I am adding binding to some fun quilted coasters.
1) Grab your binding (same with both single and double fold), open it all up and fold the end down as in the picture to form a little triangle.
2) Trim the excess fabric away to leave just a small folded edge as in picture #2
3) Start sewing it on using a 1/4" seam allowance.
1) Sew along the edge of your project but stop your stitched 1/4" from the end. This is VERY important if you want nice clean corners! If you need to, take a ruler and mark 1/4" from the end so you know exactly where to stop.
2) Now we'll fold out binding to start sewing the next side. First, take your strip and fold it up and away towards the right (revealing the front of your binding) as shown in picture #2.
3) Take that strip again and fold it back towards your project, aligning it with the next edge of your project. The fold should align with the first edge of your project as shown in picture #3. When you start stitching on this next side, start 1/4" from the end! Always leave 1/4" unstitched!
1) Keep stitching around your project, making sure it aligns nicely with the edge and make sure you leave 1/4" at every corner!
2) When you arrive back at the beginning of your binding, trim away any excess fabric so that you just have a little overlap.
3) Stitch that bad boy down!
Now you are ready to stitch the back! You can machine stitch or hand stitch the back. Hand stitching takes more time and I find it therapeutic so that is my preferred method. I recommend using a ladder stitch for hand stitching. Machine stitching is also great if you need to quickly finish your project. Here's how I machine stitch the back.
1) Fold your binding towards the back of your project. Take a moment and poke out your corners to reveal your awesome corners! You can use the stitch you created sewing the binding to the front as a guide. Your binding should just cover that thread.
2) Clip your binding in place so it doesn't shift about too much while you are stitching. I take a little extra time to make sure the corners look nice before I clip them down.
3) Start stitching! Stitch from the back and start as close to the edge of the fabric as you can. In the end, we want our stitch to be just over the edge of the binding on the back but not showing on the binding on the front. As you sew, keep pulling your binding tight to the back.
As you can see, the stitching on the back is placed just over the edge of the binding and on the front the stitching is sitting nicely right next to the binding.
When you finish your stitching and turn it over to reveal stitches on the front binding, don't worry! Everything takes practice and you will get there! And if you stitch a little on the front binding and you are OK with that, more power to you! You don't always have to make everything perfectly. The most important thing is that you are creating and that you are enjoying the process.
In fact, you'll see in my video that I stitched way over the front binding. It's OK though! I love my little coasters and thoroughly enjoyed making them, even if they aren't perfect.
I show you step by step the whole process here:
I hope this tutorial made binding a little less scary for you. If you have any questions feel free to hit me up!
Check out my tutorial on how to make your own continuous binding HERE.
Although I used to be very intimidated by binding, now I love adding binding to my projects. It results in such a clean professional looking finish.
Stripey binding is my favorite!
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Are you intimidated by quilt binding? I was! I loved the neat and professional look it created but I would completely avoid any pattern that involved binding because to me, making binding seemed complicated and confusing. That's the thing about trying something new, it can be scary but I have found that 99% of the time once you get started and take it step by step you end up saying to yourself "I should've tried that sooner!" So I am going to take it slow and show you how to make your own professional looking quilt binding.
What is quilt binding?
It's that strip of fabric along the edge of quilts that serves to enclose the raw edges and add a little extra pop of color. It's most commonly seen on quilts but you can use binding on any sewing project where you need to enclose raw edges.
Types of binding:
There are 2 kinds of binding, single fold and double fold. They both serve the same purpose and achieve the same finished look. The only difference is in the way you attach it to your project.
Single Fold Binding (my favorite!)
Single fold binding is folded just once in half lengthways and attached to your project by sewing it to the front of your project then wrapping it around to the back and stitching it finished.
Double Fold Binding
Double fold binding is folded once in half lengthways, unfolded, then each side folded again towards your center crease.
Binding can be made in any width you choose depending on how wide you want your finished binding. I've made super wide all the way down to itty bitty binding with a finished size of only 1/8"!
SINGLE FOLD | DOUBLE FOLD |
Finished binding size x 4 + 1/2" | Finished binding size x 4 |
*Single fold binding equation is assuming you use a 1/4" seam allowance. If you prefer using a different seam allowance you can just take that seam allowance x 2 and replace the 1/2" in the equation with that number.
First thing's first! What size binding do you need? Take your desired finished binding size and use my simple equation above to figure out what width strips to cut.
Traditionally, instructions will tell you to "cut fabric strips on the bias". This means to take your fabric and cut your strips at a 45 degree angle. Due to the weave of the fabric, this will allow your binding to lay flatter on curved edges. I like to keep it simple! Since most of the time my project only deals with straight edges (like a quilt), I just cut straight strips and my binding comes together much faster and I can get back to the fun stuff. *If you do have a curved edge on your project I recommend taking the extra time and cutting your fabric on the bias (at a 45 degree angle) because otherwise your binding in that curve will be bulky and not lay as flat as you would want it to.*
Start cutting strips of your fabric in the width you've calculated. I like to keep my strips around 22" long, but this is personal preference. You can cut them in any length but keep in mind the longer the strip, the less joining you have to do and the cleaner look you will have. So longer strips = faster finish!
If you are following a pattern, don't get too hung up on cutting the EXACT length required. I just cut strips, sew them together and measure the length as I go. You can keep adding strips until you have enough for your project, and if you end up with way more than you need, great! You'll have binding for your next project! You can always add more later if needed.
Once you have your strips cut, you can start sewing them together! If you are new to binding I recommend you have a fabric marker and small ruler to mark the exact line you will sew on. Sewing these strips together to have a nice clean edge can be tricky, but with some practice, you will master it in no time. Follow along with the pictures or scroll down to find my step by step video tutorial.
Step #1) Take 2 strips and line them up as shown in the picture. The first strip face up and the second strip face down at a 90 degree angle from the first. I like to leave a teeny bit of overhang, this helps achieve a straighter join.
Step #2) Take your straight edge and draw a line across the 2 strips at the intersection of the fabrics. Draw your line as accurately as possible! You may use a pin if you'd like (preferably a unicorn pin! 🦄) to keep your strips from shifting too
Step #3) Using a short stitch length, sew a straight stitch ever so slightly along the right side of the line you drew. Your stitch should be but up against that line but not on top of it.
Step #4) Trim those overhanging bits and that excess little triangle of fabric to the right of your stitch. Trim close to your stitch but not too close! Leave just enough so you may press that seam open.
Step #5) Press your seam open. You can finger press, use a seam roller or a little iron. Just don't burn your fingers!
Step #6) Admire your work! You may continue to add strips until you have your desired length.
Once you are all joined together and have the length you need, you can fold the binding into your preferred binding type, single or double fold.
Next time I'll show you how to attach your binding to your project.
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Keep makin stuff!
-Christina 💕