Piano Key Border Machine Quilting Design

Here is a great little idea for piano key borders so that you are ditching the key seams and traveling at the same time. Also, it is recommended that the outer 1/8 th inch of the border is stay stitched to prevent the piecing seam thread from coming loose.

1. First stitch in the perimeter ditch all the way around unless the piano keys are so small that you won't have a pucker at the seam.

You can always go back and stitch the perimeter seam later, whether  the between body and border or sashing and border.

2. Consider machine basting instead of pinning the raw outer edge of the border before starting an area.

3. Pick a great variegated thread for fun.

4. Dash a line parallel to the inner border seam about 1" in. Dash a line parallel to the outer border edge about 1 1/4" in if on raw edge, 1" in if the area is seamed like picture below.

 

5. Starting at the top stitch-in-the-ditch between two piano keys, starting from the inner border seam stitch to the left (use picture above as reference look at the blue fabric key) all the way to the outer border seam, arc down 1/3rd of the way then stitch to right to the 1" mark and arc down. You are dividing each key into thirds.

6. Next stitch all the way left to the outer border seam again, arc down one more time and stitch-in-the-ditch to the right until you reach the inner border seam and arc down. You have now completed one piano key.

7. Continue to zig-zag back and forth. The inner stitching 1/3rd will alternate 1" from perimeter seams as you travel around the quilt top.

8. For corners you can simply stop or stitch the design on the diagonal out.

Hope this becomes a favorite way to get around piano key borders. For more visit the new sallyterry.com