Experiments on the Corner

Following instructions like those given in many quilting magazines, my corners used to be erratic and disappointing like this...

but now they are beautifully mitred like this ...

... 

 

Most quilters will recognise the instructions shown in Figure 1 and find them easy to follow with satisfying results. The same instructions are given on many websites and in many books and magazines.

 

I thought I had binding down to a fine art and could achieve lovely mitred corners using this method for continuous binding. However, on a number of occasions, I have encountered difficulties trying to make my corners beautifully square. Some of my awful results are shown above and in Figure 2 below. Perhaps you will recognise the problem? I’ve seen it on many quilts and am now to the point where this is the first thing I look at in a quilt. I must be getting a little fussy!

 

My worst result lately occurred when I wanted a 1” finished binding rather than the normal ½” finished binding as above. I followed the instructions in Figure 1 but cut the binding fabric at 4 ½” then folded it and sewed at ¼” from the edge of the quilt top (which was in fact 1” from the edge of the batting and backing. The result is shown in Figure 3. It was horrible. But I am obviously consistent as all four corners are as bad as the next.

 

As I teach quilting to others I decided to do some experiments so that I could teach my students how to create perfectly mitred continuous binding corners every time.

 

My first task some months ago was to work out how to get consistently square corners on a ½” continuous binding and found that if I allowed for the thickness of the quilt when folding the binding back on itself to align with the next side of the quilt top I could consistently achieved excellent results as seen in Figure 4. 

 

I thought I had bindings ‘licked’ and began teaching my new skill.

 

But now, with the wide binding failure shown in Figure 3 I needed to work out the geometry of why it was going wrong. My resulting experiments were to answer a few questions:

 

1. Can I repeat my awful failure consistently or was it just a glitch?

2. If, instead of allowing for the thickness of the quilt, I allowed for the width of the binding in my fold-back, will this work better?

3. Does it matter if I allow more than the width of the binding in my fold-back?

4. Does the angle at which I first fold back the fabric matter?

5. Does it make a difference if I start sewing from the edge of the quilt on the second fold-back or should I only be sewing from the edge of the first fold-back angle?

6. Should I trim the batting and backing before I sew the binding to the quilt top or after?

7. What will happen if the corner of the quilt is not meant to be a right angle but some other angle e.g. a hexagon placemat?

The results of my experiments can be seen on the next page but now I can make consistently beautifully mitred corners on any width binding as shown in Figure 4.

 Below are some samples I created to answer each question.

Question		Sample	Answer
1. Can I repeat my awful failure consistently or was it just a glitch?			Yes, by following the instructions exactly as given in the publications I can repeat the failure though sometimes it is not too bad if a ½” finished binding is required.
2. If, instead of allowing for the thickness of the quilt, I allowed for the width of the binding in my fold-back, will this work better?			Yes, this is a success! What a beautiful result! I can get this result consistently.
3. Does it matter if I allow more than the width of the binding in my fold-back?			Yes it does matter just how much fabric is allowed in the second fold back. If there is too much you are left with a flap at the back that you then need to cut off or poke into the binding.
4. Does the angle at which I first fold back the fabric matter?				Yes, geometry says this will have to be folded at a 45˚ angle or the next fold will not be at the required 90˚ angle.
5. Does it make a difference if I start sewing from the edge of the quilt on the second fold-back or should I only be sewing from the edge of the first fold-back angle?				No. It is easier to sew from the edge of the quilt and requires no tying off of thread ends or reverse stitching to keep it strong.
6. Should I trim the batting and backing before I sew the binding to the quilt top or after?				No. It is probably best not to trim the batting and backing until the binding is sewn into place on the quilt top. However you will need to be careful that your fold-back allows for the correct finished width of the binding.
7. What will happen if the corner of the quilt is not meant to be a right angle but some other angle e.g. a hexagon placemat?				Yes, it still works. The important things to remember are: that the first fold-back should not be at a 45˚ angle (which is half a square corner) but should be at an angle that is half the angle you need to go around that the second fold-back measures the finished width of the binding from the original sewing line as before that you might have to fiddle a bit to make the folds sit flat when you turn the binding.   When binding awkward angles, the narrower the binding, the simpler it will be.