Sew Perfect Mitered Strips
A Professional Sewing Tip
Hi Eileen,
Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly. I saw the "sewing perfect corners" tip on your website and printed them for use a later date on another project.
This is not the tip I am looking for. I'm not mitering corners of a wall hanging. I'm mitering two edges together to make a corner. I'm putting a 3 inch border around a rectangular piece of fabric and I need to miter the corners where the two pieces meet at the corner.
Do you have any information on how to do this and make it look professional?
Again, thank you for all your time and help. My project is due this Thursday. Any help you can give before then would be super.
Sincerely,
Sande
Sorry I misunderstood your question. Here is the info you are looking for. Good luck with your project!
Sew Perfect Mitered Strips
To sew two strips of fabric together forming a right angle or mitered corner:
- 1. Lay strip 1 horizontally as illustrated on a cutting mat or any grid marked surface. Two rulers, one horizontal one vertical, will also do.
- 2. Position the end to be mitered over a square with the top of your strip aligned to the top of the square and the right side of your strip just past the right side of the square (the width of the seam line you desire). In the illustration, I'm using a grid square that is two boxes long on each side.
- 3. Remember from your high school geometry that bisecting a square forms two right triangles? That's exactly what is required for a mitered corner.
- 4. Fold strip 1 up along the 45 degree line. Iron in place.
- 5. Lay your second fabric strip vertically as shown and repeat the process. Pin the two strips together along the fold lines; sew; trim seam; press flat.

Thanks, thanks, thanks, I am making my parents each a throw blanket for them using squares. With the white squares I am ironing on pictures using the t-shirt transfer.
I just started and it needs to be done by Christmas. The first step in my sewing nuttiness was to sew all 50 or so squares. But how to do a corner?
I found your website and waaalaaa. Problem solved. I do not sew often so when I do, I get myself in over my head.
Thanks so much for your awesome information and Happy Sewing.
B.A. Matthias
For more sewing tips, techniques and patterns, visit our Sewing Index page.
Recommended Reading
These books are excellent resources for sewers of all skill levels.




