It will keep your fabric from stretching. Other than the way the binding application is started and ended (when the ends are joined), the two methods are identical. Using a walking foot sew the binding to the quilt with a 1/4-inch seam allowance removing the pins as you advance. I made my binding with the ends at 45 degree angles. We will use this unsewn binding to connect the beginning and ending of the binding strips later in the tutorial. I do usually use my open toe walking foot to stitch the three layers together with a very large stitch length, like 3.5 or even 4. Stitch the binding to the front of the quilt, just inside the folded edge. For machine-finished binding, this foot will help you achieve a flawless finish by … Use a 2-1/2″ binding strip. • When you’re ready to sew the binding strip down to the front, barely cover the stitch line with your binding and sew down right Pin the binding in place, and stitch to finish, overlapping the stitching by 1". I just tape the guide to the back of the walking foot when I want to use it! The underside of the foot has a deeper section and section with regular thickness. The regular thickness section is designed to be just outside of the 7mm stitch width, allowing for uniform and precisely-spaced top-stitching. Of course, quilt binding can be wider but we are making quilt binding with a serger so don’t cut the binding strip wider than 2 1/2 in. If you use an even-feed walking foot instead of the regular presser foot, it will be easier to keep the binding and the quilt … Attach binding to back of quilt. Lift up the foot. Step 7: Stitch the Binding on the Front. Use a Walking Foot if you have one available. The Pfaff Quilt Binder includes the Quilt Binder, foot to use with the Quilt Foot, binder plate, and screws. What is Quilt Binding? Let’s set a scenario for you. This post contains affiliate links for which I receive compensation.. Using a crazy quilt table topper to practice on, I set about attaching the binding. What made my day was the fact that she was using a BERNINA sewing machine. Avoid letting the machine push the binding to the beginning stitching spot, resulting in a wrinkle. On one 60″ side, and leaving about 6″ loose at the head, pin the binding to the right side of the quilt with raw edges even. Using a 1/4″ seam allowance, sew the binding onto the quilt, stopping 1/4″ before the corner of the quilt. Create a miter fold by opening the binding and bringing it forward at a 45˚ angle, and checking the back. Binding and presser foot alignment when quilt is trimmed 1/8″ outside the quilt top. Using your ruler and rotary cutter, trim the batting and backing to the desired width after you have finished sewing the binding to the two opposite sides of the quilt. My walking foot casing broke that holds my guide so it’s not as reliable as marking the lines ahead of time. So that's why I use the 1/4" foot first and the ditch foot second when machine binding. If you have straight edges you need to cut it at a 45 degree angle. Quilting Needles. Make sure you leave long thread tails. Slowly sew around the curved edge easing the binding into place. If you cut it on the bias, it could stretch and get wavy. • Prepare the binding strip the same way as above. Starting at a corner, start stitching in the ditch of the seam of where you just stitched the binding strip to the quilt top. By doing so, it allows me to get an even 1/8” stitch all the way around. Continue stitching until 1/4″ before the quilt edge and stop, leaving the needle down. I place the project to the right side of the presser foot. I like to start attaching the binding about 3/4 of the way down the long side. Place the binding on one side of your quilt close to the middle matching the raw edges of the binding and quilt together. Align the binding along the edge of the quilt, and mark on the binding where the quilt edge ends. When you get to a corner, you stitch right up to the edge. 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. Here is the decorative stitching on the front: If that seam is always exactly 1/4" from the edge of the quilt, then theoretically, when the binding folds around, that ditch should always be in the same place compared to the binding on the back. The Beginning Quilter's Best Friend. You are in charge of moving the quilt sandwich through your sewing machine and creating the stitch length. Stitch the binding tape to the quilt sandwich using a ¼” seam allowance. With either method, it helps to use a walking foot (even feed foot) to keep the three layers of the quilt sandwich from shifting and puckering as you sew. Then you lift the foot and pull the quilt straight back about 10-12 inches (away from you) and put the foot back down on top of the binding and finger press the folded binding hanging out the back of the machine. Binding clips are a lot easier to use than pins because they easily clip over the multiple layers used in binding. Leave about a 6-inch tail. Press in place. Using a Quilt Binder takes LESS fabric. Finish sewing your binding 1/4″ before the end of the quilt. It can still work. Using a Walking Foot. How to Bind a Quilt with Mitered Corners. Since this is such a small piece modifications were done to how I normally finish off the binding. Ditch Quilting Foot. Use a walking foot if you find that the binding is scooting as you sew. With this foot, the you must drop your sewing machine's feed dogs. When you get to a corner, release the foot, and just turn your quilt and start sewing again. You’re actually going to be sewing with the quilt top facing up. When you get to the corner of the quilt stop