Binding with Mitered Corners

This works with either purchased double fold binding...or make your own from fabric that coordinates with your quilt.

To make your own:

Cut fabric approx. 3-1/4 to 3-1/2” wide. If you are mitering the corners, there is no real reason to do a bias binding (my opinion here). Bias is better if you plan to “stretch” around corners.

To join the strips, lay them right sides together at a 90 degree angle. It will form a picture frame corner.

Sew on the diagonal as shown

Now, press the binding strip in half lengthwise, open it flat and press both edges to meet in the middle, then fold in half along the middle line and press again. You now have a double fold binding.

To attach your binding:

Start several inches away from a corner. I usually start about midway down one side. Leave a 5-6” tail of binding unsewn. Open binding flat and right sides together, align the raw edge of the binding with the raw edge of the quilt sandwich. (quilt top facing up)

Stitch just to the outside of the first fold line until you come approx. the same distance as the seam you are taking from the first corner. Stop stitching and cut your threads, remove quilt from machine. Flip your quilt so what you have just sewn is at the top with the corner on your right. Fold the binding up onto itself and away from you, forming a 45 deg. angle.

Put your hand at the top to keep the angle, and fold the binding back down along the unfinished right edge of the quilt. The fold in the binding you just made will align with the top edge of the quilt as shown.

Now, begin stitching the binding to the quilt at the corner you just made. (no need to start 1/4” in) Repeat this process at each corner.

1. Stop 1/4” from the corner and remove the sandwich

2. turn the quilt so where you just stitched is at the top

3. fold the binding up and away from you, forming a 45 deg. angle

4. fold the binding back down on itself with this fold even with the top edge of the quilt, and the unfinished edge of the binding aligned with the right side unfinished edge of the quilt

5. stitch to the next corner

Now, there are several ways to join the tails. You can fold the original tail back onto itself, and bring the ending tail over it and stitch it down

Or you can (and this is what I do) sew to within a few inches of the starting place, fold the quilt so you can align the tails (right sides together!!!) and stitch straight across the width of the binding where they SHOULD come together, trim the seam, and continue to stitch it down.

Now turn the binding to the back of the quilt. Fold the left side in to cover ythe stitching line, then the top down over that forming a perfect 45 deg miter at the top. Continue pinning and turning and forming, then handstitch the binding down in place on the back.

You now have 4 perfectly mitered corners and a FINISHED quilt.

Only a few of these and you will be able to do it without thinking. Start with a potholder to practice on! That’s what this demo was done on.

Hope this helps!