WTC Quiltstitched with care since 2001

Quilting guide

Quilt binding variations

Every one of these edges starts where standard double-fold binding leaves off: strips cut, joined on the diagonal and sewn with a ¼-inch seam. If that's new, read how to bind a quilt first. Here are the variations: a flange that adds a thin line of color, real piping, machine binding that holds up to the washer, bias binding for curved and scalloped edges, prairie points, and a facing for when you want no binding at all.

A red, cream and navy patchwork quilt folded on a wooden table, its edge finished with navy binding and a thin red line, beside a spool of thread
Four edges seen from the front: a narrow gold flange above navy binding; a red piping cord above navy binding; navy binding with a line of topstitching; and a faced edge where the patchwork runs right to the edge
From left: flange binding, piped binding, machine-finished binding and a facing.

Which edge to choose

EdgeLookSewnGood on
Flange (faux piping)⅛-inch line of a second colorAll by machineBed and lap quilts that need a little accent
PipedA raised, rounded cordMachine, then binding as usualWall quilts, pillows, show pieces
Machine front-to-backPlain binding with topstitchingAll by machineBaby, picnic and charity quilts that get washed often
Bias bindingPlain binding that bendsMachine, then hand or machineRounded corners, curves and scallops
Prairie pointsA row of folded trianglesMachine and handCountry and patriotic quilts, table runners
FacingNo visible bindingMachine and handArt quilts and modern quilts where the design runs to the edge

Flange binding (faux piping)

Two strips of different colors are sewn together lengthwise, folded, and sewn on so a thin band of the second color shows next to the quilt. It is sewn entirely by machine.

  1. Cut main binding strips 1½ inches wide and flange strips 1¾ inches wide, enough of each to go around the quilt plus about 12 inches. Join each color into one long strip.
  2. Sew the two long strips together along one long edge with a ¼-inch seam. Press the seam toward the main color.
  3. Fold the strip in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, raw edges matching. The joined strip is 2¾ inches wide, so it folds to 1⅜ inches, and the fold falls ⅛ inch past the seam: that's the flange. Press.
  4. Lay it on the back of the quilt with the side that shows only the flange color facing you, raw edges matching the quilt's edge. Sew with a ¼-inch seam, mitering the corners as for ordinary binding.
  5. Wrap it to the front. The main color now shows, with the flange next to the quilt. Stitch in the ditch between the main color and the flange, using thread that matches the flange, with clips holding the binding as you go.

Measure the flange on a short test piece before you make the whole length. If your seam runs a little wide, the flange shrinks; widen the flange strip by ⅛ inch to get it back.

Machine binding, front to back

Machine binding is quicker than hand finishing and stands up better to frequent washing. The basic steps are in the main binding guide; these details make it look tidy.

  • Cut strips 2¼ inches wide rather than 2½. The narrower strip wraps snugly, so the topstitching catches it evenly.
  • Sew the binding to the back with a ¼-inch seam, wrap it to the front so its fold just covers the first stitching line, and topstitch ⅛ inch from the fold. A walking foot keeps the layers from shifting.
  • Hold the binding with clips, or set it first with a thin line of washable glue stick and a dry iron. Pins pulled out at speed are how binding ends up wavy.
  • At corners, fold the miter into place on the front, sew to the fold, stop with the needle down, pivot and continue. A dab of glue under the miter keeps it from sliding.
  • Match the top thread to the binding and the bobbin thread to the backing. The stitching on the back lands on the backing just past the binding, so a matching bobbin hides it.

Piped binding

Real piping is a cord wrapped in a bias strip. It sits between the quilt and the binding as a raised line.

  1. Cut bias strips 1¼ inches wide and join them into one strip. Wrap it around a thin cotton cord (about ⅛ inch across), right side out, and baste close to the cord with a zipper foot.
  2. Trim the piping's seam allowance to ¼ inch. Sew it to the front of the quilt, raw edges matching the quilt edge, with the zipper foot right against the cord.
  3. At each corner, clip the piping's allowance almost to the stitching so it turns, and round the corner a little: a sharp 90-degree turn in a cord puckers.
  4. Where the ends meet, open the bias, cut the cord so the ends butt, fold one end of the bias under and overlap it.
  5. Sew double-fold binding on over the piping, stitching just inside the piping stitches so they don't show. Turn the binding to the back and finish by hand.

