When sewing on a thick fabric like fleece knit, a simple, folded hem on corners can end up looking chunky and homemade. Mitering such corners is easy, reduces bulk, and creates a clean, square shape. For more instructions on mitering a hem corner, see “Curves, Points, and Corners,” Threads #72 (Aug./Sept. 1997), p.61.

Another type of miter occurs at the corners of the vest’s edge “bands,” which are really decorative facings stitched and turned to the outside, with 1 inch of outer raw edge allowed to curl (see photos above).

Here’s how to construct them:

1. Cut facing strips on the cross-grain so all the outer edges will curl the same way; for a 1-1/2-inch-wide facing, cut strips 1-3/4 inches wide to give a 1/4-inch seam allowance.
2. Cut one end of the adjoining strips on a 45-degree angle and join them right sides together in a 1/4-inch seam, stopping the stitching 1 inch before the end that will be allowed to curl (which is the inner edge of the miter for the front corners and the outer edge of the miter for the armholes).
3. Now sew the right side of the facing strips to the vest’s wrong side, turn the facings to the outside, and topstitch 1 inch from the remaining cut edge. The raw edge will curl to cover the stitching.

Nancy Snell is an expert seamstress in Newtown, Connecticut.

This article was first published in Threads #73 (Oct./Nov. 1997), p. 44. It provided supplemental information to “A Primer on Sewing Knits” by Ann Person.

Photos by Scott Phillips.