mitered corners

I've never been particularly good at mitered corners. I've never been
so terrible that I've worried about them, but I've known that they don't
come out with that perfect 45 degree angle. This has never bothered me
particularly. If it did, I'd put effort into figuring out how to do
them right, but I've noticed. My quilts have been for beds where the
mitered corner has no effect on how well the quilt wears or for wall
hangings where I can't see that the corner is a huge distraction.


My first quilt teacher taught me to cut bias strips 2 1/4" wide, fold in
half, iron, machine sew to the front, hand sew down on the back. You
know the drill. Later I learned not to bother with the bias but to cut
on the straight of grain and cut to 2 1/2". I didn't see much
difference. The other day, just to be perverse, I cut the strips
exactly 2 3/8" wide. To my amazement, every miter came out perfectly.
I didn't struggle or redo or rip out or pay special attention. Nada. I
just used 2 3/8" strips and watched as 4 corners lined up with perfect
45" angles.


I thought I'd pass this on.


--Lia

On Wed, 19 May 2004 00:59:27 GMT, Julia Altshuler
wrote:

I've never been particularly good at mitered corners. I've never been
so terrible that I've worried about them, but I've known that they don't
come out with that perfect 45 degree angle. This has never bothered me
particularly. If it did, I'd put effort into figuring out how to do
them right, but I've noticed. My quilts have been for beds where the
mitered corner has no effect on how well the quilt wears or for wall
hangings where I can't see that the corner is a huge distraction.


My first quilt teacher taught me to cut bias strips 2 1/4" wide, fold in
half, iron, machine sew to the front, hand sew down on the back. You
know the drill. Later I learned not to bother with the bias but to cut
on the straight of grain and cut to 2 1/2". I didn't see much
difference. The other day, just to be perverse, I cut the strips
exactly 2 3/8" wide. To my amazement, every miter came out perfectly.
I didn't struggle or redo or rip out or pay special attention. Nada. I
just used 2 3/8" strips and watched as 4 corners lined up with perfect
45" angles.


I thought I'd pass this on.


--Lia

Have you found the holy grail of mitered corners? Maybe I'll have
to try this. I have 2 baby quilts cut out and haven't done the
binding yet...


-- Jo in Scotland

Johanna Gibson wrote:

Have you found the holy grail of mitered corners? Maybe I'll have
to try this. I have 2 baby quilts cut out and haven't done the
binding yet.


For baby quilts, the holy grail of bindings is a little different. Do
everything as you're used to, but sew the binding to the BACK, mitering
normally. Then machine stitch to the front using whatever decorative
zigzag you like. Baby quilts get a lot of wear and the machine
stitching adds to the strength.

--Lia

In article nOyqc.3543$zw.2639@attbi_s01,
Julia Altshuler wrote:

Johanna Gibson wrote:

Have you found the holy grail of mitered corners? Maybe I'll have
to try this. I have 2 baby quilts cut out and haven't done the
binding yet.


For baby quilts, the holy grail of bindings is a little different. Do
everything as you're used to, but sew the binding to the BACK, mitering
normally. Then machine stitch to the front using whatever decorative
zigzag you like. Baby quilts get a lot of wear and the machine
stitching adds to the strength.

--Lia



That's for sure, Lia! I made baby quilts the "old" way, by machine
stitching on the front and hand stitching on the back, and I've had to
redo each one of them. Now I machine stitch both.
--
Sandy in Henderson, near Las Vegas
my ISP is earthlink.net -- put sfoster1(at) in front
http://home.earthlink.net/~sfoster1

Mama Mia, Lia! At last a possible answer to my ucky mitered corners! I'm
going to try it. Saved your email just for that special next quilt. Many
thanks, Lia, I'll post here if it works (and if it doesn't).

--
Carolyn in The Old Pueblo

If it ain't broke, you're not trying. --Red Green
If it ain't broke, it ain't mine. --Carolyn McCarty

If at first you don't succeed, switch to power tools. --Red Green
If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer. --Carolyn McCarty

"Julia Altshuler" wrote in message
news:Pjyqc.76571$iF6.6427536@attbi_s02...
I've never been particularly good at mitered corners. I've never been
so terrible that I've worried about them, but I've known that they don't
come out with that perfect 45 degree angle. This has never bothered me
particularly. If it did, I'd put effort into figuring out how to do
them right, but I've noticed. My quilts have been for beds where the
mitered corner has no effect on how well the quilt wears or for wall
hangings where I can't see that the corner is a huge distraction.


My first quilt teacher taught me to cut bias strips 2 1/4" wide, fold in
half, iron, machine sew to the front, hand sew down on the back. You
know the drill. Later I learned not to bother with the bias but to cut
on the straight of grain and cut to 2 1/2". I didn't see much
difference. The other day, just to be perverse, I cut the strips
exactly 2 3/8" wide. To my amazement, every miter came out perfectly.
I didn't struggle or redo or rip out or pay special attention. Nada. I
just used 2 3/8" strips and watched as 4 corners lined up with perfect
45" angles.


I thought I'd pass this on.


--Lia

I always do it the old fashioned way, bias binding, machine sewn to the
front, blind stitched by hand to the back, for all quilts. I guess I
could stop doing it for WHs... No reports of the binding coming apart
yet in any of my baby quilts, though. I'll let you know. The binding in
Sofia's is so narrow and pretty with the piping that decorative
stitching would have ruined it, so even if I started it after I read
this post, I still did it in my old traditional way... (see, I DO like
traditions some times... )

Sandy Foster wrote:

In article nOyqc.3543$zw.2639@attbi_s01,
Julia Altshuler wrote:


Johanna Gibson wrote:


Have you found the holy grail of mitered corners? Maybe I'll have
to try this. I have 2 baby quilts cut out and haven't done the
binding yet.


For baby quilts, the holy grail of bindings is a little different. Do
everything as you're used to, but sew the binding to the BACK, mitering
normally. Then machine stitch to the front using whatever decorative
zigzag you like. Baby quilts get a lot of wear and the machine
stitching adds to the strength.

--Lia




That's for sure, Lia! I made baby quilts the "old" way, by machine
stitching on the front and hand stitching on the back, and I've had to
redo each one of them. Now I machine stitch both.

--
Dr. Quilter
Ambassador of Extraordinary Aliens
http://community.webshots.com/user/mvignali
(take the dog out before replying)