Creating beautiful, durable corners on your quilts with binding is a rewarding skill to master. Binding not only finishes the edges of your quilt but also adds a professional touch and reinforces the corners. Let's dive into the process of making corners with binding on a quilt.
Before we begin, ensure you have the necessary materials: your quilt top, backing, and batting; binding fabric; scissors or rotary cutter and mat; iron; and a sewing machine with a universal needle and thread.
Preparing Your Quilt for Binding
Before you start binding, it's crucial to prepare your quilt by trimming and pressing the edges.
First, trim any excess backing and batting from the edges of your quilt. You want a clean, straight edge to work with. Then, press the edges of your quilt to make it easier to work with and ensure a neat finish.
Trimming the Edges
Use scissors or a rotary cutter to trim the excess backing and batting from the edges of your quilt. Be careful not to cut into the quilt top.
For a precise cut, you can use a rotary cutter and a quilting ruler. Place the ruler along the edge of the quilt, and cut along the line. This ensures straight, even edges.
Pressing the Edges
Pressing the edges of your quilt makes it easier to work with and helps create a neat, professional finish. Use a medium-hot iron and press the edges carefully.
If you're using a backing with a directional print, ensure you press the edges so the print runs in the same direction on all sides.
Making the Binding
Now that your quilt is prepared, it's time to make the binding. Binding can be made from a variety of fabrics, but it's typically made from the same fabric as the quilt or a complementary fabric.
To make the binding, cut strips of fabric 2.5 to 3 inches wide. You'll need about 10-12 yards of binding for a typical quilt, but this can vary depending on the size of your quilt and the width of your binding.
Cutting the Binding Strips
Use a rotary cutter and a quilting ruler to cut your binding strips. Cut along the width of the fabric to create long, continuous strips.
For a 45-degree angle bias binding, cut your strips on a 45-degree angle. This creates a continuous, bias binding that stretches around the curves of your quilt.
Sewing the Binding Strips Together
Once you have your binding strips, it's time to sew them together. Place two strips right sides together and sew along one long edge, leaving a small seam allowance.
Press the seam open, then fold the binding in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, with the seam on the inside. This creates a continuous loop of binding that's ready to be sewn onto your quilt.
Attaching the Binding to the Quilt
Now that your binding is made, it's time to attach it to your quilt. Start in the middle of one side of your quilt to ensure a neat finish.
As you sew, keep your binding folded in half and your seam allowance consistent. This will ensure a neat, even finish around the edges of your quilt.
Starting in the Middle
Begin sewing the binding to the quilt in the middle of one side. This ensures that you'll have enough binding to go around the entire quilt and that you won't have to join binding strips in a corner.
Place the raw edge of the binding along the raw edge of the quilt, with the folded edge of the binding facing the wrong side of the quilt. Sew along the edge of the binding, leaving a small seam allowance.
Sewing Around the Corners
When you reach a corner, stop sewing about 1/4 inch from the corner. Fold the binding up at the corner, creating a 45-degree angle. This creates a neat, mitered corner.
Sew across the corner, then continue sewing along the next side of the quilt. Repeat this process at each corner to create neat, mitered corners around the entire quilt.
Finishing the Binding
Once you've sewn the binding around the entire quilt, it's time to finish the edges and create a neat, professional finish.
First, trim any excess binding from the corners. Then, fold the binding over the edges of the quilt, creating a neat, finished edge.
Trimming the Corners
Use scissors or a rotary cutter to trim any excess binding from the corners of your quilt. Be careful not to cut into the quilt top.
For a neat, mitered corner, trim the binding at a 45-degree angle, then fold the binding over the edge of the quilt.
Folding the Binding Over
Once you've trimmed the corners, fold the binding over the edges of the quilt. Use your fingers to press the binding flat, creating a neat, finished edge.
If you'd like, you can use a binding clip or a few stitches to hold the binding in place. This ensures that the binding stays in place while you're sewing the final edge.
Congratulations, you've just finished binding your quilt! Binding not only adds a professional touch to your quilts but also reinforces the corners and edges, ensuring a long, durable life. Happy quilting!