Binding

The binding instructions given below are for binding which is cut across the width of the fabric. There are many other ways to bind a quilt. See your local quilt shop for help or suggestions for books that cover this subject.

The strips for the binding will be cut 2 ½” across the width of the fabric. Each strip cut from fabric that is 42”-wide, after removing the selvage, will be expected to bind 36” of the quilt. Measure all four sides of your quilt and add these measurements together. Divide this sum by 36”. Assuming this does not result in a perfectly even number, cut that number of 2 ½” strips plus one more.

Remove the selvages, and sew the strips together end-to-end as shown. Trim the seams to ¼”, and press to one side. Press the binding in half lengthwise, wrong sides together.

Beginning near the center of one edge of the quilt, pin the binding to the quilt top, matching raw edges and leaving a “tail” approximately 6” long. Do not pin the binding all around the quilt—just pin where you are about to start sewing. Use an even-feed foot to attach the binding if you have one. Sew the binding to the quilt, stitching through all layers. When you are nearing a corner, pin the binding to the quilt ¼” from the lower edge that you are approaching. Sew up to the pin, then backstitch. Remove the quilt from the machine (and clip the threads). Pull the binding away from the corner and make it form a diagonal fold. Create another fold across the unsewn binding that lines up with the first side of the quilt corner. Bring the binding along the raw edge of the next side of the quilt corner. Beginning at the folded binding edge on the first side of the corner, stitch through all layers and continue along the quilt edge. Repeat these steps at each corner.

When you are approaching the point where you first began sewing the binding to the quilt, pause in your stitching, but leave the quilt under the presser foot. Fold the beginning “tail” of the binding away from the quilt, creating a diagonal fold. There will be extra binding that hangs away from the quilt. Continue sewing the binding until it crosses over the diagonal fold that you just made. Sew about 2” past the diagonal fold. Remove the quilt from your sewing machine and clip the threads. Trim the binding straight across from where you stopped sewing. Trim the edge of the binding from where you first started sewing.

Quilt

Fold the binding around to the back of the quilt and hand-sew it to the back using a blind stitch.