It will be a snug fit and should cover your 1/4-inch seam line. Bring the ends together so they just meet near the middle of the space and fold each one straight back. Fold the first corner of the binding over to form an angle. Using the strip width determined earlier, cut strips from selvage to selvage until you've cut enough fabric to surpass the required length.
. Fold binding over to wrong side and hand stitch binding in place, taking a few extra tack Binding around the corner Align the binding along the edge of the quilt, and mark on the binding where the quilt edge ends. After turning the bindings to the back, blind stitch using matching color thread. Trim seam allowance to 1/4-inch; press. Continue all around the quilt, stopping the stitching within 6" of the folded binding. As an object, quilt binding is the fabric that wraps around the outer edges of your quilt sandwich - the top, batting & backing together - and is attached after quilting to finish your quilt. Thank you so much for commenting...you just made my day! How to Sew Binding to a Quilt Line up the raw edges of the binding with the raw edges of the quilt. Step 1: Fold back the binding end Fold back 2 1/2" (or your strip width) at the binding beginning and pin. Refold the binding and press. When you sew the binding to the quilt, leave yourself a generous tail at each end and plenty of space to work between the tails. I leave about 10 of space. You don't need a ruler and you don't need to do a lot of measuring to try this quilting trick. I've never seen this method before. Sew the binding down, starting your stitching about 6” (15cm) from the tip of the binding point. That second point matches up with the corner of the other piece. Lay the quilt flat on a work surface. Trim away the corner leaving a generous 1/4″ seam allowance. Now that you’ve made your binding and sewn it to your quilt, you need to join the ends of the binding. The distance you leave yourself is key, too far apart and it's easier to make a mistake, but too close it will be very difficult to make the diagonal seam. Joining Quilt Binding Strips Join strips with diagonal seams (Diagram I) and press seams open, to make a strip long enough to bind quilt edges (perimeter of your quilt plus 10″ for mitering corners and joining ends). (First, a little FYI: The first time I did this, I almost lost my mind. Wasn't that easy? Would that measurement change if you had 2 1/4" binding for example? Once you have the binding sewn to the quilt top you will fold the binding over the layered quilt edge to the quilt back. Finger press the folds or press them with an iron. This would be a lot better. Place a pin to hold the edges together. As a process, quilt binding is the act of sewing the binding tape to the quilt (which will be covered in a future post). In this method to machine bind a quilt you will join the ends of your binding for a seamless finish. Press over end of the beginning of binding Trim off the other end of the binding keeping it on the diagonal so that there is about 1 ½″ past the end of the stitching. For machine binding you need to do a bias join. joining quilt binding, your quilting life will change forever - let's get started! Begin stitching the binding about 1″ below the folded edge. Be sure to leave a 1/4″ seam allowance for borders, and about 3/8″ for binding. Start with a 2 1/2" fold. You want the folded ends to meet nicely in the middle. I don’t know why, but I looked at every tutorial on the Internet, and could not get it to work. Place a single sewing pin between the binding strips close to the quilt back to hold them together. Fold this binding fabric in half to sew it to the top of the quilt, as you did the rest of the binding. Lay the binding along the bottom edge of the quilt (starting with the folded point end), ensuring the raw edges of the binding and quilt line up. Great method and tutorial. Prepare your binding strips as you normally would. Trim the excess, finger press, and stitch down for a excellent finish! Great tutorial. Once you try this method for joining quilt binding, your quilting life will change forever - let's get started! Struggle with joining quilt binding? Overlap your binding. Open up the bottom layer of binding with the right side up so that you can see the fold that you made. Start stitching 6" away, continuing all around the quilt, stopping the stitching within 6" of the folded binding. Learn as … Binding can make or break your quilt. And the picture in my book is NOT this clear. Fold back 2 1/2" at the binding beginning and pin. Thank you! I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”, Stitching Basics: Quilting Square Corners. Leave a long tail for the beginning, miter each corner, and then stop 8-12 inches away from the start leaving a long tail. I use this method and almost always goof up and stitch the binding together and it is twisted. Cut one side only, right on the fold, so that it just meets and butts right up against the fold of the other binding. Take total + 10 and then divide by wof = # of strips Take your total inches (216) and add 10 inches for … Lay the binding edges over each other and fold them back until they meet. For binding, press the seam open (this will result in less bulk at the area of your seam in the binding.) Sharon - see my answer to Ann above. When you reach the corner, stop sewing at ¼” (5mm) from the fabric edge. I'm drinking my morning coffee and catching up on my blog reading. Refold binding wrong sides