Mitered Borders -- Magic Formula?
 

I want to sew several narrow borders together to create one wide border and then miter my corners. This is going to be scrappy. I'm trying to figure out if I have enough of each color family of fabrics. Is there a magic formula to know how much extra fabric you will need to miter the corners. In my head, I keep thinking I will need the width of the overall border on each end in order to miter. I can't find any confirmation of this out in cyber space and I have no idea why I'm thinking it.

So math folks, what do I need?

You might check this blog: www.sewbiz.blogspot.com It shows the use of their Quick Easy Border Mitering Tool, which has a video and goes into detail on their written info (and perhaps the video too) on how to do multiple borders and figure the amount needed. Good luck -- I've used this tool and really like it, but am a "a-tool-addict"!

http://www.quiltingboard.com/tutoria...s-t159462.html

I just read this tutorial the other day. It's in the Tute archives. I think it will help you.

Thanks Rainy! That is exactly the math I was looking for! Now off to cut strips.

If this is your first time, may I suggest you baste the miter, then press and check that you are precisely right on the mark with a large square ruler that has a diagonal line thru the center. Then go ahead, and stitch the seam. When I was making competition quilts, I hated miter borders. It always seem that no matter HOW carefully I was, there was always one corner that would be slightly off. Glad that those days are behind me. Good Luck Remember: Measure twice, sew once !! :)

The way I do it is extend the fabric out at the corner so they cross one another, does not make a difference as to how they cross, top over side or side over top,. Then I fold back the one on top to get the miter angle iron it flatten it out pin sew on the crease.

I recently did a mitered border with a stripped fabric that was about 10" wide. I made a HST cornerstone with the striped fabric and then sewed it on . It was easy to match the strip using the smaller square of fabric. It actually made a perfect miterd corner this way. The 10" square piece for fabric made it easy to work with instead of flipping around the quilt top and all that fabric. You really can not notice the extra seam for the cornerstone. There are afew more seams this way but I think it is really less work.

Wow thanks RainyBC. These directions are awesome ;-)