Continuous, bias binding tutorial

Our tutorial today is for

Continuous, bias binding tutorial with striped fabric.

From the February/March 2013 McCall's Quick Quilts, pg. 33

I began with an 18" cut of striped cotton fabric, my best pair of Pfaff fabric scissors, the directions from McCall's Quick Quilts, a blue chalk marker, my Olfa cutting mat, and my 3.5"x24" OmniGrid ruler.

1.  Remove the selvages from the fabric.

2.  Cut the fabric into two equal squares. (Mine is 18" to bind my 64"x47" quilt with 2.25" strips, but you can do as large as you need.)  

McCall's says that a 40" square should make about 16 yards of 2.5" wide bias strips.

3.  Cut square in half diagonally to make four triangles.

4.  Mark with paper or lightly write on the fabric with chalk "Seam 1" and Seam 2", as above.

5.  Next, adjust the seams so that two triangles form a parallelogram, as above.

6.  Place "Seam 1" right sides together for both sets of parallelograms.

7.  Pin securely with edges matching carefully.  This is not a time to 'fudge'.  Pinning is necessary.

8.  Press the seams OPEN instead of to one side.  This will help eliminate bulk.

(parallelogram sewn together)

9.  Mark your lines across both parallelogram pieces you sewed together, according to how big you want your binding strips.  Mine are 2 1/4".

10. Form a tube by aligning edges marked seam 2, matching your marked lines, offsetting the edge of one strip width, as above.  (See next picture.)

Photo of 'offset' binding.

11.  Using your best quality fabric scissors, begin to cut around the tube, carefully following the chalk lines you had drawn earlier.

Photo of 255" of continuous binding.

12.  Fold in half and carefully iron your continuous binding strip 

to create a complete binding ready for your quilt!

Please visit www.QuickQuilts.com for more information.

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