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Blazing Bindings

posted: 1/25/2003

by Dori Hawks

Category: Tips

Method: Machine

Measure the distance around your quilt top and add at least 24"-30" to that length
Cut your binding on the straight of grain of your fabric
Cut 2 ˝" wide strips to the total measurement you came up with in the first step.
Join strips together with bias seams. Lay two strips right sides together perpendicular to each other and sew diagonally across. Trim off the extra fabric. Do this with all of your strips to make one long strip.
Press the seams to one side. Then press the strip in half long ways.
Begin sewing the strip onto the middle of one long side of the quilt leaving about 12" dangling. Make sure the cut edges of the binding match up with the cut edges of the quilt sandwich.
Sew with a 1/4" seam and your walking foot. The walking foot is very important to use so you don't get tucks or drag marks.

Sewing folded mitered corners:

Figure 1: Stop sewing a scant Ľ" away from corner.
Figure 2: Rotate the quilt Ľ turn and backstitch off the end of the quilt. Do Not cut the threads.
Figure 3: Fold binding straight up and away from the corner.
Figure 4: Then fold it straight down with the fold along the top edge of the quilt.
Figure 5: Begin sewing again at that fold and continue along the second side of the quilt. Sew all four corners that same way.

Finishing:
- On the last side, stop sewing about 10"-12" away from where you began sewing.
- Fold beginning edge diagonally and cut the first end making a bias cut.
- Figure 6: Lay ending excess flat along the edge of the quilt and fold the extra out of the way.
- Figure 6: Lay the beginning cut edged strip on top
- Mark two spots on under strip matching ending points of upper strip bias cut edge. Cut lower binding strip ˝" beyond those points. Another diagonal cut.
- Lay those two edges right sides together and sew a Ľ" seam. Press to one side. Press in half long ways.
- Finish stitching to binding to quilt.
- Press binding toward the outside away from the quilt.
- Fold to other side and either finish by stitching on top of the binding or stitching by hand.

If you are doing this quilt and it is going to be in a show that will be judged, finish the binding by hand with small stitches that cannot be seen. Sew the binding to the front of the quilt and bring the binding around to the back for finishing.
If this quilt will be laundered many times, or you don't want to do hand stitching, finish by machine topstitching. If finishing it this way, you may want to sew the binding on to the back of the quilt and then bring the binding around to the front of the quilt and top stitch on the front. Match your threads in the top to the binding and in the bobbin to the backing fabric.

Congratulations, you finished your quilt!
Copyright2002 Dori Hawks www.thequiltercommunity.com