Binding Tutorial

So, I know most people like the idea of making a quilt but don't really know how to finish the edges once the get there. A popular way to bind is to just buy binding tape sew over and you're done. My way is a little more complex but I think it gives it a nicer finish. I don't know if this is the "proper" way to bind a quilt, it's just the way I've been taught how to do it. So the first step is to cut your binding fabric.

I choose to do mine in two inch strips, this is again a matter of preference. I find once I fold it over it's just the right amount of fabric left over to work with. If you've never done binding on a quilt you may want larger strips, if you're fairly comfortable or want a very tight binding you could go smaller. Make sure you have enough strips to go around the perimeter of your quilt. Next you take your strips and you're going to want to sew them together. The best way to do this is a diagonal seam.  

You will lay two strips together the bottom is right side facing up, top is right side facing down (I didn't pick the best fabric for his tutorial sorry guys!) You'll start at the top left corner and make a seam down to the bottom right corner. You want to do a diagonal seam rather than just sewing the ends together because it makes it less bulky, creating a more uniform look overall. Here's what it looks like when you open it up:

Next you'll want to fold in half and iron in place:

Then you'll sew around the perimeter of your quilt. I usually start somewhere in the middle of one side.

So when you get to the corner you'll stop about 1/4 inch from the end. Leave your needle down but raise your presser foot and turn your quilt folding over the binding like shown below:

Once the binding is sewn in place you'll fold it over to the back and begin hand stitching it in place. I trim down excess fabric/batting as I go but you could do it before if you prefer. So the way I hand stitch is I take a thread or two of the grey and then in the folded part of the pink fabric, it creates a perfect little ledge for the thread to sit, let the thread hide in that pocket go 1/4 inch or so down.

Below shows about how far apart the stitches are:

So to be honest, I've never been great with corners but I approach them the same way as attaching the binding. I sew right up to the corner, then leaving the needle in fold the corner over and have the needle go through the end of the new side and continue hand stitching.

Below are the finished pictures of the binding to give you an idea of how the finished product looks:

HAPPY QUILTING!