Cut binding strips 2½in wide then cut your binding strips to measure 2½in (6.5cm) wide. How do you know whether it will fit and appear as you originally wanted it to be? If the line is off, the pieced strips will not be straight (upper example). This way, you can attach them to your quilt directly. What to Consider When Cutting Quilt Binding, What Exactly Is Single-Fold Binding and Where Is It Used. I add 10″ extra length to allow for seam allowances, corners, and just the feel-good relief of knowing I will not be short of binding. Sew along the diagonal line; chain-piecing makes sewing the strips go faster and keeps the pieced seams joined together for trimming (do not cut the strings yet). Decide How Wide to Make the Binding If your quilt is made of blocks without borders or has a pieced border, use a narrow ¼” finished binding width. A 3" binding is recommended when you're learning to use these tools but after that you can create wider & narrower bindings. For a general overview of how to attach binding, see the tutorial on Quilt Binding Basics. Keep in mind you’ll be cutting the fabric into strips that will then be folded in half. 11. Binding is the very last thing you will do after you have done the quilting. With more experience, it is possible to skip drawing the line. Place the raw edges of your binding lined up along the raw edge of your quilt. You will need to cut a wider strip of clothing than your measurement to make a double-fold binding. Cut the binding along the selvage edge of the fabric for straight grain and at 45 degree angles to the selvage for bias. Your email address will not be published. Quilt binding should be cut 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) wide for large quilts or 2.25 inches (5.7 cm) for small or wall-hanging quilts. Quilt binding allows you to finish the edges of your finished “quilt sandwich” in a professional way. Example: if you want a 1" binding, cut the binding at 4.5", cut the batting 3/4 inches wider than the quilt top, and sew 1/4 inch in on the quilt top and binding. You can make quilt binding in any size you'd like, but 2 1/4 (2.25 inches) or 2 1/2" strips are most common - this will give you a binding width of about 1/4" on the front and back of your quilt. At the same time, the size of your binding will double if you choose to use a double-fold binding. Only use single-fold binding for light quilts that don’t see a lot of abuse and aren’t too heavy. You can find bias tapes of all sizes and materials in any fabric store and apply it to your fabrics. To determine long your binding strip needs to be, measure your four sides, add the measurements together and then add about 5". This leaves the whole block visible, while a … ... Place the quilting ruler over the fabric to cut your first binding strip 2.5 inches wide. You’ll need twelve to fifteen extra inches of binding material. Decide how wide you want the binding strips to be. So when you start cutting your binding one of the things to remember is that your fabric is, and this is for a straight binding we’re not talking bias at all we’re just talking straight binding, your fabric is about 40 inches wide. Cut your binding fabric to 1 1/4" wide. If your number has a bunch of decimals after it, then round up. Here’s the width to cut the strips for finished binding widths from ¼” to ¾”: Tap or click here to pin Lay the long end of the binding on the quilt as shown. Now remove the paper marker from the binding fabric and transfer it to a flat surface for measurement. The charming Winter's Night floral quilt pattern features an extra-wide striped binding. This tells you how many strips to cut; round this number up. Now line up your top row of binding, having a half inch extra binding beyond the edges. The binding strip is 3 inches wide but then I fold it and hence the name – straight of grain double fold binding. A wider binding is just going to be too wide. And repeat for each strip for the quilt. Grab your ruler and measure the width of the paper to where you placed the mark. Trim the starting edge of the binding to a 45 ° angle as shown below if it is not already cut at a 45 ° angle. At the back of the maker is where the fabric is inserted. The thickness refers to the vertical size of all the materials used to make the quilt sandwich. Binding size refers to the width of the finished binding as it appears from the front of the quilt. Trim off the extra fabric, leaving a 1/4” seam allowance. Bindings are typically the same size from quilt to quilt. Although pressing the binding is by far the most common practice, some quilters skip this step due to lack of time and/or energy or the idea that the precise location of the fold changes as the binding is folded to the back of the quilt. Repeat the same for all corners of the quilt sandwich until you have all the binding material you need for the quilt. The equation is based on 42″ wide fabric, cut straight on the grain, and 2-1/2″ wide binding. 10. This is especially challenging if you have limited binding fabric to work with and need to get it right the first time. Fold the binding toward the back side of the quilt. Continuous bias cut 1 1/4-inch wide is perfect for most curved stems and applique vines. Step 6: Finish sewing the binding For quilts made without borders, the binding should be ¼” finished width, so the binding’s seam allowance doesn’t cover up the quilt blocks. Trim batt and lining even with the top. Press the binding in half lengthwise and seams open as you come to them. Now turn the paper over the edge of the seam and mark where the binding will reach plus allowance at the back of the quilt. How we attach the binding with your machine is unique, but very simple. Using a Single Fold For a Quilt Binding. The width of the binding is really up to you and this allows you to size up a quilt easily to fit the needs. There is no predetermined width or length that should be used for all quilt bindings. For 1⁄2"-wide finished double-fold binding, cut 3-1⁄4"-wide binding strips and attach them using a 1⁄2" seam allowance. You can use a rotary cutter or any other cutter. Your email address will not be published. For example, if you want a finished binding that’s 1/2 inch wide, cut strips that are 2 inches wide (1/2 inch x 4 = 2). Once you are done with the quilting, you will know what width of binding you will need and how to apply it on the quilt. Measure the four sides of your quilt to determine the length of its perimeter. Baste around quilt 3/16" from the edges if desired. 