Binding Your Quilt (Part Three)

Your binding is now attached on all four sides with two “tails” of binding and approximately 14-16 inches of quilt that still needs binding.  Reverse stitch a couple of stitches to secure the stitching and remove it from your machine.  Cut a short piece of binding from whichever tail is the longest.  This will be your measuring guide.  Overlap the two ends of the binding on the edge of the quilt.  Unfold your measuring guide and line it up next to the overlap starting at the edge of the binding on the bottom.  Cut the top piece of binding as shown in the picture.

You can discard your measuring guide now.  Open up the two ends of the binding.  Place them right sides together and at right angles to each other.  This first picture isn’t quite lined up all the way, but it shows what you’re trying to do.

When you have the edges lined up pin on the diagonal line as shown in this next photo (pretend my thumb isn’t there).  You’re going from one corner diagonally to the opposite corner.   After pinning, return the binding to its original place and make sure your seam is going in the correct direction.  It’s easy to get things turned the wrong way.  After double checking, sew on the diagonal line.  (Here is where it becomes evident why you need to leave 14-16 inches open – it can get tricky to get the ends lined up and fit this under your machine to sew the seam.)

After you sew the seam, double check again that it’s going in the correct direction and then carefully trim your seam to 1/4”.  Your binding will fit your quilt perfectly.  Finish sewing the binding to your quilt. 

Fold the binding over the raw edge of your quilt covering the machine stitching.  Stitch by hand with a blind stitch. 

In the near future I’ll show you how to do an extra wide binding like I did on this quilt.

 

Thanks for stopping by,

Comments

[Kathleen C]

Oh! So that's how you finish it! I was struggling with that two weeks ago. Love the pictures. Makes it so much easier for me. Now I know what I did wrong. Thanks!!

[Sew Create It - Jane]

Love the binding tip...much easier than measuring and doing higher maths :o)