- Are you a beginner putting on your first binding
or maybe you just can't get the trick
of sewing your binding strips on straight
or maybe you can't get a crisp corner
or maybe you don't know how to connect them at the end.
I have a number of tips, tricks and hacks
to make this binding process smoother and easier
and get that last stitch knotted.
So stick with me and I'll show you how to do it.
(digital music)
Hi, I'm Karen Brown of Just Get It Done Quilts.
I give you tips, tricks and strategies
to help you make the quilt that you want to make.
And if you like what you see
please hit that subscribe button.
I've shown you how to sew straight and iron well.
I've shown you how to make the quilt sandwich
and how to quilt it.
And now it's time to put the binding on
but first we need to trim your quilt up.
The penultimate stage of making a quilt is squaring up.
Find a table or a counter with a long edge,
lift or fold your quilt so that the weight is supported
and not working against you.
Line up your quilt along the edge
with your cutting mat underneath it,
grab either a right angle ruler,
a square ruler or a laser square,
decide on the line where you'd like to sew your binding on
and trim at a ¼".
Now, unless you're making a show quilt
squaring up is more of a guideline than a rule.
And often your edges are wonky.
So squaring up like in other stages
is much more of a negotiation.
Remember my interview with Chris English
I loved it when he said that on his first quilt
the corners were more of a suggestion.
So as you were trying to decide
if you're going to cut off those points or cut around them
just know that whatever you decide
the quilt will still be warm and cuddly.
This video is about the basics.
So we are going to be making our binding
the standard 2 ½ inches wide.
Bindings can be narrower or wider
but I'm going to cover that in another video.
Your binding should be the length
of the circumference of your quilt.
- [Karen] That's twice the width plus twice the height
plus 2 ½ inches for the overlap at the end.
Here is an example quilt.
It's 80 inches high, by 60 inches wide.
So I need a total length of 282 and half inches
for the binding.
- And for 2 ½ inch binding
you do not need to add anything extra
for any of the corners.
- [Karen] Quilting fabric
is approximately 40 to 44 inches wide
for this fabric after I've deducted 2 1/2 inches
for the joins
and removed the selvages that leaves me with 39 inches.
So for my example quilt,
I needed a 282 1/2 strip for the binding.
So I divide this by 39 and then round up.
So that means this quilt, I need 8 strips.
- You can use longer strips.
You can use shorter strips.
You can use scrappy strips.
Just know that when you're making your calculations
- [Karen] that you'll lose 2 1/2 inches
in every join.
(gentle upbeat music)
- When we were making the standard binding
we sew them together at a 45 degree angle
so that when they're folded and sewn on
and then we fold them again, they're a lot less bulky.
If you've watched my video, 10 Sewing Hacks with Templates
you know that I have a 3-in-1 binding tool.
I'll leave a link in the notes below
so you can get the directions to make your own.
Take your first strip and lay it right side up,
take your second strip
and lay it right-side down perpendicular to your first one
with the corners aligned.
Take your tool and align it to the horizontal strip
with the point to the right
and this line aligning with this edge.
Mark a straight line with a pencil or a marking pen
on the 45 degree line, pin along the marked line.
If you are in a hurry, you can simply fold it over
make a crease, and you don't need to use pins.
But I find the binding strips like to squirm around a lot.
I find I get much better results
sitting in front of my sewing machine
and just getting into a rhythm
of laying out, marking and sewing.
I take the bundle to my iron.
I snip the pieces apart
and I trim the joins with my scissors
at roughly a ¼".
This doesn't need to be exact.
It doesn't even need to be straight
because the seam is already sewn.
And here I press the seams open
again because I don't want that bulk.
And I do not press these strips in half.
And I'll explain why in the last step.
(gentle upbeat music)
When you sew your binding to your quilt
you'll get a lot better results
if you use a walking foot.
This is the same walking foot
that we use in the quilting phase.
It keeps all the layers,
the binding, the top, the batting snd the back
moving through your machine at the same rate,
without it, you'll probably find that your binding
and your quilt are moving out of sink.
And then this will happen.
First, I'm going to show you two methods
on how to start and stop sewing your binding on the quilt.
And then I'm going to show you how to do the corners
but first put your quilting glove on your left hand
as it's going to be so much easier
to manipulate the weight of the quilt.
We are starting in the middle of the bottom edge
of your quilt.
On the top of your quilt,
lie your strip with the wrong side up,
fold the corner down to the quilt edge
then fold the whole strip to the edge side
and sew to the top of your quilt.
I find it easiest to fold down the top edge, clip it
and then fold the strip down and clip that.
Then sew around the quilt
and when you get back to the bottom,
you sew the binding on to this point
and then trim the binding on a 45 degree angle,
and then just tuck it in.
- [Karen] And if you need to trim off a bit more
to make it fit better, that's okay too.
In this method, you start with a tail.
