When you get back to the beginning, attach the tails of the binding together and sew them down. Cut and Sew a Continuous Binding Strip. First, you need to prepare your binding strips and then sew them onto the back of your quilt using a 1/4″ seam allowance. Most of us are taught to bind a quilt by machine-sewing the binding to the front side of the quilt sandwich, then folding the binding to the back and whip-stitching it down by hand. Make just one little change in this technique, and you can bind a quilt without any hand sewing at all. It’s machine quilting all the way for me, baby! Stitch along that line and trim down to ¼” seam. MACHINE STITCHING THE BINDING: Pin the binding to the back of the quilt so as to just overlap the stitching line made when sewing the binding to the front of the quilt. 2. I used pins, would clips have been a better way to hold fabric straight? That's all thanks to stitching the Victory Lap and carefully squaring the quilt. If you use a straight seam, you'll have a big chunk of 1/4 inch seam allowance landing only in one spot on the binding. If you enjoyed this tutorial and you're eager to learn more about the quilt-making process, please join me for a quilting workshop! I also needed help with mitering corners. This is binding that's perfectly suited to stitch on the edges of normal quilts with straight sides and 90-degree corners. I like 2 inch wide binding, but when I first started quilting I was taught to cut it 2 1/2 inches wide. Wider binding is easier to work with and more forgiving of mistakes. The last tricky part to binding a quilt is connecting the ends together. Remove the quilt from your machine, and fold the binding up, away from the quilt, at a 90-degree angle. See what she has to say about 2 ways of binding it.
#quilting #quilt #quiltersofinstagram #handmade #quiltproject #freequiltingpatterns #quiltlife #TheSewGoesOn #northcottfabrics Start by folding the right … If your quilt has curved edges then you will want to use bias binding. The Binding Tool. Unfold the binding strip where you stopped stitching first and place it right side up on your table. If your quilt doesn’t have pieced sections in its borders, I’d recommend using a wider binding strip. To Machine Bind a Quilt, Just Sew the Binding to the Quilt’s Back Side 1. Line the two strips up perpendicular to one another (like a + sign) and stack the two marked dots so they are right on top of one another. It can also provide a cute ‘frame’ for the design. Instead of sewing the binding to the front of the quilt sandwich, stitch it to the back side instead. How to Sew Rose Quilt Blocks | Stitch & Flip Piecing Tutorial. B - If you plan to hand stitch the binding down, arrange and stitch the binding to the quilt from the RIGHT SIDE. If you've been cutting strips that have a little "V" in the middle on the folds, this is a sign your fabric isn't properly square before cutting. Start in an inconspicuous place on the side or bottom of the quilt. With the needle down, turn the quilt 90 degrees and back stitch off the quilt’s edge. Your stitches should look like this: Fold the binding up, then down again to make a fold that looks like this: This will make a mitered corner when you fold the binding to the front of the quilt in the next step. Explore Walking Foot Quilting Book PRINT Edition, How to Make Quilt Binding and Bind Your Quilt by Machine. If you'd like it to be fun instead of a fight, make sure to follow all the steps I share in this quilting tutorial: I use a Ceramic Marking Pencil to mark my binding so I don't stitch too far on the corners and to line up the loose ends perfectly. Preparing a Quilt for Binding by Machine. Once I learned this, I shrank the cutting width of my binding down to 2 inches wide due to this simple math: 2 inch wide binding folded in half = 1 inch wide binding strip. Then unfold the binding strip where you began stitching and place it right side down on top. Click here for a photo tutorial on making continuous quilt binding. After stitching 8-10 inches, check on your stitch – measure that you have the right size and keep … Copyright © 2021 LeahDay.com. You can use a ¼” foot, regular foot or a walking foot to attach the binding to the back of the quilt. - 1/4 inch of fabric covers the curve on the edge of the quilt and the fold which should rest just inside the stitching that holds the binding down on the opposite side of the quilt. Mark a dot on the fold of both binding strips in the middle of where they stack up together. Clip or pin to … (Finished binding width x 2 + ¼” seam allowance) x 2. If it lies perfectly flat and looks consistent with the rest of your binding, trim the seam allowance down