Curves and scallops: bias binding

A quilt edge cut in five scallops, bound with red bias binding that follows each curve and turns sharply at each valley
Bias binding follows a scalloped edge. At each valley it pivots and folds.

Strips cut across the grain barely stretch, so they pleat on a curve. Strips cut at 45 degrees (on the bias) stretch enough to lie flat around rounded corners and scallops. Cut them 2¼ inches wide for double-fold.

  1. Mark the scallops on the quilt after quilting, but don't cut them yet. Sewing the binding on the marked line first keeps the bias edge of the quilt from stretching.
  2. Sew the binding along the line with a ¼-inch seam. Ease it around the outer curves without pulling; stretching it there makes the edge cup.
  3. At each inside point, stop with the needle down exactly at the point, lift the foot, pivot, and straighten the quilt edge behind the needle so the binding folds into a small pleat. Continue.
  4. Trim the quilt on the marked line, clip into each valley almost to the stitching, and turn the binding to the back. At each valley the binding folds into a neat V; take a stitch there to hold it.

A curved edge is longer than a straight one. A half-circle scallop is about 1.57 times its width (π ÷ 2), so a 64-inch side cut into eight 8-inch half-circle scallops needs about 100½ inches of binding instead of 64. Shallower scallops need less. For continuous bias, a square of fabric S inches on a side gives about S² ÷ strip width inches of strip: a 30-inch square cut into 2¼-inch bias strips gives about 400 inches, before the seams. StitchTested's binding calculator handles straight edges.

Prairie points

Prairie points: a red square folded corner to corner into a triangle, folded again into a smaller triangle, and a row of red, navy and gold points tucked into each other along the edge of a quilt
Fold a square on the diagonal, then in half again. Tucked into each other, the points overlap by half.

A square folded twice on the diagonal makes a triangle as wide as the square and half as tall, with the raw edges along its long side. A 4-inch square makes a point 4 inches wide; after a ¼-inch seam, about 1¾ inches of it shows.

SquarePoint widthPoint showingPoints per 40 in, side by sidePoints per 40 in, tucked half into each other
3 in3 in1¼ in1325
4 in4 in1¾ in1019
5 in5 in2¼ in815

Tucked points are spaced half a square apart, so a side of length L takes 2L ÷ S − 1 of them; adjust the overlap a little to make the count come out even.

  1. Quilt the top, stopping about 1 inch from the edges. Trim the batting ¼ inch inside the edge of the top, and fold the backing out of the way.
  2. Lay the points on the front, raw edges matching the edge of the top and the points facing in. Pin or baste them with a scant ¼-inch seam. Ends of each row stop ¼ inch from the corner.
  3. Sew with a ¼-inch seam through the top and points only. Turn the points out so they stand past the edge and press the seam toward the quilt.
  4. Fold the backing's edge under so it covers the seam on the back and hand-stitch it to the points. Finish the quilting near the edge.

Facing instead of binding

Cross-section of a faced edge: the red top, cream batting and navy backing, with a gold facing strip sewn to the front at the edge and turned completely to the back
A facing is sewn to the front like binding, then turned all the way to the back.
  1. Square up the quilt. Cut four facing strips 2½ inches wide: two as long as the sides and two as long as the top and bottom. Fold each in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, and press.
  2. Sew the side facings to the front of the quilt, raw edges matching, with a ¼-inch seam. Sew the top and bottom facings over them, overlapping the corners.
  3. Trim the corners at an angle to reduce bulk. Understitch: press the seam allowance toward the facing and stitch through the facing and the allowance close to the seam. This makes the facing roll to the back.
  4. Turn the facing to the back, push the corners out with a point turner, and press so the quilt edge rolls ⅛ inch to the back. Hand-stitch the facing's fold to the backing.

A faced quilt loses about ¼ inch on each side to the seam, so plan the top a little bigger. For hanging a faced quilt, sew a sleeve into the top facing; see how to hang a quilt. Whatever the edge, square up the quilt first and label it once it's done.

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