How to End the Binding on a Quilt

Binding can turn a quilt into either a masterpiece or a disaster. Joining binding neatly creates a professional, finished look. The key to excellent binding? Measure, measure, measure. The old adage "measure twice, cut once" absolutely applies here. You don't want to have to completely remove the binding and start over because of a miscalculation at the very end.

Things You'll Need

• Binding
• Pins
• Marking pencil or iron
• Sewing machine and thread
• Tape measure

Instructions

1. Measure, prepare and sew the binding on your quilt. Start the binding on the bottom edge of the quilt, where the join will be less noticeable. Leave approximately 8-inch-to-10-inch tails at both the start and end of the binding.

2. Lay the quilt on a flat surface large enough to straighten out the entire bottom edge. This is easy on a small quilt, more difficult on a large queen or king quilt.

   Pin the binding to the quilt on both the beginning and ending edge. Fold under the excess tails. Get the two tail edges as close as possible, within 1/8 inch to 1/16 inch.

3. Mark the fold line of each tail with a marking pencil or by creasing the binding fabric.

4. Unfold both excess tails. Place one on top of the other, right sides together at a 90-degree angle. The crease or marked line should form a "+."

   Sew the tails together on the diagonal, from the top left of the "+" to the bottom right. The diagonal seam should cut the top-left quadrant and bottom-right quadrant in half.

5. Flatten the binding over the quilt to check for proper fit. (Remember that material will stretch as you sew; you'll want the binding to be just a bit shorter than the quilt.)

   If the fit is taut, trim the ends and complete sewing the binding to the quilt. If adjustment is needed, rip the seam and resew until the binding lays flat against the quilt.

Tips & Warnings

• Pin the two tails together at the 90-degree angle and draw the diagonal-seam line to attain a perfectly straight edge.

• You may also sew the seam by hand if you're hand-finishing.

• Practice with inexpensive material if you're finishing a quilt that uses costly fabric.

• Keep fingers out of the way of sewing machine needles.

References

• CTPubBlog.com; Quilting Tips: Binding; July 2009
• Moonlight Quilters Guild: A Perfect Binding
• HeatherBailyDesign.com; Quilt Binding; 2006