So instead of starting to sew in the middle of your bottom
you start sewing approximately 10 inches in.
Once you have sewn around the quilt
and you pass the last corner
you'll want to stop at the same spot on the other side.
Take your quilt to a spot
where your binding can lie perfectly flat.
Mark where the two pieces of binding meet.
Grab your 3-in-1 tool and mark the other side
this should be 2 1/2 inches,
trim in a straight line.
Now, if you do not have the 3-in-1 tool,
you can use the tail of your binding
or measure 2 ½ inches with a ruler.
- Now you want to be exact here.
The first time I did this method,
I gave myself an extra 1/16
thinking I needed the safety space.
Don't do it.
You'll just get a pucker if you do.
So measure and cut accurately.
- [Karen] Connecting these tails is a bit fiddly
the tail on your left you flip open like this,
the tail on the right you flip towards you,
then open and place them perpendicular to each other
with corner in the edges aligned.
You'll need to shimmy in the quilt a bit
to get them to line up.
Then use the 3-in-1 tool and mark the 45 degree line.
I always pin the corner and just test
to be sure that I have not twisted the binding before I sew.
Sew the diagonal on the binding then trim.
I use my roller here to press
and save myself a trip to the iron.
Then I sew between the start and the stop points.
- Corners stress out many quilters,
but it's really not that hard.
You just need to understand what's happening to the fabric
in that corner.
And my 3-in-1 tool makes it much easier.
As you approach your corner,
you need to stop at a ¼" from the end.
Then you fold your binding at a 45 degree angle
then fold it back down.
Turn your quilt and sew a ¼"
along the next edge.
So why is it so difficult
to get the perfect corner you need?
This seam and the full line and this seam
need to intersect exactly.
So if you're a ¼"es off
or the folding your fabric is off that crisp corner
is just not going to happen.
So first, you've got to make sure that you stop
at the right spot.
Your presser foot might have a ¼" mark
or use a ruler
or put a mark on your 3-in-1 tool and use that.
And second, not only do you need the top layer of fabric
folding over on a 45 degree
but you also need the inside layer of fabric
folding over on the 45 degree.
So this is my process.
I sewed to the quarter inch mark
and then back stitch two stitches.
I take my 3-in-1 tool and I lay it on my binding
with the point in the corner.
I fold the fabric over tight to the edge of the tool,
then I pull the tool out, place it in the corner
and fold the fabric over and clip.
And then clip it in several spots along the next edge,
then I pull the tool out,
then I turned the quilt and I sew at a ¼".
- [Karen] This will give you nice sharp corners,
both on the front and the back.
- Hand sewing a binding does take time
but it really gives that homemade finish to your quilt.
You need a thimble and a needle.
I like to use sharps between size 10 and size 12
depending on what thread I'm using.
Your thread shouldn't be overly long.
And I like to use 50 weight thread
or higher in a matching colour.
I use a double strand and I tie it with a quilters knot.
Choose a side.
It doesn't matter where you start
and bury your thread in the seam allowance.
Then roll the fabric over
and attach with an invisible stitch.
Now remember we didn't fold the binding in half.
The binding needs to roll over twice,
once at the same and once over the edge of the quilt.
So the fabric on the bottom needs to be a little bit shorter
than the fabric on the top for a smooth finish.
And if you have a sharp fold there,
you will be fighting it the whole way round.
Some quilters use clips to roll the binding over
and do some of the work for you.
You can get the job done with four
and keep moving them down the side,
or you can clip the whole quilt ahead of time.
You do the corners on the back,
very similar to how you do them on the front.
You fold that fabric to get a nice crisp 45.
And if you're having any difficulty,
use your 3-in-1 tool
and just keep going.
And listen to a couple of episodes of Karen's Quilt Circle
until you get back to the beginning
and to finish you make another quilters knot,
then you bury it underneath the binding.
And you're done.
Just one more thing.
My biggest problem, when I am hand sewing is clenching.
I clench my shoulders.
I clench my hands, so I have to stop occasionally
and just breathe and let it all go.
There'll be at least one more video in this series
as I still need the cover sewing machine binding
narrow and wide binding.
And of course, how to put a label on your quilt.
So stay tuned.
I am just finishing off the first week
in my January Declutter Challenge.
If you would like to join in,
head over to my blog and jump in.
Last week, we handled paper and garbage.
We also shared photos of our crazy mistakes
our hah moments and the space we are creating for 2021
on the Facebook event page and on Instagram
with the #jgidqDeclutter2021.
I'll leave a link in the notes below.
And last week, my interview with Mary Fons went live.
Her experience and talents make her the perfect person
to have a chat about quilting and legacy.
I'll leave a link to that in the notes below.
So if you liked this video, please give it a thumbs up
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You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram
and Pinterest at Just Get It Done Quilts.
And of course my website at justgetitdonequilts.com
So take care and I'll see you next time