Adding Silk Binding to Crochet
Silk binding gives a clean, finished look to any item. You can liven up the color scheme of your item by using a complementary color or a strong contrasting color for the binding. Your crocheted item is sure to look soft and cozy with its beautiful silk border. Sewing silk binding to a crocheted item is an advanced sewing project because the crocheted item can stretch, causing the stitches to rip or the silk binding to bunch up. Fortunately, this can be avoided with a few simple steps.
Things You'll Need
- Bowl
- Water
- Soap
- Towel
- Measuring tape
- 2 yards silk binding
- Iron
- Crocheted item
- Sewing thread
- Sewing needle
- Scissors
Instructions
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1
Wash the crocheted item. Fill a bowl with water and some hand soap. Put the item in the water and gently swish it around. This material is very delicate, so avoid scrubbing. Lay it flat on a towel to dry. Washing will prevent the crochet from stretching too far. It will still have some stretch but will not pull away from the silk binding once they are sewn together.
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2
Fold the binding in half length-wise, so that you have a long thin piece of binding. The shiny side of the binding should be facing out on both sides. Iron this fold across the entire piece of binding.
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3
Measure in 1 inch from the narrow end of the silk binding. Mark this measurement on the back side of the binding with a pencil. Fold the edge of the binding in so that the fold is on the mark. Iron the fold. This will eliminate the first fold, so be sure to iron the first fold back in without undoing the edge fold.
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4
Place one edge of the crocheted item into the long fold of the binding so that the double-folded edge of the binding and the corner of the crocheted item match up. Make sure that the edge of the crocheted item is touching the inside fold of the binding. Pin the binding to the crocheted item. Thread a needle. Knot and cut the thread. Sew the two materials together along the top edge of the binding, not along the folded part. Sew just along this side of the crocheted item. Knot the thread and cut it. Remove the pins.
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5
Open up the fold of the binding. This should form a right angle or triangle between the blanket and the rest of the binding. Fold the triangle over the top of the corner of the crocheted item and pin in place. Do the same on the back side. Continue to insert the crocheted item into the blanket binding as in the previous step until you come to another corner. Pin the binding and crocheted item in place. Thread a needle. Knot and cut the thread. Sew along the top edge of the binding until you reach another corner. Knot and cut the thread. Remove the pins. Repeat this step until you have sewn the binding all the way around the crocheted item except for the last side.
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6
Measure the last side and add 1 inch. Cut the remainder of the binding to match this measurement. Open up the binding. Take the end of the binding and fold the corner of each side in 1 inch so that the shiny side of the binding faces out. This should form a triangle. Place the triangle around the remaining corner of the crocheted item. One half of the triangle should be on each side of the crocheted item, forming a diagonal edge that bisects the corner. Pin the corners together. Place last side of the the crocheted item into the blanket binding. Pin the two materials together. Thread a needle. Knot and cut the thread. Sew along the pins near the top of the binding. When you reach the corner, sew along the diagonal as well as the edge of the binding. Knot and cut the thread.
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