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Texas Quiltery

Before starting the binding, trim the excess batting and backing fabric away from all four sides of your quilt even with the edge of the quilt top. Make sure the corners are square by using a square ruler. (Yes, I know there are some that say not to trim the batting and backing away until after the binding is sewn on...but trust me...my way works every time!)

	Measure the perimeter of the quilt. Cut enough 2-1/2” wide binding strips on the cross-grain of the fabric to go around the perimeter plus about 12” extra.
	Sew the strips together end-to-end with diagonal seams to make one continuous 2-1/2” wide strip. Trim the seams to 1/4” and press open.

Fold and press the entire strip in half lengthwise with the wrong sides together. With the fold facing toward you, cut a 45º angle at the left-hand end of the strip. Open and press over a 1/4” seam ...refold and repress the end. You now have a ‘V’ shape at the beginning of your binding strip.

Starting near the middle of one of the sides of your quilt, line up the raw edges of the quilt and the binding. Begin stitching about 1” past the ‘V’ of the binding using a walking-foot attachment on your machine.

Stitch with the edge of the walking-foot along the edge of the binding and the quilt. This should give you a 3/8” seam...if not adjust your stitching line so that it is 3/8” from the edge.

Stitch toward the corner of the quilt...stopping with the needle down 3/8” before the corner. Raise the presser foot (needle still down)...turn and pivot the quilt so you can sew a 45º miter off to the corner of the quilt. Clip the threads and remove the quilt from the sewing machine.

Turn the entire quilt so the binding just sewn is now at the top facing away from you. Make a miter fold by folding the binding up and away from you , making sure it is in line with the edge of the quilt on the next side to be sewn.

Now fold the binding back down on itself, lining up the raw edged of the binding with the edge of the quilt. The fold in the binding just made should be even along the top, making sure that it lines up with the raw edges of the binding just sewn.

Begin stitching at the top of the miter fold and continue to the next corner. Repeat the steps to make a miter fold on each corner.

Just before you reach the beginning of the binding, stop sewing about 2” or 3” ahead of the ‘V’ with the needle down. Over lap the binding ‘tail’ across the ‘V’ and carefully cut away the excess ‘tail’ about 1/2” or 3/4” past the bottom point of the ‘V’.

Tuck the ‘tail’ inside the binding fold, lining up the raw edges, and continue stitching across the ‘V’ to where the beginning stitches started. Sew over the stitches or backstitch to secure the thread tails.

Fold the binding over the raw edges to the back...lining up the folded edge with the stitching line. The binding should be ‘full’ with quilt and batting if you maintained a 3/8” seam. You may have to pull slightly to make it reach the stitching line...but if it is too fat, carefully trim away a small amount.

Push the corners out into a smooth miter...carefully trimming off the bulk at a 45º angle if needed. On the back...fold the binding into a miter with the bulk going in the opposite direction from the bulk of the miter on the front of the quilt.

Blind-stitch by hand so the folded edge of the binding covers the machine stitching...using a single thread that matches the color of the binding. Be sure to stitch down the joining opening and the mitered corners on both the front and the back of the quilt.

NOTE:

Follow the same procedures for Bias Double-Fold Binding...just cut the binding strips on the true bias instead of the cross-grain. Bias stretches so be careful when pressing and sewing...always use a walking-foot and don’t pull or tug on it.