How to Trim Corners for a Quilt Binding

Use scissors instead of a rotary cutter when you wish to cut only one layer of the quilt at a time.

A quilt top's corners should be trimmed to a 90-degree angle to make it easier to sew on a straight and strong binding. The binding fabric is also trimmed so that two of the sides extend past the corners of the quilt top and two don't, so create an even border around the quilt. Those sides are trimmed when the binding is sewn to the quilt. Double the fabric of the binding over to create a double binding if the quilt is likely to get heavy practical use.

Things You'll Need

• Cutting mat
• Square rule
• Scissors
• Rotary cutter
• Masking tape
• Curved safety pins
• Needle and thread
• Binding fabric

Instructions

1. Lay a corner of the quilt flat on the cutting mat. Place a square rule on top of the corner, at a 90-degree angle. Align the quilt top as closely as possible with the square rule so it doesn't extend past the quilt and onto the mat. Use scissors to cut off any parts of the quilt top -- only that layer, not the batting and backing fabric -- that extends past the square rule. Repeat for the quilt top's other three corners.

2. Lay a corner of the quilt on the mat and place the square rule so it aligns with the quilt top’s corner. Slide the square rule up the fabric, one-quarter inch past the quilt top. Cut off the backing fabric’s and batting’s excess material, where it extends past the angle of the square rule using a rotary cutter. Repeat for the quilt’s other three corners.

3. Lay the quilt on the floor, backing fabric-side down. Tape the bottom left corner to the floor, placing the masking tape not right at the point of the corner, but at the sides of the quilt leading up the corner. Smooth the quilt to make sure the fabric is not wrinkled and the layers are flat against each other, and tape the upper right corner the same way. Repeat for the two remaining quilt corners. Place a piece of tape at the middle of each of the quilt’s sides to help keep it in place.

4. Pin the bottom left corner to the batting and backing fabric, using curved safety pins. Work your way through all the corners in the same order that you taped them to the floor. Remove the quilt from the floor. Baste the corners in place, using a running stitch. Space the stitches so there are nine to 12 stitches per inch of fabric, and the stitches are straight.

5. Cut strips from the binding fabric -- the strips should each have a width of 3 inches, and their lengths should be 3 inches plus the length of the specific quilt side where you plan to bind the strip.

6. Lay the quilt on the floor, and lay a strip of binding along the quilt’s edge where you want to sew it. Have the right side of the binding fabric facing down. Use a 1/4-inch seam to stitch the binding to the quilt. Flip the quilt to the back, and fold the binding over. Tuck the raw edge of the binding under, and stitch it to the back of the quilt using a blind stitch. Cut the ends of the binding so they are even with the ends of the quilt top, at each of the two quilt corners the binding meets. Repeat for the strip of binding that runs parallel to the one you just sewed. Repeat the binding process for the other two strips of binding, but don’t cut them even with the quilt top.

7. At the corners where the strips of binding extend past the quilt top, tuck the raw edges under, so they’re inside the binding. Make sure the folded edge of the binding is even with the edge of the quilt. Sew the corner in place using a back stitch.

References

• Start Quilting 5: Binding; Marcia Hohn; November 2003
• Chasing Cottons: Quilt Class 101 – Week 9 – Basting
• Mountain Mist: Quilt Making