A tutorial on making binding for your quilts, using 2.5" strips!
First, before we start, measure the edges of your finished quilt and add the lengths together so we know the complete distance around the quilt. You don't need to be accurate - too much binding is better than too little! Add a few inches to the measurement for turning corners - 4" should be enough.
You will need:
- Enough 2.5" wide strips to go round your quilt
- Rotary cutter, ruler and mat
I made this binding using the strips left over from my Jelly Roll quilt above, so I saved a pile of strips:
Trim all the selvages off the end of your strips if you are using jelly roll strips:
You are now ready to get the binding joined up. The strips need joining on an angle so there is no bulky seams on the binding.
Step 1
Take 2 strips and lie on right side up, and the other right side down at a right angle at the end of the strip, matching the edges:
Draw a line on a 45 degree angle from the bottom corner, as shown above - this is your stitch line.
Secure the strips with pins and stitch along your pencil line.
Step 2
Once you have stitched the line, use your ruler to cut the excess off the strip. Place the ruler so have a 1/4" seam allowance as below:
Once you have cut away, open the strip out and iron the seam flat. You should now have a continuous strip:
Keep piecing all the strips until you have enough to bind your quilt!
Step 3
Once you have all the strips joined, you need to iron one end on a 45 degree fold:
This will be the starting point of your binding on the quilt.
Next fold the strips in half and iron the binding:
Once you have ironed the all of it, I find it useful to wind it up:
Step 4
Now you need to attach the binding to the quilt. You are going to match the raw edges on the front of the quilt with the raw edges of your binding and pin them in place:
Make sure you start in the middle of one side.
I only pin the first few inches, so I can deal quickly with an rucks that might come up when I am attaching the binding.
Step 5
You can now start stitching the binding into place. Using a 1/4" foot start stitching an inch from the edge of the fold you made at the start of the binding - this allows you to slip the end of the binding in when you have gone all the way around.
Continue along that first edge, until to reach within 1/4" of the first corner and back stitch. Take the quilt off the machine.
Step 6
To go around the corner we are going to first fold the binding at a 45" degree angle, so it looks like this:
Iron the fold in place. Next lay the binding down the new edge:
Iron and then pin in place. This will give you clean, neat tucks on the corners.
Start stitching 1/4" from the top edge - leaving the 1/4" before after the corner turn is really important to ensure the tucks a neat on the back of the quilt later.
Continue stitching down the new edge, repeating the corner turning process at each corner until you reach the starting point.
Step 7
Once you get near the start, lay the binding down on the edge and cut the strip so that it overlaps the starting fold. Gently ease the strip in between the binding at the start and stitch down. You should now have a continuous line of binding attached to the quilt front.
Step 8
Starting at the beginning/end point of the binding, turn the binding over onto the back and secure in place. (Clover clips are really good for this - no sharp pointed needles to catch on your fingers whilst you sew!)
Stitch the binding into place, making sure to cover the machine stitching line
And you are done!
