Quilt Finishing 101

Recently some unknown spirit has channeled me, a slightly overzealous garment sew-ist and turned me into a, (dramatic pause with drumroll) a quilter.
The quilt I’m working on has been long in the making. I designed and stitched the squares two years ago when I first released the overtures set.

I’ve used this set many times (there are lots of samples on the Overtures webpage) but usually in bright, colors. This quilt was designed to showcase another, more subtle side of the set.

The completed quilt-squares had a special place in my home along with seventeen other pieces awaiting the completion fairy. When I upgraded the sewing room, the quilt squares warranted their own cubby in one of the new sewing cabinets
The quilt squares came out of the closet this summer when I took them to a sewing retreat and sashed and assembled them. Then, back into hiding they went.
Yesterday, a mere 4 months later I brought the quilt top out to finish.
I spent most of the day adding the borders. It wasn’t hard. Things went smoothly. It was just time consuming.

I chose to add a 3 1/2” wine colored border separated from the outer line of sashing with a half inch cream line.
It took several hours to put in the mitered corners. By the fourth corner I had finally assimilated information I'd been gathering for a while. Several years ago, I took a finishing class from Pam Gerkovich, a local quilting guru. A year after that Suzette Heinrich, another incredible local quilter, showed me her secret for great mitered corners.  A year later I shared  some  time with Trish McCrumb, another quilting aficionado, who showed me her system. I've taken the best of all these and made it work for me. I have 4 perfect miters now.
I think the methodology for the 1/2” line of sashing and the instructions for the mitered corners are worth a write up.  Watch this blog.
Tomorrow back to the real world.  I'm posting stuff on Etsy- putting together another sale and doing another newsletter.  I'll get back to trying starting a Bullard Designs Facebook page - calling the local schools to talk about sew camp... and sew on and sew on.
Good night.