to 1/4 and press it open, then press that open area back flat to your quilt. As you can see I use LOTS of pins, although I know of quilters who can do this without pinning! The names refer to how the ends of the binding are joined. I've never found one I liked because they all seem to complicate this process, and I think it's complicated enough as it is! Your long binding strip is now secured to one side of your quilt all the way around. Then it's time to fold. I just finished a quilt and struggled with the binding bunching when I sewed. How to Machine Bind a Quilt (No Hand Sewing!). This should create a nice 45-degree fold in the corner. If your quilt is made of blocks without borders or has a pieced border, use a... 2. Next week we’ll finish by talking about hand-done bias-binding. When you stitch a diagonal seam, it spreads the seam allowance out over the length of the seam so it doesn't look like your binding has a strange bulge only in one spot. - 1/4 inch is taken away folding to the front side of the seam allowance. It does make the process a bit more fiddly so take your time arranging the strip around your quilt so you can avoid the extra stress and blood pressure spikes. No, it's not the end of the world and your quilt will not be ruined if a seam allowance happens to hit a corner dead on. Click Here to learn how to properly starch, square, and cut long strips. A 1/4″ binding will just cover the ¼” seam allowance built into the blocks. Any suggestions for next time? 74 thoughts on “ Machine Binding Tutorial ” Pingback: Grey Goose Quilt | Beech Tree Lane Handmade Karen @ Pieces of Contentment November 29, 2015 at 8:18 pm. If you have a favorite, jump ahead … If you want to use a decorative stitch to secure the binding, it’s definitely easier to go wider. The steps to quilt binding by machine: 1. Click Here to learn more about the Waterfall Bargello Workshop. I also like the contrast a wider binding gives to the quilt. Which quilt binding group do you belong to? If you stitch this in the opposite direction, you will create a twist in your binding! This reduces the bulk of the seam when you fold the binding strip in half. You can back stitch here, or I usually just change direction and stitch straight off the edge of the quilt onto a scrap of fabric. How to machine bind like it looks hand sewn tutorial: 1. If you have a curved quilt, this tutorial might not be for you. Machine Quilt Binding Tutorial Monday, July 4, 2011 This post is a part of the Warm Cool Quilt-Along! Begin by taking a few stitches and then use the reverse to go back a couple of stitches and then sew ¼” aligning the binding to the edge of the quilt as you go. Are you ready to make a long piece of binding and finish the edges of your quilt? Press the binding so you have a nice crease on the fold, the raw edges will line up. You might never have starched or squared fabric before. Here’s a tutorial on how to do it. Return the quilt to your machine and stitch that last open space to the edge of your quilt. The end result looks great, and it takes a lot less time than hand sewing. If you'd like to get started on quilting and need supplies, come on over and check us out at or take a look at our awesome deals every day at. Draw a line along that edge with your water soluble marker. Step 2 To add mitred corners on quilt binding, use a binding clip to hold the corner, fold the binding back down onto your quilt, aligning the raw edges along the next side. The trickiest part of binding a quilt is turning and folding the binding strip to create nicely mitered corners. First, trim off extra batting and backing and square up the quilt, if needed. As long as you stop and fold 1/4 inch from the corners, this method will always work great. We don't want a binding bulge! Now is the time to decide how you want to finish the binding. It is a lot of steps to prepare your quilt binding. Repeat this step until all your strips are sewn together. All Rights Reserved. Today we're going to talk about machine binding! When attaching binding by machine, begin by sewing the binding to the back of the quilt. I use straight of the grain fabric strips for almost all of my quilts. Sew the binding to the FRONT side of the quilt top. Quilters like to argue about how wide to cut binding. But for most quilts that are intended to be drug around the house and used on your beds, couch, and tablecloth, machine binding is perfectly fine and you can complete the entire process in one day. Turn the quilt so the side just stitched is across the top and the edge needing binding is along the right. By taking the time to complete each step, it will make it so much easier to stitch the binding