Adding a French binding gives a nice finished look to your quilt.My favorite method is called French binding and it is attached using both machine and hand sewing. Here's how I add French binding to straight edge quilts.1. Measure the length of each side of your quilt in inches, add the lengths together and then add an extra 10 inches. This will be the total length of binding strip needed. The extra 10" is to take care of the corners and overlapping the ends of the binding at the starting and ending point. For example, my finished quilt is 52" wide and 66" tall. So, my measurements are 52 + 52 + 66 + 66 + 10 = 246 2. Divide your total length of binding needed by 42. Since most fabric comes in a width of 42"-44", the result will tell you how many strips of fabric you need to make the whole length of binding. For my quilt, 246 divided by 42 = 5.85, so I round that up to 6 strips of fabric 3. Lay out your binding fabric. You will be cutting the fabric perpendicular to the selvage (from selvage to selvage). Mark the fabric at 3" intervals and cut the necessary number of strips. Each one will be 3" wide. I will cut 6 - 3" wide strips of fabric for my quilt 4. Cut the selvages off each strip and then sew all the strips together, at the 3" wide ends, for one long 3" wide strip. This strip will wrap all the way around your quilt edges. 5. Starting at one end, fold your strip in half with the wrong sides together and iron it as you move along, folding and ironing, down to the other end. When you're done, you will have a double layered strip that's ready to be sewn to your quilt. 6. Starting on one side, a few inches away from the top corner, pin the raw edges of the strip to the raw edge of your quilt. Machine sew along the raw edges with a 1/4" seam allowance. 7. At the first corner, stop sewing about 1/4” from the end of the quilt. Turn the quilt to sew along the next edge. Fold the binding first up and away from you and hold the bias fold made there. Then fold the binding back down toward you and pin it along the next side of the quilt. Continue sewing to the second corner and repeat this step for all 4 sides of the quilt. 8. When you reach your starting point, overlap your starting point and cut the remaining binding strip off, leaving about 1/2" - 1". Fold under a little bit, lay the folded edge over your starting point and finish sewing. Now your binding is attached to the front of your quilt. 9. Flip the quilt over. Fold the binding to the back and pin in place. For the corners, fold one side down all the way to the edge of the quilt. Then fold the binding down on the adjoining side overlapping the binding at the edge and you should have a nice mitered corner. 10. Hand sew the binding to the back of the quilt. Some quilters prefer to also sew along the miter in the corners. It keeps the corners together and there is no chance of them unfolding during use or washings. I usually do, but that is your choice. Great, your French binding is done. If you haven't done so already, add a label to the back of your quilt to document it for future generations. Now your quilt is complete. Return from French Binding to Binding Your Quilt page |
