Borders 05: pieced

Fabrics cut right sides together

Strips sewn together and sub cut into two patches which are
joined to make four patches and in turn to make borders the required length.

There are lots of options for pieced borders. I chose to make pieced squares. First I cut 2" strips and sewed them together, then subcut into two patches and then sewed these together into four patches. I followed the same alignment so that when I snipped the surplus stitches at the centre seam crossing of the four patches I could make the seams turn the same way so that they all nested together when I joined them to form the borders. See illustration HERE, at the end of my blog post for Monday October 1st 2018.
I needed 4 four patches for the first border, 5 for the second and third and 6 for the final one, 20 in all.

First 12" finished size border added
with five 4-patches ready to join for the
second border,

Last two borders  to attach.

Completed

Borders 04: corner posts

If you don't have enough fabric to extend beyond the edges of the top or it is tricky to make a pieced border pattern go round the corners, corner stones can be the solution. 
Cut four pieces the length of the top and add squares of the same width at the corners as shown.

Pieces laid out

 First two sides attached

All done

Border Matters 03: mitres

If I have sufficient fabric I like to make a mitred border. You need the length of the side of the quilt plus two border widths for each one. I add a little bit extra. 

Here illustrated with my quilt.

First I mark the seam lines at the corners on the reverse side of the quilt top. Where they cross is the starting and stopping point of the seam stitching.

Reverse of top piece

Then match the centre of the border strip to the middle of the edge of the quilt  and pin. 

Centre fold of border strip matched
to top piece centre.

Pinned

The rest of the pinning is done with the back of  the quilt top uppermost and right sides together.














Sew all four border strips stopping and starting where the seams cross. I do two opposite sides and then the remaining two.

 

First two sides. Note stop and start points.

Last two sides pinned at the centre ready to turn over and
sew on the reverse.

Now draw or press a 45 degree line from the marked point to the outer edge of the border strip, using the lines on your ruler or a set square.

Using a set square. note side of the
set square is aligned with the edge of
the border trip.

Using a ruler.

Place the two adjacent strips alongside each other and pin.
Sew along your marked line either back stitching or using a smaller stitch before you reach the point.

Ready to sew: borders pinned together and sides aligned.

Open out and press. 

You see the excess length I cut
poking out

Trim away excess fabric.

Be careful!

Houston Stars: bordering

The quilt as you go border is composed of triangles, the outer ones larger than the inner ones so there's no need to worry about points and quarter inches when adding the binding. I thought I was going to use a dark red joining strip but didn't want this to stretch to the outer edges of the quilt. I thought I would stop short of the end of the border and add a triangular piece to the corner but on reflection changed my mind and added the borders in rectangular strips but log cabin style and partially pieced so that I could ensure the corner squares were correctly aligned to aid accuracy I also sewed from the centre out to the edges. I saved the dark red for the binding, no photos yet.
I am feeling so much better today after my surgery visit. It seems I am not going to be crippled for life after all. This news alone made me feel a hundred times better. The strong anti-inflammatory pills seem to be helping too. No need to bother with hot water bottles, alternative practitioners etc and yes it's a good idea to keep moving so I'm OK for my quilty activities this week and trip to Norwich next week. Alan took me and I found his car very comfy to travel in.