This Machine Binding Looks Good on Both Sides
It’s Very Beginner-Friendly!
Are you looking for an easy, secure machine-binding method that looks great on both the front and the back? This may be just what you’re looking for.
Not only can you skip the hand sewing, but this binding is essentially foolproof. It’s also easy enough for beginning quilters. Nice!
What makes this binding special is that the back edge is sewn down from the front with a zigzag stitch, which shows on both sides. This wide stitch is quite forgiving and will hide mistakes (other decorative stitches can work nicely too). Choose a contrasting thread so the stitching stands out or a close color match that will recede into the background.
Rachel Hauser from Stitched in Color does a great job of walking you through the binding process. She recommends using a walking foot for both lines of stitching for nice, smooth results.
Note that she starts with 2.5″ strips – and sews the binding to the quilt with a 3/8″ seam instead of the standard 1/4″. The completed binding is a bit wider than usual, which works nicely on quilts with borders.
However, if a 3/8″ seam around the outside of your quilt will cut off points or otherwise impact the design, you can cut narrower binding strips (2 1/4″) and use a 1/4″ seam to attach the binding. Just substitute 1/4″ for all of the stitching instructions and stop 1/4″ from the corners when first attaching the binding to the quilt.
You’ll find the fully illustrated instructions at the link below.
