fabric into the search bar and find shops that carry it.

I like to put blocks in my corners, it seems to hold the pattern together rather than leaking out through the corners.

i either put a whole different block in that corner like kalamaqults does or put a plain solid there. Only once did i mitre it. good luck.

If you simplify your fan idea, you could use something like the block Deb Tucker calls the "Corner Beam." Here is a link to the ruler, but you could easily pp this for four blocks and I think it would continue the look of your piano key border.

http://www.studio180design.net/shop/product/DT12/

These two are mitered. I do like the looks of a mitered corner. [ATTACH=CONFIG]544678[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]544679[/ATTACH]

Love the diagonal corners.

so many wonderful ideas... I think I just did a solid block when I did the quilt in my Avatar... your possibilities seem endless. ;) We'll be curious to know what you decided...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/391684...posted-public/

Here is my latest Soldier quilt.
Sharon

I like the idea of a smaller log cabin - but without seeing the quilt can't tell if it would be too busy. If you used one constant fabric for the beginning of the log cabins (the little center square), maybe use that fabric for a corner square. Please share when done.

I just finished a quilt with piano key border and put half square triangles in each corner and it looks good

I make the piano key border often and always use a coordinating square in the corner. I tried taking the keys right to the corner, but it is too busy a look for me.

Wow! Thank you all for the wonderful responses and ideas! I've decided that I'm just going with a solid block on this one. The center of the log cabins are tomato red, so I'm using that same, red fabric for each corner. It's quick, easy and it looks really good. I'm definitely keeping everyone's ideas in my mind for my next piano key border that is coming up. I love this border, so I'm planning to use it often.

~ Cindy

Quilt a music note on each corner block, or do a paper pieced music note in each corner.

I usually do like PaperPrincess and have them chase each other

[QUOTE=tapper;7492060]to bdschafer....
I have been buying up 'music' fabric over the past few months but haven't seen any with piano keys. [QUOTE]

Me thinks you don't know what "piano keys" refers to. They are the strips of colored fabric surrounding the quilt, radiating outwards. There are quite a few posts in this thread that show them. I've never seen fabric with just the piano keys in black and white either, but did see a very large piano keyboard in a quilt. That one was built by the quilt-maker.

I prefer a solid block at the corners. I want the piano key border to be the star.

That's beautiful way of doing the corners!

[QUOTE=maviskw;7493707][QUOTE=tapper;7492060]to bdschafer....
I have been buying up 'music' fabric over the past few months but haven't seen any with piano keys. I did know that but was thinking that maybe you could buy fabric that looked like piano keys. The fabric used in the free pattern is keyboard fabric. http://www.windhamfabrics.com/cgi-bi...?patternID=484

How about a variation of the dresden plate idea, so your strips could kind of curve around the corner, wider at the outside of the curve and narrower at the inside of the curve? I'd eliminate the partial circle which is usually at the center of a dresden plate to keep some continuity to the design of your piano keys.

I did a piano key border a while back and in the corners I put a corner square log cabin.
Looks great.

I am just getting ready to put the binding on a quilt I just finished with a piano key border and got my graph paper out and made a bear paw pattern in each corner. I am so pleased with it. Wish I knew how to put pics on the QB but not that advanced yet.

How about something a bit more simple like a HST in the corners?

https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?&id=OIP....9&rs=0&p=0&r=0

I just found this picture today and thought of this topic.....which, when I returned to my email, I found at the top of the list!! So I knew I was supposed to share this link with you all.

[disclaimer: if you get to searching this site, as I have just done, be prepared to give up fixing dinner and maybe even your sleep. I just spent over TWO hours playing here!!]

Notice how this quilter from 1879 handled her piano key borders. Sometimes there is nothing new under the sun!
http://americanhistory.si.edu/collec...3A%22Images%22

Jan in VA

[QUOTE=tapper;7493913][QUOTE=maviskw;7493707]Here's a couple options
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00TOZ...02FNSSY5VQH78F

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00MXC...02FNSSY5VQH78F

Etsy has somr cool ones too.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1235791...FdM2gQodo_cEXg

https://www.etsy.com/listing/2611887...FdcRgQodoKwLug

I just did a quilt with 9 patch blocks in the corners and a piano key border. You could put the red in the middle like your log cabins.

I love to make piano key borders because I can use up a lot of left over fabrics from the quilt. I usually just make a square of the appropriate size for each corner of a piece of fabric from colors in the quilt. Please share a pic with us what you decide

That is genius with the HST