Free Happy Endings: Finishing the Edges of Your Quilt by Mimi Dietrich

nesting the squares on the strip until the entire strip is folded. Machine baste ⅛" from the edge of the strip to secure the points.

9. Attach the strips of prairie points to the edges of the quilt, aligning the straight edge of the prairie points with the raw edge of the quilt and overlapping segments as needed. Make sure that the prairie points meet at the corners (see page 61 ). To attach the strips, sew around all four edges of the quilt front using a ¼" seam allowance. To finish sewing your quilt together, refer to “Attaching Special Finishes” on page 55 .

    Adding Gathered Lace or Ruffles
    For a feminine touch, you can add gathered lace or ruffles to the edge of a quilt. Look for lace that is pregathered rather than flat. Sometimes you can find premade fabric ruffles, too. But more than likely, you’ll need to make your own ruffles if that’s the look you want. Besides, that way, you can match the ruffles perfectly to your quilt fabrics. When you purchase pregathered trim, use the distance around the quilt, plus ¼ yard. If you plan to make your own ruffles, see “Making Your Own Ruffles” on page 66 .
1. Place the ruffles or gathered-lace trim, right sides together, on the quilt top, matching the cut edge of the quilt and the raw edge or binding edge of the trim.
2. Using a ¼" seam allowance, sew just to the left of the gathering line or bound edge of the trim so that any gathering stitches will be captured in the seam allowance and won’t show on the finished quilt. Leave the first 2" of trim free so that you’ll have a “tail” for finishing later.

3. Sew along the first edge of the quilt, stopping 1" from the corner. For this last inch, as you approach the square corner, use a long straight pin to push the ruffle or lace under the presser foot, adding more fullness to the gathers.
When you get to the corner, leave the needle in the fabric, lift the presser foot, and pivot to stitch the next side. Continue adding fullness to the gathers for another inch. This will give your ruffle enough fullness to “fan out” around the corner when it is turned right side out. Even if your corners are rounded off, it is still helpful to add some fullness as you sew the ruffle or lace around the curve.

4. After you’ve stitched around the entire quilt and are approaching the starting point, you have a few options for finishing the ruffle or lace. To make a seam in the ruffle, cut the two ends so that they overlap ½". Place the two ends right sides together and sew a ¼" seam. Press the seam to one side and then finish sewing the ruffle or lace to the quilt.

5. For a quicker finish, you can fold the beginning tail back 1". Cut the ending tail so that it overlaps the first one by 1". Sew over these folds, and the completed ruffle or lace will show no raw edges on the right side. The fullness of the ruffles will hide the cut edges.

6. If your pregathered ruffle is doubled, you can conceal the cut edges by trimming the tails so that they overlap 2". Fold the raw edges of one tail ½" to the inside and then slip the other tail inside the fold, too. This will provide a finished edge on the front and the back.

7. To finish sewing your quilt together, refer “Attaching Special Finishes” on page 55 .

    Making Your Own Ruffles
    For a perfect match, make your own ruffles to coordinate with the fabrics and colors in your quilt. Fabric ruffles can be cut on the bias or straight grain of the fabric. Cut the fabric strips twice the width of the finished ruffle, plus two seam allowances. For example, if you want a 2"-wide finished ruffle, cut 4½"-wide strips (2" for the front, 2" for the back, and two ¼" seam allowances). By making a doubled ruffle, it will be just as pretty on the back of the quilt as it is on the front. Plus, you won’t have to sew a long hem on the outer edge of the ruffle.
    You’ll need enough fabric strips to make a continuous strip that is at least twice the distance around your quilt. As an