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Yesterday I made quilt binding in a black and white stripe from Riley Blake and I really haven't made much of this type of binding that's simply folded in half, but will offer more rolls of it because many people prefer to use this type.
Ok, now on to what I really want to show you...how to machine sew binding to a quilt where you cover the first stitching line used to attach the binding to the quilt and also end up catching both the front and back edges of the binding neatly.
It's not hard to make the stitching look good from the quilt front, but then the back is a mess with some stitches on the binding, some on the quilt, and some in the ditch! So read on for a tip for how to help the back look as good as the front.
This info presumes you understand the basic process of binding a quilt, is specific to using 1.25" double fold binding on a quilt with cotton or other low-loft batting, and you do need Wonder Clips.
1. Stitch the raw edges of the binding to the edge of the quilt at 1/4".
2. Press the binding away from the edge and this is part of what makes this work--no pulling/tugging/or stretching the binding away from the stitching. You want it to just fold over the stitching line and then press it with the iron (finger press is ok too).
3. Wrap it around to the front and then attach the clips so the edges are at the stitching line. This should be at about 1/8".
4. Look at the clip on the back side. Is the clip end about the same distance from the edge on the back as it is on the front? That's perfect! If not, make some adjustments.
5. Lengthen your stitch to 3.0 or so, and from the front, stitch the binding in place. Use your walking foot for attaching the binding too. Quilts are a lot of layers and the bound edges have even more fabric than the center of the quilt!