Binding Tutorial

Before you begin, you will need to use the Binding Calculator to determine how many strips you will need to cut, and at which width. The width provided are the estimated "finished" width of binding option is the width that will show on the front of the quilt. Using a diagonal seam, join your strips:

Press all seams in the same direction. (If you are using very narrow binding, you may prefer to press seams open to reduce bulk.)

You should now have one continuous, very long, strip. Fold in half, wrong sides together, and press. At one end, briefly open the strip, fold 1/4" seam at the shortest edge, and finger press. Refold strip. Use this folded edge first when attaching binding to quilt.

Beginning at the bottom middle of the quilt, leave the first 2 inches unsewn, and begin attaching the binding, raw edges to raw edge of quilt, using a 3/8" seam allowance. When you are 3/8" away from the corner, stop sewing and take a few backstitches, with needle down, lift presser foot and pivot quilt package 45 degrees. Finish sewing to the corner of the quilt. Lift presser foot, bring the binding straight up ontop of itself, and then back down again:

Continue in this manner until you are within the last 2 inches of the beginning of the binding. Now, remove the package from the sewing machine. Lie the remaining binding so it overlaps the beginning 2" section by 1" or so. Cut the remaining binding off. Now, tuck the end of the binding between the fold of the beginning section of binding. There should now be one continuous section of binding. Beginning a few stitches from where ended, resume sewing the binding on overlapping the begining stitches slightly.

Fold the binding to the back of the quilt, and hand sew the edge to the back, covering the stitches from the front binding attachment. The corners should form a neat miter and can be slip stitched close using tiny, almost invisible stitches.

Alternative method:

Fold binding to back of quilt. Pin in place. Using a similar color thread, or invisible thread, stitch in ditch along the binding seam on the front of the quilt. This seam should catch the binding on the back.

Or...

Attach the binding to the back of the quilt first. Then, fold over and pin in place on the front of the quilt. Using a decorative stitch on your sewing machine, stitch the edge of the finished binding to the front of the quilt.