Help with Bias Binding - Connecting the Ends
 

I'm putting binding on oval placemats. It is eating my lunch. I cut the strips on the bias. I sort of understand how to connect the ends. My problem is calculating how much tail to cut off. I'm sure I'm not saying it correctly. On regular binding, if the binding is 2½" wide, I cut the tail 2½" past the correcting piece. But how do I do it on the oval mat when the ends are cut on the diagonal, how much do I overlap?
Hope someone can figure out what my question is. ☺

Thanks,
Kathy

If you start and stop your binding on the long straight edge of the oval, I would think your method would work just fine. I struggle with this as well.

It makes no difference. You do it exactly the same as on a straight quilt no matter where you are on the oval. You overlap the ends the width of your unfolded raw binding strip. The bias will help hug the curved edge. I did a circle and it was no problem.

Edited to add, I don't cut my ends on a diagonal. With bias, I straighten them out and then measure my overlap on the straight ends. then I sew on the diagonal and trim away the excess. So hopefully you have enough excess binding to cut them on the straight on the end.

As Feline Fanatic said, just cut your ends straight and pretend it's a regular quilt. It's all the same.

I don't cut on a diagonal either. At least not until I've sewn the diagonal seam that connects the two binding ends. With bias, which is all I use now, I do cut about 1/8" to 1/4" smaller than the width since it tends to stretch a little when I'm manipulating it under the presser foot.

Thank you ladies for the help. I don't know why I had it in my head to make joining the ends so difficult. I connected the ends like I always had and just like ya'll said, it worked. Thanks again.