together; press. Here's hoping I get the next one right on the first try. Press the binding on the front of the quilt, it makes a nice and crisp fold for the binding. It should be a perfect fit! A lot of quilters do, as did I, until I learned these 3 easy steps to make the process of joining quilt binding ends super simple. Continue stitching until 1/4″ before the quilt edge and stop, leaving the needle down. I only recommend products or services I believe will add value for my readers. Stitch, then check for length against the quilt for snugness. Say goodbye to complicated measuring and confusing angles. In this video, Toby Lischko demonstrates four different ways to join quilt binding ends when binding you quilt, starting with one of the easier methods and progressing to ones that are harder. This looks like a great method and I will try it on my next quilt. did to join strips in step 2. Trim one of the binding tails to the halfway mark on your quilt. Pin in place. I've given tuts on this before, but being such an awesome technique, it bears repeating. Just tried it on a quilt and it worked GREAT! Leaving 6" - 8" of extra fabric, start sewing the binding around the edges of the quilt. how to quilt, contemporary quilts, quilt patterns: Hi! Join the ends of the binding. Note: I like to join my final two binding ends in a straight line, which I believe is easier for beginners, but you can also join them at an angle to reduce fabric bulk. If you enjoyed this tut, feel free to share it with your friends and have a great day! This forms a diagonal line and hides the raw starting edge of the binding strip. You won’t be able to see where your binding starts and stops. than meeting at the fold, will make for a snugger fit along the quilt edge. 8. Lay the bottom piece (the one that was folded) on top of the other at a right angle, matching the two outer edges. The last thing we want is for the quilt binding to bunch up, creating a fold or crease, where the stitching meets up! Thank you Susan!! I am so thrilled with this method for joining quilt binding ends that I don't even think about the process anymore - it's so simple! But without any deadline for the quilt, binding it fell into that deep abyss called “when I have time.” Part of my hang-up is that I actually enjoy hand-sewing the binding down on a quilt. The quilt wasn’t for a new baby, wedding, anniversary, or any other deadline like a magazine article or a show. You could have done it all right from start to finish: getting straight cuts, squaring up each block, snipping every thread, and pressing every seam perfectly.But your binding might make all that hard work go unnoticed! That 2 1/2" fold would be specific to the same width of the binding, right? Then its off to the studio to finish attaching the binding on my current project. Remove the quilt from your machine, and fold the binding up, away from the quilt, at a 90-degree angle. Start stitching approximately 6" away from the fold. Take the outer corner of the binding where you will begin sewing and fold the corner towards the edge of the quilt. You can secure the binding on the back stitching by hand. Ann Dunn, I have this method in one of my quilt books and it does say that. Yes, the 2 1/2" fold is specific to binding width. Never tried this way, but something similar. Pin and stitch binding together diagonally. Two join two pieces of bias tape, cut each end at a 45 degree angle. I'm Susan, maker of contemporary, unique quilts, FTC Compliance Statement: These sponsors contain affiliate links, which means I receive compensation if you make a purchase by clicking on the links. Review this step by step process to avoid future difficulty when joining binding strips on your quilt. Sew the two pieces together with a 1/4-inch seam and press the seam open to reduce bulk. 
I'm glad I saw the comment about the folded back piece being specific to the width of the binding strip. Clip your binding in place along this entire edge. Fold the excess toward inside, making sure the two edges meet into a nice intersection point (see the red arrow). Once you have the binding made, sew the binding on the quilt. Log in, © 2011-2021 Just Quilty All Rights Reserved -- Copyright notice by Blog Copyright. So if you are using 2 1/4" wide binding, make the folded back piece 2 1/4". When attaching a binding to your quilt, whether big or small, joining the binding ends can be tricky. In the last couple of days I talked about several options on how to cut fabric to make the binding. 9. Welcome back! Pin this end of the binding to the quilt sandwich. Fold the binding to the back and keep it in place with pins. The last step is to attach the binding to the back of the quilt. You can see that this creates a join that looks identical to the rest of the binding. Great tutorial. Mark a diagonal line to follow when stitching, if necessary, from the top corner to along the bottom of the strip. The method I use is similar, but I am going to give yours a try. Finish stitching binding to quilt top. Starting 1/4″ away from the corner of the quilt and using a 1/4″ seam allowance, stitch your binding to the quilt as you did on the first side in Step 8. It's perfect timing. I am saving your picture because it shows exactly how I should be sewing. THEN: Fold one end of the binding at a diagonal, creating a triangle, and press. The folded measurement corresponds to the binding strip width. Once again, stop 1/4″ from the next corner of your quilt. Ready to take the next steps?