gingerd

I have done a couple of these. I can't seem to get them to fit correctly. What I mean is that I pin from the middle out to the corners. Once I get to a corner there is 1/2 or less of a "key" that shows. I can't seem to stretch it to get it to a full "key".

My quilt sides will be 65" long and the top/bottom 55" long.

I have 8 fabrics to use in the border. How wide do the strips need to be to end up having full "keys" when I get to the end of a border strip?

Corner blocks....yes, I will put those in if it helps. If so, how large do I make those?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

cjsews

If they finish at 2.5 inches you need 22 on the 55" side and 26 on the long side. The extra in the corners depends on how long the keys are. Or you could add extra to all sides and miter them

gingerd

Thanks much!

Oh and could I spell borders correctly.....ughhh.......

quiltedsunshine

When I've done piano key borders, they never seem to turn out exactly the first time. I'll often re-sew the seams just a tiny bit (make the seam allowance bigger or smaller) as needed to make them work. I might only adjust 3 seam allowances in the whole border, or I may need to adjust 10.

gingerd

Annette....that's brillant! I never thought of doing that.

Thank you so much for the suggestion!!

DACO48

That is exactly what I do also. Otherwise they NEVER fit.

ArtsyOne

When I make piano key borders I usually miter them because I like the effect of the stripes meeting. Annette's method of resewing some of the keys works great too.

Reba'squilts

I have never mitered my corners on a piano key border. Might have to try it, sounds like it would be a good finish. I do make my borders fit by adjusting the seams. When it is done, the difference in key widths is really not visible.

luvstoquilt

I agree. I adjust seams too. Now let's try a mitered corner!

SusieQOH

Love Annette's idea! Thanks