finished!

Here's a sneak peek of the finished quilt!

 

Hope you don't get bored as I walk you through the process. If you are impatient, you can scroll down and see the whole thing alllll done. Hee, hee.

Let's see -where were we? Oh yeah, we had finished the machine quilting. Then, I trimmed the extra backing and binding right off even with the quilted top. Then, we let her rest for the evening (by "her" I mean "me").

Tuesday morning, bright and early, I cut strips for the binding with my trusty rotary cutter.

 

Please ignore the state of my mat. I sorta use it for a "splat mat" at times.

My strips are 2 1/2" inches wide by the width of the fabric (44"). SInce my quilt top measures approximatley 36 X 44", I cut four strips. You need a bit extra for going around the corners as you will soon see. Sew all four strips together end to end.

Next. iron those babies in half. Wearing polka dot pajama bottoms while ironing is highly recommended. And, pressing these wrong side together is also recommened. Hee.

 

Then, flip your quilt over. You will sew your binding on the backside. Hmph. Can't even see that pretty quilted top. Oh yeah, and press under a little hem before you pin on your binding. Trust me, you will be glad you did.

 

Pin all your binding down (starting anywhere on one side) as far as the first corner with the raw sides together (as you see in the photo). DON'T pin past the first corner yet. Make sense? The idea is that you will turn this binding over to the front of the quilt and hide all the raw edges. Stay with me here.

Stitch down the edge of the quilt stopping about 1/4" from the corner. And I mean stop. Stop as in backstitch and pull the quilt away from the machine.

 

(Click to make bigger). Next, turn your quilt so the stitched side is at the top and fold your binding strip straight up. Sorry about the photo being white on white - didn't think about that at the time. I think you can get the idea, though.

 

Okay, now you hold that angled fabric in place with your fingers and fold the binding straight down, leaving that folded triangle in place underneath. It's really easier to see when you try it yourself. Then, start stitching again at the very top edge. I have cleverly drawn an arrow to show you exactly where. Stitch straight down this edge until you get to the next corner and repeat the same process. (You can pin the binding after folding the corner, or you can just wing it like I do).

 

It works really slick. Trust me.

Finish stitching around all four edges until you get to your starting spot. Now you know why we folded in a little hem! Trim excess binding off and tuck in what's left (maybe 1/2") into that folded hem and stitch right over the whole shebang. Backstitch and pull it off the machine.

 

Yay! The hard part is done. Next, gently press the binding open, away from your backing. Don't pull it too hard. Then, fold over the binding toward the front of your quilt and put a few pins in place. Machine stitch the binding quite close to the inside edge (as shown).

 

When you get to the corner, simply finger press one edge under the other so they meet in a point, pin and continue stitching on around.

 

Since this binding is quite narrow, there is no need to go back and stitch this closednby hand. Pshaw. No hand stitching for me ANYWHERE on this quilt. Love that.

Guess what? We're just about done!

 

All the binding is on - check. Nice crisp corners - check. Trim all the hanging threads - check. Admire the nice neat stitching on the back - check.

 

Only one thing left - shove that baby in the washing machine (warm or cold is fine) and tumble dry. The dryer action is what shrinks the fabric just a bit and makes it all warm and cozy. Ahhhh - bliss.

Oh yeah, one last step - ENJOY.

 

 If you like these kinds of tutorials, let me know. It was fun to produce.

Oh, and if you want a giggle, check out the Paper Crafts Connection blog today. Might see something familiar.

Later.

Comments

[terri]

Oh, this is fabulous! The binding always trips me up on quilts, so THANK YOU for the step by step visuals!

[Emilie Ahern]

Girl! You ROCK!

I have tried venturing out into the quilting world alone and failed miserably. I think after this tutorial I can do it!

YAY!
I owe you one!

[Becca]

Ok - I'm a little confused. You're going to have to show me in person. Is the binding on the back of the quilt narrower than the front? Darling quilt - love it !!

[Kara]

If I manage to get far enough to do a binding, that's where I chicken out. You're amazing!!

[Kirsten]

Okay, I'm officially inspired. Once upon a time I taught "quilting 101" classes, and didn't have the guts to take them past the piecing. I've taken a few apart as they wrinkled when I tried to quilt them - maybe I need spray adhesive instead of pins. And I love the way you tuck the ends fo the binding...I've been making it too hard, and thought I had to finish the binding by hand. Thank you!

[mollyb]

I am officially totally inspired. Making a quilt for my kids and for me is going on my summer to-do list. LOVE IT! Thanks for the inspiration! :)

[Candice]

This is gorgeous, Kim! I loved your tutorial. Your photos are extremely helpful too!

[cori in wa]

Totally awesome Kim. I HATE binding.I mean HATE, HATE, HATE to bind. But your way? Slicker than a whistle. Definitely going to try that. Soon. Thanks for sharing and yes, I loved this tutorial.

[Ally]

Have I mentioned that my birthday is August 7th? I'm just sayin'.

[Ashley Harris]

I love this! It turned out fabulously! YAY!!

[ablemabel]

Love it!! Keep up these types of tutorials. They're a neat feature.

[Lindsay Teague]

this is awesome Kim, I'm making one!

[Becky Trump]

Kim, seriously...
YOU ARE A ROCK STAR!!!
Love those fabrics and I am sooo saving this binding technique to my faves!
Rock on!

[Paola Norman]

It turned out fabulously you are so good at these! I always love your bright use of colour!

[Debbie]

I have a gorgeous sewing machine that is meant to do beautiful quilting, but I haven't used it for that yet. After seeing this tutorial and the quilt made from start to finish I might just have to give it a go. Thanks for the inspiration!