The most popular way of binding a quilt involves machine-sewing the binding to the front of the quilt sandwich, then folding the binding to the back and whip-stitching it down by hand. This method is great for quilters who love hand sewing, but not so wonderful for those who don’t, especially on a large quilt.
Sew the Binding to the Back Side of the Quilt First
One simple change makes it easy to bind a quilt without any hand sewing at all. The only difference from the more usual method is that the binding is sewed to the back of the quilt sandwich first, instead of to the front. The binding is then folded from the back to the front and secured by machine with a blanket stitch, a tight zigzag stitch, or one of the decorative stitches on your sewing machine.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Binding a Quilt with All Machine Sewing
The photos at the bottom of the page give a step-by-step visual guide to binding a quilt by machine. Click on any photo to enlarge it.
Here's how to use the back-to-front method of binding a quilt:
1. Decide How Wide to Make the Binding
A narrow ¼” finished binding width works best if the quilt is made of blocks without borders, since the binding will just cover the ¼” seam allowance built into the blocks. This leaves the whole block visible, while a wider binding would cover up some of the block.
A wider binding is easier to work with if the quilt has borders, and especially if you want to use a decorative stitch that runs around the binding, instead of just catching the edge of the binding with a blanket stitch or zigzag. Fitting a decorative stitch onto a narrow strip of binding can be difficult.
- ¼” finished binding width: cut binding strips 1½ wide
- ½” finished binding width: cut binding strips 2½” wide
- ¾” finished binding width: cut binding strips 3½” wide
These widths are based on this formula: (Finished binding width x 2 + ¼” seam allowance) x 2
2. Calculate How Long to Make the Continuous Strip of Binding Fabric
Here’s an approximate formula: (Length x 2 + (Width x 2) + 12” extra for going around corners and attaching the ends of the binding.
3. Cut the Binding Strips
If the quilt has straight edges, you can cut the binding strips either across the width of the fabric from selvage to selvage, or along the length of the fabric, parallel to the selvages. If your quilt has curved edges, you will need to cut the binding strips along the bias of the fabric, so the binding will bend around the curves. Learn how to make bias binding.
4. Join the Binding Strips
To create a long, continuous strip of binding that will cover the entire quilt edge, you will need to join together the cut strips of binding fabric. To do this, lay two strips in an L shape with right sides together, and then sew a diagonal line from the top left corner to the bottom right corner of the overlapping section. Continue until you’ve joined all the strips, then trim the seam allowances to ½” and press the seams open.
Fold the binding strip in half with wrong sides together and the cut edges aligned, and then press. You will end up with a long strip of binding ready to sew onto the quilt. For easier handling on larger quilts, wind the binding strip into a roll.
Get step-by-step instructions for making continuous quilt binding.
5. Sew the Binding to the Back Side of the Quilt
Square up the quilt, if needed, and then sew the binding to the outside edge of the quilt back, using a quarter-inch seam and a quarter-inch presser foot, if you have one. (See Photo 1 below.) Start stitching in a less-conspicuous place on the side or bottom of the quilt. Leave a tail of about six inches of unsewn binding before the stitching begins.
Whenever you reach a corner, fold the binding and turn the quilt to make a mitered corner. When you get back to the beginning, attach the tails of the binding together and sew them down.
6. Fold the Binding to the Front
Fold the binding away from the quilt and press, as shown in Photo 2 below. Then fold the binding to the front of the quilt. Fold the binding to the front.
Pick one corner of the quilt and fold the binding into a mitered corner, then pin the miter in place. (See Photo 3 below.) Make sure the top fold points in the same direction as your sewing direction.
Pin the binding to the front of the quilt along one side, making sure to maintain a consistent width. You can pin all along the side or use just a few pins and move them as you sew.
Use your sewing machine to sew the edge of the binding to the front of the quilt, as shown in Photo 4 below. When you get close to the next corner, fold the binding into a mitered corner and pin in place. Continue until you return to the starting point.
With the binding in place, the quilt is all finished except for trimming stray threads and adding a quilt label.
If you liked this article, you may also like:
- Binding options for your quilt. Binding fabric covers your quilt's raw edges and helps keep them from getting worn as you use the quilt. Learn about five different ways to bind your quilt.
- How to tie a quilt with a sewing machine, no hand sewing needed.Use a sewing machine's bar tack stitch or decorative stitches to fasten a quilt's layers permanently in place instead of machine quilting or hand tying.
- How to make applique that looks needle turned with no hand sewing. Easy technique uses fusible interfacing to marry the hand stitched look of needle turn appliqué with the speed and convenience of fusible appliqué.
Christine Mann - Christine Mann writes about quilting, home decor sewing, and creativity in daily life.
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