on by machine. Check out that beautiful mitered corner on the front and back! First arrange it around the quilt so the seam lines don't line up with the corners. Fold the binding strip in half – wrong sides are inside, the right sides facing out. Take the quilt to your ironing board and lay it down with the back of the quilt facing up. And who has that kind of time? i've been looking everywhere for a tutorial on how to match up the last seam on the binding, which you included here. Double fold straight of the grain quilt binding. That’s why I was so pleased when I stumbled on this clever way of attaching quilt binding to the body of the quilt entirely by machine. It helps to fold your entire quilt in half to bring the binding strips closer together. The right-hand side of the foot runs along the outer edge of the quilt sandwich and the binding edge runs along the blade – 1/2″ seam from quilt edge, binding edge is 1/4″ from quilt sandwich edge, binding … Lay your fabric strips right sides together as shown, sew a diagonal seam from corner to corner, trim the corner, and repeat until all of the binding strips are sewn together into one long strip. Once binding is clipped to back of your quilt, sew it down with a standard foot 1/4 inch up to 3/8 inch. 2. You should leave at least 10 inches of quilt edge open at the beginning and end of your binding so you have plenty of space to work with and plenty of binding fabric to connect together. Yes, you can do this with far less space and binding strip, but you will probably end up crying in frustration at least once. I know many people love to sew by hand, but I am not one of those people. Press the binding away from the quilt: Then fold the binding to the front of the quilt. Once you have the corner folded, slip the quilt back into your machine and stitch straight down the edge. I cheat by inserting the tail end of the binding inside the starting end, aligning the joined ends with the edge of the quilt, and stitching them down. Rotate the quilt so the next edge you're going to stitch along is facing the machine and fold the binding strip straight up, away from you. This never resulted in a plump, cushy edge to the quilt. 3. If you're looking for a fun project to stitch your quilting skills up a notch, check out the Waterfall Bargello Workshop. Yes, hand finished binding is the best choice for those extra special, heirloom quality quilts you want to last the test of time, or compete with in a quilt show. originally posted at Make and Takes This week we’re going to talk about adding a machine-done binding to finish you project. 1. Start with 1/4 inch, it will give you more wiggle room. Start at the corner you pinned and use your sewing machine to sew the edge of the binding to the front of the quilt. 3. Line up the binding and quilt raw edges. Create the Binding and Stitch it to the Quilt. Now that the binding is sewn together nicely, trim the seam allowances and press them open - that also reduces their bulk inside the binding - and press the entire strip in half. When you are finished, you should have a binding strip that looks more or less like this: I like to use my sewing machine’s decorative stitches for this step. Melanie Ham's Crafts. and the idea of doing the front side with the machine is intriguing, too. There are. Sewing the Binding onto the Front of the Quilt by Machine by Ann Johnson How do I start sewing the binding to the front of the quilt? Keep sewing around the quilt, following the steps above at each corner. My Waterfall Bargello hangs in my dining room and makes me smile every day. Mitering the corner on the front requires some “fiddling” to get it just right. When you get close to the next corner, a corner, fold the binding into another mitered corner and pin or clip in place. Preparing the edges of the quilt is especially important when you're working with a tricky material like Minky fabric on the back of the quilt as you can see in the photo above. This type of binding is also very easy to cut and piece, however, there are a lot of steps in this process and some of them, like starching your fabric, you may have never tried before. That's why I cut my quilt binding 2 inches wide. You can pin all along the side or use just a few pins and move them as you sew. This is a tutorial for double binding – there are two thicknesses. Sew the binding onto the quilt … Learn how to make your own binding strips with mitered corners and attach it to a quilt. You'll learn how to master quilting techniques, quilt beautiful designs, and make whole quilts step-by-step! Clip binding strip to the back of your quilt making sure there are no seams landing at the corners (8:10) Bring the quilt back to the sewing machine and begin to sew the binding to the next side, starting at the top, and backstitching a few stitches to lock the seam. It can be hard to fit a decorative stitch onto a narrow strip of binding. 