How to Miter Quilt a Sashing
The sashing on a quilt is the decorative fabric used between the blocks. The blocks and their sashings combined give a quilt its distinctive decorative pattern. Mitering is the means by which the edges of each block, sashing or border are sewn and neatened to give a continuous flow to each section of the quilt, with no ragged edges or unusual-looking joinings. Mitering is important for sashings, as poor mitering will result in a shabby-looking quilt. You will need to stitch the mitered corners at a 45-degree angle for uniform results.
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Instructions
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1
Measure your sashing fabric so that each sashing is approximately 1 inch longer than its quilt block on each end. It should be approximately 2 inches longer than the quilt block to which you will attach it. The allowance on each side is for the mitering of the corners.
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2
Stitch the sashing to the quilt block, using the sewing machine, leaving the 1-inch allowance of extra fabric at each edge. Only stitch up to the length of the quilt block, leaving the 1-inch allowance on each edge raw.
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3
Sew the other three sashings on to the quilt block. You will miter all the corners at once after you've finished the sashings.
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4
Fold the quilt block in half along the diagonal, with the wrong sides out. This should produce a triangular shape with the raw edges of the sashings touching at each corner.
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5
Pin together the touching edges of each pair of sashings at a 45-degree angle to create neat mitered corners.
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6
Lay the quilt block flat and smooth it out. Check the pinned mitered sashings for accuracy and neatness. Make any necessary corrections and repin.
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Sew down the mitered corners and trim any excess fabric to create a nice, neat, flat quilt block and sashing unit.
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Finish the edges with a zig zag stitch, if desired.
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Tips & Warnings
If you prefer, you can cut the sashings to match the length of the quilt block and stitch small blocks of fabric into the spaces at each corner. This is technically easier than mitering, but takes more effort and time.
Resources
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