How to Bind a Blanket With Purchased Blanket Binding
After all of your hard work to make a blanket or quilt the last step is to apply the binding to seal the edges and keep the fabric from fraying. While you can make your own binding by hand, sometimes it's easier to purchase blanket binding from the store which is pre-made and ready to sew. When you go to bind a blanket with purchased blanket binding you can use a sewing machine fully loaded with thread, or a needle, thimble, and thread to do the job by hand.
Instructions
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1
Place one end of your binding along one side of your blanket. The binding should straddle the blanket edging so there is binding on both the front and back edges of the blanket.
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2
Turn the edge of the start of the binding under by 1/4 to 1/2 an inch and pin this tail of the binding in place. Set a second pin about 3 inches away from the first to hold the length of binding down.
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3
Begin sewing at the second pin taking a few backstitches and then working away from the tail. Sew all the way along the side to the corner of the blanket. Stop when you reach the edge of the blanket, backstitch to secure, and snip the thread.
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4
Fold the binding around the corner to straddle it along the adjacent side. The stitching you just did should hold the binding in such a way as to form a mitered corner on the binding as you fold it. Pin the corner down to hold it in place until you are ready to sew.
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5
Start a new stitching line at the miter, backstitching to secure, and continue across this side of the blanket or quilt. Stop at the end just as you did in step three and continue until you round the last corner of the blanket.
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6
Line up the last length of binding you'll need with the unattached tail from the start of your binding. Cut the last of the binding so it extends about 2 inches beyond the end of the tail so they overlap.
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7
Unpin the tail and slip the last of the binding under the starting tail piece so the "start" is overlapping the "finish." Pin the tails down and sew across the two along the same line you were sewing on that side until you reach your beginning thread, then backstitch and clip the thread.
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Tips & Warnings
If you have never added binding to a blanket before, consider purchasing an extra binding pack and practicing on a piece of scrap fabric until you are comfortable with mitering corners.
When it comes to purchasing your binding it can be hard to find an exact match for your fabric colors so it's often a good idea to find a binding which complements the colors in your blanket to give a finished look.