3. Click Here to find this marking pencil. Finishing the Binding by Machine. 1. Create the Binding and Stitch it to the Quilt. This is the little 45-degree angle fold in the corners of the quilt that looks super cute on the front and back and also allows you to stitch the entire long binding strip all the way around the quilt in one pass. Then take that binding strip and fold it straight down towards your body. yay! Click Here to learn how to prepare your quilt for binding. 2. Then press that whole long strip in half, wrong sides together. First stitch your binding pieces together with a diagonal seam like this with one binding strip right side up and a second binding strip right side down: Why a diagonal seam? Use a 1/4″ quilting foot and a seam guide if you have one. I've created a three part quilting tutorial to guide you through every step of the process. Let's begin by learning how to prepare the quilt for binding. By popular demand, Jenny Doan shows how to bind with a sewing machine.. This is a really fun quilting class that covers lots of different quilting techniques: how to piece a small Bargello wall hanging, how to audition designs and make a quilting plan, how to machine quilt with a combination of walking foot quilting and free motion quilting. Check out the other binding tutorials I've created so you can complete that step and finish your quilt today! Use your ruler as a straight edge, lining up the bottom left corner with the top right corner. Join the Ends. For this reason, after stitching, open up your quilt and smooth the binding along the edge and make sure it lies flat and smooth to the edge. The steps to quilt binding by machine: 1. And I use the changeable dual feed 1/4″ guide food to sew on the binding. The fabric I chose for my binding is from a fat quarter, 18″x21″, so I will totally be doing a few cuts. Using Northcott Artisan Spirit Shimmer fabrics, Christine Baker made this cheery sunflower quilt. You'll need to fold the binding over and secure the folded edge. Hold in place with your fingers or a pin if you prefer. i learned how in the quilt class i took in nov, but couldn't remember exactly. Quilters tackle this step in several different ways. Trust me - following each step and working with fabric that's stiff and stable and easy to work with will make the binding process much quicker. There are a lot of binding tools and fiddly gadgets for putting your binding edges together. thank you so much! I even added a bonus video on adding glittery thread to the surface with bobbin thread work because I thought it would make the quilt stand out even better, and it was the perfect choice. Great tutorial! Leave a tail of about six inches at the beginning. Yep, that's your miter! Start by smoothing down the end of the binding strip along the edge of the quilt, then smooth down the beginning of the binding strip on top. The next step of this process is to piece an extra long strip of quilt binding. Yes, this is a big choice and will decide if you finish this quilt project today or...some indeterminate time in the future. If the fabric is moving and wiggling, it's going to fight you every step of the way and probably won't look very good in the end. I learned the hard way that quilt show judges like fat, plump, rounded edges because this will wear better over time. Now for a few handy dandy diagrams to guide you through the machine binding process. I just read the tutorial on quilt bindings. This is an essential step because it prepares the edges of your quilt so they're stable and easy to stitch the binding along the edge. Preparing a Quilt for Binding by Machine, 2. Two methods will be discussed: the “tucked” and the “seamed” techniques. It works out perfectly every time and creates a plump, rounded edge for the quilt. This was a really fun class to teach because I got to explore so many different quilting techniques and make a beautiful quilt for my home. Here’s how to use the back-to-front method of binding a quilt: If your quilt is made of blocks without borders or has a pieced border, use a narrow ¼” finished binding width. Unfortunately many quilters think quilt binding must be finished by hand. This will create a 45 degree angle in the binding on the corner. