Binding Tips

I was trying to decide what I wanted to write about today, and I thought I would share a tip that always goes over well at my classes.  I call it my continuous binding technique – or to describe it:  what to do with the “tails” after I’ve got the binding sewn around the quilt by machine.  This method is very simple and doesn’t involve trying to figure out complicated cuts or angles.  You know they type– “measure over 1/4″ and cut at a 45 degree angle, sew together and hope it fits!”  Seriously, there is a much easier way.  Here it is!

1.  Diagram shows the tails after binding has been sewn around the rest of the quilt.  Leave tails approximately 10″ long.

2.  Now, overlap the ends of the binding tails — cut the lengths to whatever the width of the binding is.  I usually cut a piece of the binding off to use as a “pattern”.  For example, if your binding is cut 2 1/2″ wide, the overlap of the two ends will be cut to 2 1/2″.

3.  Next, open up the ends of the strip and lay right sides together at a 90-degree angle as shown (with no twists).  Sew from corner to corner of the two strips (think waist band, not crotch) with the stitching running parallel to the quilt.  Trim seam allowance to 1/4″.

The binding should now fit perfectly and you wont be able to tell where you ended your binding (there is a seam in the middle of that photo).  Finish sewing the binding to the quilt by sewing the opening shut.  Now you are ready to hand-stitch.

See – wasn’t that easier?   What do you think of this floral?  Isn’t it beautiful?  It’s designed by Amy Butler.  My scraps are lost in my studio, but if I find a leftovers, I’ll post the fabric line.

It’s a sneak peak into something new that I’m working on.  Do you also have a large floral that you don’t want to cut up?  I can’t show you quite yet what I made with it, but stop back in about a month and I’ll tell you.

“Tune” in next  week to learn my easy technique for cutting my bias binding.