2 Multiply the number of strips by the strip width. Rolling the binding on an empty toilet paper or paper towel tube helps keep the binding tidy for storage, if not attaching it right away. Fold the strip in half lengthwise with the wrong sides together (see a in the following figure). Connecting Threads® and ConnectingThreads.com are registered trademarks of Crafts Americana Group, Inc. WEB BONUS: Click here for FREE quilting lesson download from the experts at McCallsQuilting.com: Making and Applying Extra-Wide Quilt Binding. Bias grain is used if you are working with a quilt sandwich with oddly shaped, scalloped or curved edges. Make sure to choose a bias tape that is the right size and probably has a color that is compatible with your quilt. How wide would you cut your quilt binding for it to fit your quilt? You only need to cut a single strip of fabric of the right width and stitch its wrong side up to the back of the quilt. To work out much binding you will need, measure the quilt all round and add about 20in extra. This technique is especially useful if you choose to sew the diagonal line without drawing it first. Sewing with a wider seam will chop off important design elements. The method shown below shows trimming off the “bunny ears” as well. ... Cut strips of fabric at 2.5″ wide. Bias binding is binding that is cut at a 45 degree angle from the selvedge. At the same time, the size of your binding will double if you choose to use a double-fold binding. Binding Basics - Part 3: Preparing the Quilt, Binding Basics - Part 4: Attaching the Binding by Machine, Binding Basics - Part 5: Hand-Stitching the Binding to the Back, Binding Basics - Part 2: Making the Binding, Nine Patch Lesson 1: Basic Piecing with Charms, Nine Patch Lesson 2: Speed Strip Quilting for a Baby quilt, How to Sew an Accurate Quarter Inch Seam Allowance, Machine Quilting with Golden Threads paper, How to Pick the Right Quilting Design for Your Quilt. You could do this for a wider binding as well, but the formula would be 4x the width of the finished binding + .5 inch. Many quilters like to spray the binding with Mary Ellen’s Best Press, starch or sizing for more stiffness. Now you are ready to sew it on! The cutting width of your binding strips depends on how wide the finished binding will be. Single-fold binding is a type of binding that is only folded once and sewed on the quilt. Cut binding strips 1 1/4" wide. You should cut your binding depending on the size of your quilt sandwich in terms of thickness and the size of your seam allowance. Double the width you got from the paper if it’s a double fold binding. Pins or hair clips work well, too. Leave a good 7 to 10 inches of binding loose and, using your walking foot, take a couple of stitches a ¼" away from the edge and then back stitch a few times to secure it all in place. After determining the width, you can go ahead and cut the binding strips to size based on the perimeter of your entire quilt. Luckily, deciding the width of your binding comes down to the thickness of your quilt sandwich and the size of seam allowance you are going for. An upside of narrower binding? Continue moving the ruler over to cut as many 2.5-inch binding strips as you need to bind your quilt. A quality quilt binding is: Full - the top, batting and backing extend to the very outside edge of the completed binding; Specific to the type of quilt – an antique looking quilt looks best with a skinny binding; Covers the stitching line used to attach the binding to the quilt; Even all around the entire quilt; Flat - no puckers or twisting Using a Double Fold For a Quilt Binding. Then you will turn the strip to the front folding it in to hide the edge and hand stitch it to the quilt to cover the entire edge. References. After you are done, fold your strip into two and iron it down to form a double-fold binding. Step 6: The last step is to fold the binding in half (edges together) and press with a hot iron. In most cases, an inch of binding will suffice for thin quilt sandwiches but the width could be much wider if you are going for an even wider seam allowance and are working with thick quits. Apart from the aesthetics, a properly cut binding provides the quilt with the strength and stiffness it requires to last, especially for heavily used quilts like blankets and bed covers. Even better, have the binding material ready to be cut as soon as you are done with the quilting. If you are a beginner and don’t want to deal with folding the binding while attaching it to the quilt, you can decide to cut four separate strips and sew them together forming a rectangle. Quilt a wide binding. Always keep right sides together. But first, here are some simple instructions for making your own quilt binding. The size of the binding is determined by the size of the seam allowance used when the binding is sewn on and how loosely or tightly the binding is folded to the back. © 1999-2021 Crafts Americana Group, Inc. All rights reserved. To make a double-fold binding, first, decide how wide your binding should be based on the size of your quilt and how much of the binding you want to show at the top. This should be the width of your quilt binding if it is a single fold binding. The seam allowance determines how much of the binding will be cut to cover the edges of the quilt sandwich. Most quilting cotton will be 40”- 44” wide. Follow these steps to cut your quilt binding to the right size: Start with a piece of paper to measure and determine how wide your binding will be. Binding size. Draw a diagonal line exactly from corner-to-corner on the edges where the strips intersect as shown; this is actually easier to visualize if the strips extend beyond each other slightly. Quilt binding is a strip of fabric that finishes a quilt. Begin stitching at the edge of the quilt, and end at the other edge, backstitching at both ends to secure. You then take this binding with the raw edge and I align it to the edge of the quilt and sew a ½ inch seam allowance. Essentially, you need to cut double the size of your primary width when working with a double-fold binding. Place the piece of paper over the quilt sandwich and use a ruler and pencil to trace your seamline lengthwise. By: Kathryn Hatter Updated September 15, 2017. Choose a Binding Width . ((Length of all sides of quilt + 10″) / 42″) x … Open the strip so that the wrong side of the fabric faces up. If the quilt doesn't have borders, a binding sewn to edges with a 1/4" seam is the best choice, since that width matches the 1/4" seam allowance that's built-in to the edge of most quilt blocks. 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