Hello you all talented quilters,

So I am thinking about using the backing fabric to do the binding on the quilt I am working on. I searched and found some tutorials and explanation but I am confused about a couple of things. First, I want to say that I do want a double-folded binding and I do want to miter the corner (or attempt to anyway :mrgreen: ). Does anyone know of good cutting measurements for this? I've only done traditional double-folded binding with strips cut to 2.5 inches and sewed with a 1/4 seam. Also, do I need to leave extra batting extending beyond the quilt top? How much?
I am trying to follow these instructions here
http://how-to-quilt.com/cms/index.ph...=143&Itemid=39
but not sure how much backing to leave to double fold. Can anyone help me, please?

Thanks in advance and happy and safe Fourth to all!

I'm trying to do this too. I can fold & press it but I thought you cut out the corner to make a miter. Will keep looking!

I usually cut my binding at 2 1/4" and sew the strips until I have enough for the entire circumference. (Of course, I fold in half and press) Generally, I sew it to the front, pull the finished (folded) edge to the back and sew it down by hand. Now I have managed (on occasion) to make the binding even but most of the time, the part that gets turned to the back is slightly wider than the part that is on the front.

I have followed the mathematical guidelines and they NEVER seem to work out. So the last few quilts, I did a bit of trial and error. I pinned the binding where I thought I would sew and pulled the remainder to the back. If it ligned up well, I used that line, if not - I adjusted the seam allowance.

I would suggest to play with a piece of binding and a scrap piece of quilt.

...and I just checked the link only to realize that you are talking about "self-binding" and I am very sorry but I don't know about those. The math should be OK. If your binding is 2.5" then you need to subtract the amount you need to turn under and divide the rest in half. You would need to leave that amount of batting all the way around the quilt.

Someone wrote that she did this with extended batting so the binding was filled too.

according to the instructions on the link, self binding is one layer only. I tried playing with a piece of paper to get a double fold self-binding, but while it can be done, it is really bulky (if batting is used to fill the binding, or very wimpy (if you trim the batting).

In addition, the double binding makes the corners double bulky when you follow the instructions on the link.

If you want to do it double, I may be able to figure out the numbers but you need to tell me how wide you want the finished binding to be...how much backing fabric do you want to have visible on the front.

dotcomdtcm, you can easily use this self binding method on your woven top. It appears that you've already stitched the woven part to the blue background. If that is correct, follow the instructions on the link in the original message and yours will work out fine with single layer self-binding. The diagonal cut on each corner is the only cut you make on the fabric for mitered corners and this is to eliminate the bulk of too much fabric.

Thanks for your reply. I think when I do traditional binding, 1/2 inch shows, so I guess that is what I want to show doing the self-binding as well. That being said, I don't think I want to do the self binding if you think that the double-fold would be too bulky. And I am worried about doing just single layer of backing fabric that the binding wouldn't hold as well. Is there anyway to do double-folded self binding with mitered corners? If not, I think I'll just do the traditional binding. :shock: I like the look of it anyway.

Again, thanks all for the replies. And dotcomdtcm, good luck to you with your quilt.

Mad Quilter, this is what I generally do( generally here means the few quilted pieces I did so far), but I thought I already have the backing and it is made of the fabric I am going to cut for the binding anyway and I heard of the slef-binding so I thought I'd give it a try, but I guess it is more complicated than I thought, I guess I'll stick with what I know for this quilt and play with scraps to figure it out later.

I like doing the backing as binding. To me it's really easier. I leave the batting sticking out around the edges a little wider than I want my binding to end up so it makes a kind of puffy edge. Trim so it is even. Then I fold over the backing so it is even all the way around just past the edge of the batting. This usually means it ends up pretty much like a double regular binding would be. Then you just stitch the binding to the front of the quilt by either hand or machine. Super simple! Oh at the corners it does help to do a diagonal cut to eliminate the bulk.

One of the best tools I had was this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wprg5vzkuGw which came from one of the Quiltingboard posts from 2009. http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-17400-1.htm.
/Regards, Dorothy

I have done this on at least one quilt but don't remember exactly how much I left for binding. For a 1/2" finished binding, I'd recommend leaving at least 1-1/2". If you are unsure, better to leave it a little too large, rather than too small. Can you do a small sample quilt that would give you some experience and an idea of how much you need to leave for your wrap-around binding? Also, don't cut your corners off too soon. If you fold and press a perfect 45-degree triangle at each corner, you should be able to miter them with no problem. Once you have a mitered corner that you are happy with, before you stitch it down is the time to trim off the corner points.

A few years ago at a quilt show I bought a "Quick Easy Mitred-Binding Tool." It will make a 3/4" finished binding. You cot the baking fabric 1 1/2" after all the quilting is done. Then you use this tool to miter the corners. You also end up with a double fold binding on the front. It can then be sewn easily by machine or by hand. It really is a nifty gadget. The binding and miters end up perfect.

They have a website but there are any kind of instructions online or it is really had to explain how it works. You might be able to email for some more informations.

The website is http://sewbizmarion.com

that quilt shop is only 8 miles from me

Thanks all for the input. I do OK with traditional binding, and I am trying my hand here at the self binding, it is actually going better than I thought. I used the link in my original post to get the technique. I marked a seam line on my top that is a 1/4 inch, then trimmed the batting a 1/2 inch away from that line and then trimmed the backing to 2 inches. It was easy to double fold the backing and turning it to the front to cover the line I drew. I don't think it is too bulky at all. I am hand stitching it down to the front and mitering the corners as I get to them. I think I still like the look of the traditional binding better, but this is a quick alternative and it looks decent enough. I am working on a quilt for my husband and he said he can't tell the difference between the two methods. Oh well, less work for me :D

Typically this is what i do (binding size is adjustable):
I leave the back approx 4" (on each side) larger than the top.
I leave the batting 1" larger than the top.

Cut a square out of the batting at the corner before folding and pressing. This will keep it from getting too thick.

Layer the fabric with spray binding, quilt, leaving the border unquilted.

After quilting, I can begin my binding. I fold the backing to half of it's overhang (from outside edge to batting edge - this should be 1.5") and iron (helps the fold stay).

Now I fold again over the batting on onto the top, this should be 1.5" (1" over the batting and .5" over the top). Iron again to hold the fold. Now stitch.

Then finish your quilting.

To adjust for different size bindings:

If back overhang is X
Then batting overhang is Y = (X * .25)
First fold of back fabric is Z = (X - Y) / 2

Example:
If your back over hangs by 4" on each side, then X = 4"
So, take one quarer of your ovrhang, and this hsoud be your batting overhang. So, 4" * .25 = 1". The batting overhang from the top should be 1".
Now, fold the back half way to the batting. In this case, the fold will be 1.5" (4" - 1" = 3"; 3" / 2 = 1.5").
Now, you should be able to fold the remaining back over the top of the batting with enough fabric to overlap the top. In this case, 1" over the batting and .5" over the top.

I have been looking for a video on the self binding method...so far no luck. I have seen a few of the tutorials and they are helpful. I am ready to bind...just afraid I am going to do it wrong.