When I was teaching at my first “Handwork in the Smokies” seminar a couple weeks ago, we had a discussion about getting border prints to turn the corner easily. I told my students I’d write a blog post that explains this neat way to turn corners. This isn’t my own invention, BTW, it is Jinny Beyer’s, a master quilter and designer.
How to start… Pick out a border that is symmetrical. (That means it is the same on both sides if you draw a line down one of the motifs.)
Clik here to view.
Notice that the top border is NOT symmetrical. The bottom one is symmetrical in 2 places.
Most symmetrical border prints have 2 places they are symmetrical. I’ve drawn with chalk on the bottom border the 2 places.
Here is border print that LOOKS symmetrical, but actually isn’t. (Draw your line at a 90 degrees.)
Clik here to view.
Even though this border looks symmetrical, it isn’t when you draw a line thru a motif.
Now here is where the magic happens. If you remember back a few months when I told you how to cut your borders and miter them at the same time. (If you haven’t read the blog post, go back to the “Borders and Pressing” #1 and #2.)
If you fold your 4 borders on one of the symmetrical points and cut out them all the same as shown earlier, you get some really neat results at the corners. Look at the way this plain old border turns…
Clik here to view.
WOW! Look at those corners!
You also have the other symmetrical point. If you choose that one to fold your borders, you get this…
Clik here to view.
WOW! Another great turn!
I usually machine piece my borders on, but when I get to the corners, I stitch them up by hand, so I can make sure my motifs all match.
Of course, this works easily with a SQUARE quilt. A rectangle is a little more complicated. I still do the same thing, but I audition the corners first. Sometimes I can just cut one motif on 2 sides and the other motif on the other 2 sides. Sometimes it magically works with the same motif. (It really is a question of math, the dreaded subject that I love.)
Hope this has you looking at border prints a little differently and get out a few of them and cut away to see what you get!
