Is there a trick to getting the corners to match?

pin, pin, patience, pin, pin, patience, pin, pin, cross your fingers, pin, pin

Just take your time and don't rush it. It take practice and patience. Not all of my corners match all the time and when they are WAAAAY off, a little applique over the corners hides it very well. :)

Ditto!

You forgot cuss, cuss, pray, cuss, cuss, beg.....

Dont know if the trick I use is "legal" but a alot times I will put in 3-4 stitches at each joint I want to match and then go back and sew the entire seam. That way I can nudge and fudge along the way but still have my corners matching. That many any sense?

I always make sure my seams are pressed in opposite directions so they lock together. This has made all the difference for me. And I also pin. I would rather take the time to pin than tear it out later.

Double post. Sorry.

Yes, press the seams in opposite directions. Then they kind of nestle together when you match them up. Once you've got them where you want them, carefully pin it securely. Once I've got them pinned, I sometimes pull the hanging pieces of fabric apart to take a peek and make sure the seams line up all the way down, not just at the top where they'll be sewn- looking for a nice neat line!

Big yes to all of the above...heavy on the patience and cussing!

Press your seams to one side. With experience, you will learn which way to press your seams so that they butt up to each other and don't overlap. I actually use two pins at the join... one before the seam and one after. While sewing, these two pins help keep the fabric movement to a minimum and the seams line up perfectly. But I can't stress the pressing enough.

Excellent suggestion!!

that's what I do too

Excellent suggetions....I will definetely be giving these a try!

I pin or use Elmers school glue and a hot iron on the intersections :D:D:D

Double Ditto to all above.

A friend just gave me this hint last week. It sure helps along with the talking to self.

I use glue too.

I have posted this before ... I think it was even a tut ... but can't find it now. so here it is again:

Sew each border on stopping ¼” from corner edge. Turn quilt Right Side Up [facing you] on an ironing surface. Put one border edge over the other. Work with this top border to form a miter from the inside corner of the border [where it stopped ¼” from edge] to the outermost edge of the border. The top folded under border ‘tail’ should after turning be right on top of the lower most border ‘tail’. Pin tails that are visible. Press well with Best Press. Then gently pin a bit away from the pressed line on the inner side of the press to keep in alignment. Sew right on the pressing line from that ¼” seam stop to the edge making sure that the quilt body is folded out of the way … or you can sew from the outside in …. It doesn’t matter as long as you have pinned it. Backstitch at the end where the quilt body is. After sewing check for appearance again before trimming.
This is the easiest way to do it. If the borders aren’t perfect a ‘fudge factor ‘ can be worked into the miter and it will still look great.

If you have multiple borders treat them as one unit but matching as you form the miter on the ironing surface.

All rotary rulers have 45° angle lines on them. This is all you need to successfully miter the corners when you are adding borders to a quilt top.

Hope this helps.

ali

Patience

nobody is prefect as the saying goes. Don't fret.doesn't change the warmth or design and the fact that it is made by hand and with lots of LOVE

Thanks All--Oh I love this board!!

I am and fairly new at this quilting, and I am working on a queen, I had this problem too, I would pin and pin below my 1/4" line and the top, press in opposite directions and nuzzle my fabric together, still nothing would line up properly for me..I finally fiquired out it was the pressure on my presser foot that was to tight, it would push the fabric and create a mess, even with a walking 1/4" foot...dicovered this only by accident - I had loosened it to applique and didn't put it back. This is the first time every one of my seams, and corners all match! I am so excited! So, if all else fails, maybe try loosen or lighten, your pressure a little...have fun!

Does anybody here use the "fork pins" that go on both sides of the seam at a time? I've often wondered ... but if you take out the pin before the first seam, what's the point of the second half of the pin?

I am a watch dog always when it comes to corners matching. Careful pinning before and after the seam works for me. It is such a relief to have learned how to control this little, important area. If it goes wrong, I do not let it rest, I take a small section apart and reposition the pieces after studying where the fabric moved.

You forgot chocolate or a glass of wine

I use pins. Yesterday I watched Eleanor Burns; the other day I watched a tute on the computer. How these ladies sew so well with no pins is beyond me.

Understand your thinking, but, yes they work for me. Have Clover brand - it's a fine wire pin. Pricy, but a good tool IMHO.
I press my seams open - not sure if that makes a difference.

I paper piece whenever I can. There is no such thing as "legal" or illegal in quilting. If it works for you, it's legal.

Whole heartedly agree!!!! :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

DITTO

I've found that sometimes I haven't cut the blocks accurately or my seam is a little "fat". It's funny how a couple of extra threads of fabric can change the way points match.

One thing to remember, when you pins seams together, carefully matching them, if there is any fullness in the fabrics between them, place the "baggy" side to the feed dogs and the feed dogs will gently work in the fullness so when you get to the next carefully matched seam you will not have a little fabric tuck to deal with.

One thing to remember, when you pins seams together, carefully matching them, if there is any fullness in the fabrics between them, place the "baggy" side to the feed dogs and the feed dogs will gently work in the fullness so when you get to the next carefully matched seam you will not have a little fabric tuck to deal with.

I like craftykimberly's idea of sewing each end. I'm going to try that.

John Flynn's website has info on getting your seams to match. It makes a world of difference.

I put a thin pin through the stitching line of each seam to put them together. When I come up th the pin, I use the hand wheel to walk it over the pin and then take it out. Never sew over pins! I find this way more reliable than the pressing one seem one direction and the other one the opposite. I like to press my seams open. It eliminates the bulk. Good luck!

Murphys Law. 3 will work perfect and 1 wont. just keep working at it is all I can say.

Just have patience, try to keep 1/4" seams really 1/4" seams, practice, practice and pinning, pinning, pinning and then you will have matching corners. Also, be sure your measurements are right, double check -- measure twice, cut once is absolutely essential.

That is a very good tip to matching corners.

I havent seen smile at it and pray.