stitching a 1/4″ from the edge. NOTE: You can use a regular presser foot, an Even Feed or Walking foot or a Quarter Inch Seam foot. Make sure to check that the binding tape and quilt sandwich are even throughout. This will prevent you from accidentally stitching over the binding on the back of the quilt. Step 8. Step 2: Sew strips together and iron. When creating your binding, try your best to cut it on grain. A Quilting Foot is a MUST HAVE. • Use a walking foot if you have one for your machine. Begin stitching your binding to the quilt about 10″ to 12″ away from the start of your binding. When wrapping the binding to the front, make sure to fold your binding beyond your original stitch line. You are quilting with your standard foot, not a walking foot, and as you quilt your project is moving through the feed dogs that lie just beneath your presser foot. If you wish to avoid using a walking foot altogether, then your alternative quilting foot is a darning or hopping foot. Stop about 2 inches from the beginning of the binding. Do everything else the same. Place the binding strip on top of the quilt, aligning the raw edges of the strip and of the quilt and matching the centers. The tutorial is called Happy Feet – Quilt Binding Edition. To top stitch my binding, I use a zipper foot. Lift the presser foot and rotate the quilt so that you can stitch to the outer corner of the quilt, stitching a 45* line. Start sewing 8-10 inches from the end of the binding. Quilt Binding in Bias Grain This binding is cut at a 45 degree angle to the selvage. Tip: use a walking foot … When sewing binding to the quilt, are you using a walking foot that is feeding the layers well through your machine? 2. Binding a Curve. I use the ¼″ foot for this. For this quilt binding method we will attach the binding to the back of the quilt first. Step 1: Cut the fabric for your binding. Binding size is a personal preference, but there are some general guidelines. Binding size refers to the width of the finished binding as it appears from the front of the quilt. We chose the ¼” Seam foot. I use my darning foot almost exclusively these days. Fold the top binding section down over the quilt’s edge, forming a neat miter in the corner. Step 3: Attaching the binding to the top of the quilt. Supplies You Will Need For Quilt Binding; How To Bind a Quilt: A Step by Step Tutorial. Tip 4: Start by sewing your binding to the BACK of your quilt. Apple Core Quilt with Bernina Decorative Stitch #57 (Aurora 440) This was an apple core quilt that I made years ago as a class sample. “What do I need to bind a quilt?” Binding Clips. Using a walking foot, you start sewing your 1/4″ seam roughly in the middle, leaving six inches or so of your binding strip unattached to the quilt. The purpose of a quilting foot (usually called a walking foot) is to evenly feed all three layers of your quilt sandwich through your sewing machine during quilting. Strips are cut 1 3/4” instead of 2 1/2”. The inside edge of my binding is up against the left of the zipper foot’s edge guide. I used a Hera Marker on this quilt since it was smaller. Tip: 3: Use a walking foot to attach your binding. If you have that feature, use it to your advantage. Stitch a 1/2-inch seam from one end of the quilt to the other. Theoretically. Secure the stitches and cut the threads. This foot accommodates the difference in thickness between the body of a quilt and the attached binding. A walking foot guide or Hera marker to mark your lines. End your stitch with a back-stitch. If you have a walking foot you can use that, I am using an old vintage 15-91 Singer and the walking feet I have don’t really work well with it so I just use a regular foot. Continue sewing until you get 1/4″ away from the edge of the corner. I stitch approx 1/8" in from the edge, so these big stitches are covered by the binding. Pull the quilt directly to the back of the machine, finger pressing the binding as you pull it out. Continue stitching the binding fabric to about ¼” from the edge of the fabric. For tightly curved edges, you absolutely NEED to use bias to get a nice flat binding that doesn’t pucker and gives you a smooth curve. It is flexible with most amount of stretch and can be used on any edge. The binding could be wavy for a couple reasons: 1. • Sew the binding strip to the BACK of the quilt instead of the front. Use pins to help keep the binding in place. It just works better and feeds evenly. Traditionally, the binding is sewn to the front of the quilt and wrapped to the back and sewn down by hand (or machine). Be sure to back stitch when you start and finish. When you get to the corners, do the following four steps (a, b, c &d): a) Stop sewing 1/4″ from the bottom of the corner. Step 4: Attach the binding to the back of the quilt. Fold over the end of the start of the binding a quarter inch so no raw edge is showing. The decorative stitches in this post are different than the one I used in the “How to Attach Binding by Machine” tutorial, and I think I like them better…. My presser foot, has a red line that is 1/4″ in front of the needle which tells me where to stop. Align the raw edges of the quilt sandwich and the binding tape. Line up the raw edge of the binding to the raw edge of the quilt. ... we get to the end of the quilt and realized we have used some of the fabric that was supposed to be saved for the binding. With determination I set off to purchase Lap Seam Foot #71, a foot used for sewing flat-felled seams. Step 6 – Continue sewing the binding to your quilt top. : ) Hopefully that makes sense. 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