The process of quilting has been around for thousands of years. The history of quilting involves clothing, bed covers, and wall art from many different countries. Modern advancements have developed quilting into what we know today.
One of the modern ways of quilting is binding a quilt by machine. Binding a quilt adds the finished look around the edges. It may seem intimidating at first, but if you follow the right steps, you’ll be binding a quilt in no time.
Whether you’re a beginner quilter or a seasoned expert, read our step-by-step guide on how to bind a quilt.
Gather Your Supplies
Before you begin stitching, you will want to make sure you have all the proper supplies on hand. In addition to your quilt sandwich and your binding fabric, you will need a sewing machine and matching thread.
Other helpful tools to have are pins, binding clips, a rotary cutter, and a cutting mat. Binding clips will be your best friend during this process.
Stitching the Binding
Use the common width of 2.5 inches for your binding strips. Cut the strips with a rotary cutter, and then stitch the strips together by overlapping them and sewing at a diagonal.
Next, fold your fabric strips in half with the wrong sides together, and press the fabric together. Now you’re ready to attach the binding to your quilt.
Step 1
Pin the raw edge of your binding to the front edge of your quilt. Stitch on your sewing machine with a 1/4 inch seam. As you approach the first corner, end your stitching 1/4 inch away from the corner.
Take the quilt out from the machine. Then fold the binding straight up, away from the quilt. You should have a 90-degree angle with the binding fabric.
Step 2
Now you will be adding mitered corners to your binding. Fold the free binding fabric down onto the free edge of the quilt. The raw edges will be aligned again. The fabric will be folded over itself on the corner.
Use a binding clip or pin so that all the fabric is clipped in place along the edge. Stitch along the new edge.
Still start and stop 1/4 inch from each corner. Repeat this until all corners are mitered.
Step 3
Once you’ve stitched all your corners, you will need to join the free ends of your binding together.
One way to do this is by overlapping the ends. Mark where the strips meet. Unfold the ends, and pin the right sides together. Sew a diagonal line. Refold the binding, and stitch the remaining binding down.
Step 4
You are nearing the end! Flip your quilt over. Fold the binding over the edge. Pin or clip the binding along the new side.
You can either hand stitch the backside, or you can continue with the sewing machine. If you opt for the machine, use a ditch quilting foot. Stitch in the little ditch between the binding and the quilt.
At the corners, pivot with the needle down. This will catch the folded edge and give you a smooth corner. Stitch all the way around until all the binding is in place!
You’ve Finished Binding a Quilt
Binding a quilt may seem tricky at first glance. But once you start seeing the edges fall in place, you will feel like a pro. Practice makes perfect. Don’t give up if your first attempt at binding doesn’t go as planned.
To learn more about sewing tricks, recommendations, and classes, contact us today!