It will keep your fabric from stretching. End your stitch with a back-stitch. Strips are cut 1 3/4” instead of 2 1/2”. A Quilting Foot is a MUST HAVE. Ditch Quilting Foot. What is Quilt Binding? Using a walking foot sew the binding to the quilt with a 1/4-inch seam allowance removing the pins as you advance. 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…. If you have straight edges you need to cut it at a 45 degree angle. NOTE: You can use a regular presser foot, an Even Feed or Walking foot or a Quarter Inch Seam foot. Step 1: Cut the fabric for your binding. What made my day was the fact that she was using a BERNINA sewing machine. Let’s set a scenario for you. Fold over the end of the start of the binding a quarter inch so no raw edge is showing. 2. 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. Stitch the binding to the front of the quilt, just inside the folded edge. When wrapping the binding to the front, make sure to fold your binding beyond your original stitch line. Quilting Needles. Use a Walking Foot if you have one available. Using a Walking Foot. Continue sewing until you get 1/4″ away from the edge of the corner. Step 2: Sew strips together and iron. The Beginning Quilter's Best Friend. When sewing binding to the quilt, are you using a walking foot that is feeding the layers well through your machine? When you get to a corner, you stitch right up to the edge. Slowly sew around the curved edge easing the binding into place. Binding clips are a lot easier to use than pins because they easily clip over the multiple layers used in binding. I use my darning foot almost exclusively these days. Lift the presser foot and rotate the quilt so that you can stitch to the outer corner of the quilt, stitching a 45* line. Binding size is a personal preference, but there are some general guidelines. If you wish to avoid using a walking foot altogether, then your alternative quilting foot is a darning or hopping foot. Align the binding along the edge of the quilt, and mark on the binding where the quilt edge ends. Secure the stitches and cut the threads. I like to start attaching the binding about 3/4 of the way down the long side. • Sew the binding strip to the BACK of the quilt instead of the front. 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. Stitch a 1/2-inch seam from one end of the quilt to the other. A walking foot guide or Hera marker to mark your lines. 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. For machine-finished binding, this foot will help you achieve a flawless finish by … This foot accommodates the difference in thickness between the body of a quilt and the attached binding. When you get to a corner, release the foot, and just turn your quilt and start sewing again. Start sewing 8-10 inches from the end of the binding. The tutorial is called Happy Feet – Quilt Binding Edition. Use a walking foot if you find that the binding is scooting as you sew. Other than the way the binding application is started and ended (when the ends are joined), the two methods are identical. • Use a walking foot if you have one for your machine. Place the binding strip on top of the quilt, aligning the raw edges of the strip and of the quilt and matching the centers. 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. Using a Quilt Binder takes LESS fabric. Pin the binding in place, and stitch to finish, overlapping the stitching by 1". By doing so, it allows me to get an even 1/8” stitch all the way around. It can still work. The Pfaff Quilt Binder includes the Quilt Binder, foot to use with the Quilt Foot, binder plate, and screws. Make sure to check that the binding tape and quilt sandwich are even throughout. : ) Hopefully that makes sense. We chose the ¼” Seam foot. Create a miter fold by opening the binding and bringing it forward at a 45˚ angle, and checking the back. 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. Line up the raw edge of the binding to the raw edge of the quilt. Supplies You Will Need For Quilt Binding; How To Bind a Quilt: A Step by Step Tutorial. I made my binding with the ends at 45 degree angles. Leave about a 6-inch tail. It is flexible with most amount of stretch and can be used on any edge. Pull the quilt directly to the back of the machine, finger pressing the binding as you pull it out. Lift up the foot. Finish sewing your binding 1/4″ before the end of the quilt. I stitch approx 1/8" in from the edge, so these big stitches are covered by the binding. Continue stitching the binding fabric to about ¼” from the edge of the fabric. Quilt Binding in Bias Grain This binding is cut at a 45 degree angle to the selvage. Starting at a corner, start stitching in the ditch of the seam of where you just stitched the binding strip to the quilt top. 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. I use the ¼″ foot for this. So that's why I use the 1/4" foot first and the ditch foot second when machine binding. Tip: 3: Use a walking foot to attach your binding. 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. 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. Continue stitching until 1/4″ before the quilt edge and stop, leaving the needle down. Binding size refers to the width of the finished binding as it appears from the front of the quilt. I used a Hera Marker on this quilt since it was smaller. 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 … “What do I need to bind a quilt?” Binding Clips. The inside edge of my binding is up against the left of the zipper foot’s edge guide. Tip 4: Start by sewing your binding to the BACK of your quilt. With this foot, the you must drop your sewing machine's feed dogs. 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. 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. I place the project to the right side of the presser foot. When creating your binding, try your best to cut it on grain. My presser foot, has a red line that is 1/4″ in front of the needle which tells me where to stop. Step 6 – Continue sewing the binding to your quilt top. Avoid letting the machine push the binding to the beginning stitching spot, resulting in a wrinkle. Place the binding on one side of your quilt close to the middle matching the raw edges of the binding and quilt together. Using a 1/4″ seam allowance, sew the binding onto the quilt, stopping 1/4″ before the corner of the quilt. With determination I set off to purchase Lap Seam Foot #71, a foot used for sewing flat-felled seams. Stitch the binding tape to the quilt sandwich using a ¼” seam allowance. Press in place. Step 4: Attach the binding to the back of the quilt. Do everything else the same. The binding could be wavy for a couple reasons: 1. It just works better and feeds evenly. 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. Binding and presser foot alignment when quilt is trimmed 1/8″ outside the quilt top. The regular thickness section is designed to be just outside of the 7mm stitch width, allowing for uniform and precisely-spaced top-stitching. Make sure you leave long thread tails. Begin stitching your binding to the quilt about 10″ to 12″ away from the start of your binding. Use a 2-1/2″ binding strip. 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. Tip: use a walking foot … 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. Step 3: Attaching the binding to the top of the quilt. 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. Traditionally, the binding is sewn to the front of the quilt and wrapped to the back and sewn down by hand (or machine). This post contains affiliate links for which I receive compensation.. Step 7: Stitch the Binding on the Front. You are in charge of moving the quilt sandwich through your sewing machine and creating the stitch length. This will prevent you from accidentally stitching over the binding on the back of the quilt. Align the raw edges of the quilt sandwich and the binding tape. For this quilt binding method we will attach the binding to the back of the quilt first. Theoretically. If you have that feature, use it to your advantage. 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. Stop about 2 inches from the beginning of the binding. Binding a Curve. To top stitch my binding, I use a zipper foot. I just tape the guide to the back of the walking foot when I want to use it! My walking foot casing broke that holds my guide so it’s not as reliable as marking the lines ahead of time. Be sure to back stitch when you start and finish. • Prepare the binding strip the same way as above. Step 8. Since this is such a small piece modifications were done to how I normally finish off the binding. Attach binding to back of quilt. Fold the top binding section down over the quilt’s edge, forming a neat miter in the corner. If you cut it on the bias, it could stretch and get wavy. 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