This Baby Quilt Kit Tutorial includes a series of five blog posts.
- Intro & Getting Started
- Cutting the Fabric Pieces
- Machine Piecing the Quilt Top
- Layering, Basting & Quilting
- Binding the Quilt - You're Here!
Cuddly Quilt Kits are a popular line of baby quilt kits available in the
Baby Quilt Kits section.
The purpose of this Baby Quilt Kit Tutorial is to help beginners work through the process of making one of these cuddly quilts for baby.
After layering, basting & quilting, you're ready to bind your quilt!
I recommend using a durable double fold bias tape for binding your baby quilt. You'll need about 4 yards of binding plus some extra to use as practice material.
This tutorial will show you how to apply binding to your baby quilt.
Using Pre-Made Binding
I used a pre-made binding from Wrights. The following procedures show how I applied Wrights 1/2" Wide (called Extra Wide) Double Fold Bias Tape to my baby quilt.
Wrights also makes a 7/8" Wide Double Fold Bias Tape (called Quilt Binding) that works the same way. You might consider this if you're using a thick quilt batting or just prefer the look of a wider binding.
I recommend practicing your binding technique using scrap materials to be sure you're happy with the appearance before starting on your baby quilt.
The first thing to notice about the folded bias tape is that one side is slightly wider than the other.
It's important that the wider side of the tape ends up on the back side of the quilt. This helps to ensure that the sewing line is completely covered when the tape is wrapped around to the back and hand stitched in place.
1) Unfold the bias tape and place the narrow side right side down on the quilt top, aligning the opened up right edge of the tape to the edge of the quilt. Start sewing about 4" from the start of the tape, leaving a tail of tape that is not sewn down.
2) Use your sewing machine to stitch inside the first fold line from the right edge. Make sure to keep the right edge of the tape aligned & even with the edge of the quilt.
3) To achieve a nice mitered corner, you need to stop sewing 3/8" before you reach the corner. Note: this distance applies to the Wrights 1/2" wide double fold bias tape shown in this tutorial. If you're using a different binding tape, you'll need to adjust this distance to equal the seam width you're using.
4) I use a pin to mark where I need to stop and then back tack to secure the stitches.
5) Turn your quilt counter clock wise 90-degrees. Then, fold the bias tape up at a 45-degree angle to the corner as shown.
6) Fold the bias tape over on itself so that the fold is aligned with the top edge of the quilt. Align the right side of the tape with the edge of the quilt.
7) Back tack and sew starting at the top edge, continuing to stitch in the first fold line from the right. Repeat the above steps as you work your way around the remaining 3 corners of the quilt.
8) After joining the ends together, wrap the binding around the edge and secure with binding clips to the back of the quilt.
9) Fold the tape at the corners to create a nice mitered appearance on the back and secure with binding clips.
Turn your quilt over to ensure you have a nice mitered corner on the top side too.
10) Hand stitch the binding to the back using a slip stitch. I use a short needle with a small round eye and sharp point. I cut an 18" single strand of thread and run it through a thread conditioner.
I like to make my binding slip stitches about 3/8" apart. When stitching around the corners, be sure to secure the mitered corner with a few stitches before continuing on to the next side.
If you've never done a slip stitch before, I found this video on the Monkey See website that will show you
How to Sew a Slip Stitch.
After hand stitching the binding to the back, your baby quilt is complete & ready for baby to enjoy!
Making Your Own Binding
If you'd like to learn how to make your own continuous bias tape binding from a coordinating fabric, the
How to Bind a Quilt video on the Connecting Threads website is an excellent quilt binding tutorial.
This video will take you step-by-step through making and applying a double fold binding. I've watched through the video and recommend it as a very helpful DIY quilt binding resource for beginners.
I hope this Baby Quilt Kit tutorial has been helpful and inspires you to make your first baby quilt!
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4 comments:
Very nice series about doing quilts. Good clear pictures, helpful text. Well done!
I always do my quilt binding the way you show, and I get perfect mitered corners every time. Those binding clips are a lifesaver. Glad to see that you hand stitch the binding to the back of your quilts. It looks better that way, don't you think?
Thanks so much for your nice comments Jane! I'm glad to hear the technique for mitered corners has worked well for you too. I agree with you that hand stitching the binding to the back is the way to go. I've tried using a sewing machine for this step, but find it's really a challenge to keep the stitch lines from showing up on the top side. After all the work making a quilt, it's worth taking the time to hand sew the binding in place as the final step. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time comment!
Wow, you have no idea how hard I have been looking for some sort of instructions on how to use this bias tape. I have been pulling my hair out trying to understand what I was doing wrong. Thanks you.
Thanks Lindy! I'm so glad to hear you found this post helpful. The instructions provided with the bias tape are not very detailed, so I was hoping this would help fill in the gaps. Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
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