This was a new-to-me binding tip that I learned from my friend
Kristin not that long ago. I've used it on several quilts and I love the results every single time! When I heard about it, I had one of those "why didn't I think of that?" moments. I also wondered how I have been quilting for 17 years and NOT heard of this. Hmmm. I guess better late than never!
When attaching double fold binding, use a (scant) 3/8" seam allowance to sew it to the quilt. You can see in the photo that I am using a seam guide for this. (I LOVE my seam guide! I picked it up at my local sewing center for about $3.00 several years ago. It's one of the best tools I've purchased!)
When you fold your binding strip over on to the back, there should be just enough fabric to cover the stitch line and your binding will be full. Hand stitching the binding down is a breeze because you don't have to tug and pull the fabric to cover the stitch line. This method is NOT recommended for quilts that have star points, half square triangles, or any points that touch the edge of a quilt that depend on a 1/4" seam allowance. It DOES work very well for quilts that are just plain patchwork, quilts that have borders or any quilt that does not have points touching the edge. I've used it on quilts like
this one, and
this one, among others.
I should mention that this method works well when using binding strips that are cut 2 1/2" wide.
I hope you find this useful! I've been quilting a long time, and I love learning new things like this.
Also,
thank you so much to those of you who have shopped my
pattern sale....I appreciate your support more than I can say. xo
12 comments:
I do this and love it! For tops with points, trim between 1/2" and 3/8" from the POINTS and not the raw edge of the quilt top and it still works a charm. (I usually start by trimming 1/2" and then working to trim square ends up closer to 3/8".) :)
Thank you for sharing, what a great tip. Will try to remember to use next time I bind!
Yep, that's what I do too - it makes a perfectly filled binding!
I cut my strips 2 5/8" and sew a 3/8" seam. Have done it that way for years....the binding seems to lie flatter and the corners are sharper.
I love this wider binding
This is the very same method I use. However rather than bind by hand, I machine bind by stitching in the ditch from the front. There is plenty of binding to cover the original seam line on the back and it looks perfect from the front. I use a blind hem foot to keep the stitch on track in the ditch and the little bump to the right in the flange on the foot pushes the binding on the front over just a nudge so that when the foot goes by it rests naturally back over the STID seam. I used to use Steam-a-Seam to hold the binding in place on the back but I've gotten pretty good at just holding it in place as I sew. I blogged it here: https://powertoolswiththread.com/?s=Favorite+Machine+Binding+Method
A tip I got from my sister is to also press the binding toward the edge after you sew it on and it folds to the other side much easier.
New quilter here and only a bit puzzled. So I start with a 2 5/8 inch strip and fold it in half and then sew the raw edge to the quilt with a 3/8 inch seam. Then turn it to the right side of the quilt and hand stitch?
Thanks so much, love all your quilts and really like seeing you in my "inbox" ! 'Laura Ningen
This is EXACTLY how I bind my quilts! I came to it through trial and error and a scant 3/8" with a 2 1/2" strip is a winner!
I have done this for many years, however, I sew binding to the quilt FIRST, then I trim 3/8" from the stitching line when using a 2-1/4" wide binding. For a 2-1/2" wide binding, I trim 1/2" from the stitching line. Hmm.
Thanks for the tip! I think I'm just as enamored with the seam guide. I have one that has a magnet but I'm rough so that doesn't work as well as the screw on you would. Have to visit Bernina and look for one for my machine. So, thanks double!
Laura J. This tutorial is actually instructing you to sew the binding to the FRONT side. Then turn to the back of the quilt and hand sew the binding to finish.
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