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. If it's twisted or not lying smooth, rip out that seam and stitch it again. About This Tutorial Rob demonstrates how to finish a quilt with machine binding done a home sewing machine. Make sure to start with preparing your quilt for binding. Pick one corner of the quilt and fold the binding into a mitered corner, then pin the miter in place: Pin the binding to the front of the quilt along one side, making sure to maintain a consistent binding width. Whenever you reach a corner, stop stitching 1/4″ from the corner. On a large quilt, this method can take quite a lot of time. To make perfectly mitered corners, the first step is to stop stitching 1/4 inch before the corner. Let's try quilt binding without tears, shall we? This is an essential step to preparing your quilt binding because it reduces the stretch and movement of the fabric and makes it much easier to cut long straight strips. Fold the binding strip up, away from the quilt, so that the raw edge is even with the raw edge of the quilt. This should line up with the next side of the quilt you're going to stitch and create a straight fold, level with the edge of the quilt. It turned out okay but I know that there were mistakes in the binding. Preparing a Quilt for Binding by Machine. Decide How Wide to Make the Binding. Once you have your binding cut and prepared as you saw in the video, it's time to stitch it to the edges of the quilt. This is exactly as I bind except I prefer to hand stitch the back of the binding down. Continue to sew the binding to the quilt, … A sharply folded edge which will eventually cause the fabric to split in that one spot. Create the Binding and Stitch it to the Quilt. Start about three-quarters down on the long side of your quilt. Wrap the Binding Around the Quilt Edge and Stitch in Place. The binding flatted out and the edge was very pointy and sharply folded as it wrapped around the quilt. Folding the Binding to Create Mitered Corners. As with many things in quilting, there are different ways to add binding. Warm Cool Quilt Along - Binding, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr. I try to catch the mitered fold so I secure it with my first stitches. - 1/4 inch is taken away in stitching the binding on the quilt. If you're in a hurry, go with option A. This leaves the whole block visible, while a wider binding would cover up some of the block. Quilt Binding can be an easy, fun process you can complete in a day on your home sewing machine so your quilt can be used and enjoyed. Pin the binding strips together, then take it to your machine and stitch another diagonal seam from the upper left corner down to the lower right, just like the diagram above for connecting your binding strips together originally. Reply Done! Make your life easier and leave lots of extra binding strip at the beginning and end to work with. Lay the binding strip on the outside edge of the quilt’s back side, aligning its raw edges with the quilt edge. - 1/4 is taken away to fold over the back side of the seam allowance. Now, I will give you forewarning, this is a very photo heavy post! With the binding in place, the quilt is all finished except for trimming stray threads and adding a quilt label. You can do this entirely by marking and carefully aligning the ends of the strips together. Fabric by the Yard. A neat binding makes the quilt look professional, crisp and finished. Of course, this is only one step of the stitching process. And yes, it's important to stitch this in the right direction! In these online classes, I share every tip and trick and go slowly through each step of the process. I also often use. This stitch that imitates hand quilting is my favorite. A - If you want to stitch your binding entirely by machine, first arrange and stitch the binding to the quilt on the WRONG SIDE. Single binding is done by using one layer of fabric and folding it over on to itself. I've created a three part quilting tutorial to guide you through every step of the process. Stitch the binding to the quilt, using a 1/4″ seam allowance. Unfortunately many quilters think quilt binding must be finished by hand. See several options for machine binding that make use of the binding tool, a lapel stick, wonder clips, and Steam-a-Seam 2. I like to cut my quilt binding non bias, parallel with the selvage of the fabric and 2.25″ wide. In this tutorial I'm going to teach you how to make Straight Grain Binding. Click here for a photo tutorial on making continuous quilt binding. Precut Fabric. Start sewing at about the six-inch mark, leaving the tail at the beginning unstitched for now. I’ve noticed that my sewing machine is faster, more accurate, and, with all of its clever decorative stitches, more inventive than my fingers. Pick whichever option works best for you! 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