Binding the Edge of a Quilt
A homemade quilt is a work of art that family and friends will treasure for generations to come. The binding is the final step after piecing and quilting. You can purchase premade binding strips or fold your own binding from fabric that complements your quilt. Binding the edge of a quilt neatly takes patience but if you work carefully and take your time, you can create a binding that will accent your quilt and protect its edges.
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Things You'll Need
- Iron
- Ironing board
- Rotary cutter and mat
- Scissors
- Quilt
- Fabric for binding
- Straight pins
- Sewing machine
- Thread
- Hand-sewing needle
Instructions
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Making the Binding
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1
Wash and dry all of your binding fabric before you begin working. Press the fabric with an iron if it wrinkles in the wash.
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2
Baste around the edge of the top of your quilt a scant 1/4 inch.
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3
Trim the backing and batting so that they are even with the top of the quilt. Use a ruler to check that your corners are 90-degree angles.
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4
Cut your fabric into long binding strips that are 2 1/2 inches wide. This will give you a binding that is 1/2 inch wide. For wider binding, cut your strips 3 or even 4 inches wide.
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5
Pin two strips of fabric together so they are perpendicular to each other with the right sides of the fabric together.
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6
Sew the two strips together at a 45-degree angle.
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7
Cut off the outside corner 1/4 inch from your sewn line.
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8
Unfold the fabric. You should have a straight strip of fabric joined with a mitered edge.
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9
Repeat Steps 5 through 8 until your binding is at least 12 inches longer than the perimeter of your quilt top.
Attaching the Binding
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10
Fold your entire strip of binding in half lengthwise. If you started with fabric 2 1/2 inches wide, it will be 1 1/4 inches wide now.
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11
Place the binding along one side of your quilt edge, starting at one corner and working along a long edge. Place the binding on the top of the fabric so that the folded edge faces the interior of the quilt and the raw edge of the binding lines up with the raw edge of the quilt. The majority of the width of the binding should overlap with the quilt top.
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12
Pin the binding to the quilt top from your starting point to the next corner.
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13
Sew through the binding and all layers of the quilt using a 1/4 inch seam. Sew all the way to the other corner and backstitch at the end. Cut your binding strip off even with the end of the quilt. Save the remainder of the strip for the next edge of the quilt.
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14
Fold the binding up over your stitching line and around to the back of the quilt. Pin across the entire edge.
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15
Sew across the binding to attach it to the back of the quilt. If you do this part by hand, use very neat blind stitches with matching thread. If you do this with a machine, use matching thread and sew a scant 1/4 inch from the edge of the binding.
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16
Trim the excess binding fabric to make it even with the edge of the quilt on both sides.
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17
Repeat Steps 2 through 7 on the long edge opposite from where you started.
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18
Repeat Steps 2 through 7 for each short edge but leave 1/2 inch of fabric on each edge. Fold this fabric in toward the side before you fold the binding around to the back of the quilt.
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19
Stitch the open corners of the quilt closed by hand using matching thread.
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1
Tips & Warnings
This technique makes straight edges in the corners of the quilt. To make mitered corners, fold the binding fabric up and back down at each corner then tuck the fabric in and close the corner by hand.
Place the bulk of your quilt over a nearby chair, ironing board or side table when you are sewing the binding.
Remove all pins before you use or wash your quilt or you could get a painful surprise.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Brand X Pictures/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
