Using the Ladder Stitch for Binding

The ladder stitch is usually used in knitting when you want to join seams, but is perfect for the hand sewing portion of binding. It’s fast and almost invisible.
No need to use “clips” or pins to hold your binding as you sew.
Strong thread, such as quilting weight thread is recommended to avoid thread snapping in the middle of the process.

Here’s how:
Knot your thread and start by “burying” it in the layers that will be covered up by the binding. The needle should come out of the fabric just above your machine stitching line.
Fold your binding over and take a small running stitch in the binding between the layers. (the only thread that should be showing is the “ladder” rung)
Then take the needle and insert it directly across from where your thread comes out and take a stitch parallel, and close to the machine stitching line. Your stitches will be loose at this point.
Repeat as shown along the length of the binding until you have about ¾ - 1” of “ladders” and then “draw up” or pull on thread to tighten binding against the quilt.
Just keep going and you will be finished in record time, with perfect binding!

Sometimes if I’m having trouble seeing the thread, I will use a lighter or contrasting thread.
It doesn’t matter because it’s going to be invisible anyway. (As long as you pull up your
stitches properly.)

I think you will find that doing the binding on your quilts will be TREAT!
You’ll even look forward to it!!

HAPPY BINDING!!!!!

Thanks for this! :D

What a neat idea. Thank You.

Thank you so much for this narrative. I hate to do hand stitiching but I may try this next time to see if I do better than I do with the whip, or my version of the invisible stitch which NEVER is. :oops:

I guarantee that you will love this stitch better than anything you've tried! I love doing binding now!
Good luck.

This is a fantastic way to hand stitch binding. Hand sewing is my favourite part of quilting and this method just enhances that.

Just be careful to not get carried away building the ladders before you pull them taut. It is such a slick way of doing it, that I sometimes forget to pause and pull. :)

It is a real bonus not to have to place clips before you start sewing the binding.

This needs to also be on the front page, maybe so more people will see it.

Thanks for this. It is wonderful!!

Wow! I'm glad you love it as much as I do!!!
Thanks for the heads-up on not getting carried away
with the "ladders". I find that if you are using flannel you need to pull the thread at shorter intervals.
Using stronger Quilting Thread is the key!
Thanks again!

I'm not exactly getting this. So is the stitching between the quilt and the binding so that it doesn't come to the top of the binding? It's the "invisible" part that's throwing me off. It seems that this would end up looking like hand quilting stitches. Please enlighten me.

Great stitch idea. I was wondering if anyone has used this stitch to sew quilt squares together if you are doing a "quilt as you go method"?

Your first stitch is parallel to the stitching that was used to put your binding on. It goes between the backing and the front.

When you go to the left to make your stitch in the binding, it goes between the two layers of fabric in the binding. Then the next stitch is the same as the first, etc. After you have made two or three ladders and you pull your thread, the stitches won't show because they are between layers of fabric.

I used blue thread to help you see it better. Once the ladders are pulled you can see why it's invisible as the blue thread doesn't show up in the green binding.

Hope this helps!