How to Correctly Put Blanket Binding on a Quilt

Add binding to your quilt to give it a nice, clean edge.

Many people enjoy making quilts. Making a quilt yourself allows you to design it any way you want, using favorite colors. To give your quilt a finished look, add blanket binding around the perimeter. Bindings come in an array of widths and colors; choose one that complements your quilt. Once you have the binding picked out, sewing it to the quilt is not difficult.

Things You'll Need

• Binding
• Straight pins
• Sewing machine
• Thread in same color as the binding

Instructions

1. Open the binding (the binding comes conveniently folded in half) and place one side of the quilt inside the binding. Close the binding over the quilt so that the quilt is in between the folded binding.

2. Pin the binding to the quilt along the entire edge. Use as many pins as you need to ensure the binding and quilt are attached.

3. Thread your sewing machine and turn it on. Place the first edge of the quilt with the binding attached under the needle. Slowly and using a simple stitch, sew the binding to the first side of the quilt as close to the edge of the binding as possible. Remove the first edge from the sewing machine, and remove the pins from the binding and quilt.

4. Create a mitered pleat around the first corner, inserting pins to keep it in place. To create a mitered pleat, hold the quilt so that the sewn binding is in your dominant hand. Using your non-dominant hand's thumb, push into the middle of the binding. Push the binding to the corner and "dog ear" the material around the corner. This will create a simple pleat. Insert two pins keep the pleat in place.

5. Place the quilt's second edge in between the binding (as in Step 1). Insert pins along the edge to keep the binding in place. Place the quilt and binding under the sewing machine's needle. Sew around the first corner and along the second edge.

6. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 to sew the binding around the remaining corners and edges.

References

• Wrights: Applying Blanket Binding