What is a mitred corner on a border or lace?

Where borders meet corners

Corners turn up in more places than you might expect on a shalwar kameez:

• Side slits, where a hem border turns to run up the slit edge; see chaak and side slits.
• Square necklines, with two corners at the front; see the square neck.
• V-necklines, with one point at the centre front.
• Dupattas with a border on all four sides.
• Front openings, where a hem border turns up a placket or the edge of an angrakha.

How a mitre is made

The border is folded or cut on the diagonal at each corner so the two ends meet along a line that halves the angle: 45 degrees on a right angle, a sharper line on a narrow V. On a fabric border the two ends are stitched along that line, the excess is trimmed and the seam pressed open or folded under. On lace, the two layers are often overlapped and cut along the edge of a motif rather than in a straight line, then joined with a fine zigzag, which hides the join in the pattern.

A mitre uses extra length. The outer edge of the border travels further than the inner one, so each corner takes roughly twice the border’s width on top of the length of the edges. Measure before you count on a border reaching all the way round.

When a mitre works, and when it does not

Whether a mitre looks good depends on the pattern more than the skill of the stitching.

• Works well: geometric and striped borders, repeating motifs that look the same from either end, and straight-edged lace.
• Tricky: one-way patterns, such as flowers growing upwards. After the mitre the pattern on the second side runs sideways. On a slit edge that may be acceptable; on a dupatta it looks odd.
• Tricky: scalloped lace. The scallops do not meet tidily on a diagonal, so the lace is usually cut round a motif and overlapped instead.
• Not possible: a border that is too short to include the extra length a mitre needs.
• Better left: very wide, heavily worked borders, where a diagonal seam adds bulk and breaks the design.

The honest alternatives

Where a mitre will not look right, there are plain options. The border can stop at the corner and a second length start fresh, overlapping or butting against it. At a slit, a printed hem border often simply runs to the slit edge, with the slit finished by a narrow facing and no border turning up at all. On a round neckline there is no corner to mitre, so lace is eased or gently pleated round the curve instead; the neckline with lace page shows the look.

If your border comes from a suit pack, our guide to using the neckline pieces and borders from a pack helps you work out lengths. Lace and borders are added only to outfits we stitch, as part of our custom embroidery work, and the guide to lace and border work covers the choices. Describe the corners you have in mind or send a photo when you ask for a quote, and we confirm what is possible on your fabric and design.