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Summer 2021 Mini Quilt Challenge: Binding Odd Angle Corners

  • Writer: vafibrearts
    vafibrearts
  • Aug 30, 2021
  • 10 min read

Hello Friends and Welcome!


Another week of the summer has passed and I've learned yet another new quilt making technique!


For week ten of the Summer Mini Quilt Challenge, I wanted to learn more about hand finished binding by experimenting with odd angled, non-square corners!


One of the first things many quilt makers learn is how to bind a square corner. The vast majority of quilt patterns, especially for bed quilts, create a rectangular finished quilt with square corners. However, there are also lots of mini quilts, art quilts, and even bed quilts that make use of different types of angles, and I want to be prepared in case I ever tackle one of those projects!


Before we get started, I wanted to remind everyone that this post is not intended as a tutorial, rather it is a record of my own experimentation! If you are interested in a proper step-by-step tutorial, I've included my references at the end of this post!


Now Friends, let's dive into this new technique!



Hand Finished Binding Research


Binding is a finishing technique where the raw edges of a project are encased in a strip of fabric to protect them and prevent fraying. While binding can be used for many different purposes in garment construction, its common use in quilt making is to secure and finish the edges of a quilt.


Good quilt binding should be of an equal width around all sides of the quilt, well secured with nearly invisible stitching, and completely filled by the raw edges of fabric and batting, without any empty pockets. Binding that has been made with these standards in mind is likely to stand the tests of time and keep your quilt securely finished through many years of love and use!

There are several different methods for binding a quilt, the two most popular being single fold binding, and double fold binding. My preference is double fold binding, since that was the method I learned when binding my first quilt! And since I'm most familiar with the double fold method, that's the one I'll be using for this week's project!



Double Fold Binding a Quilt


As my preferred binding method, I focused on double fold binding as the default. Most of the sources I referenced used double fold binding in their examples, so I know the methods I learned work with this type of binding!


Preparing your own binding strips for double fold binding is quite a simple process!


Before cutting strips for binding, decide how wide you want your finished binding to be. Calculate the width to cut binding strips by multiplying the finished width by four and adding two seam allowances. For example, if I wanted ½" finished binding and ¼" seam allowance I would need to cut my strips at 2½".

(4 x ½") + (2 x ¼") = 2½"


Binding strips can be cut as straight binding (across the width of fabric) or on the bias (diagonally across the fabric). Bias binding is more flexible, great for binding curved edges or quilts with a lot of corners, but straight cut binding is more fabric efficient.


Cut enough strips to completely surround the perimeter of the quilt, then join them along the short end into one long strip. The two common joins are a straight join and a diagonal join:

A straight join is the faster and easier way of joining binding strips. However, straight joins result in overlapping seam allowances that can produce bulk, and some people consider them to not be particularly strong.


Diagonal joins result in less concentrated bulk, but take a little extra time to prepare. It is generally recommended to mark diagonal joins to ensure that the angle is correct and seam is sewn straight, otherwise there is a chance the join will warp the binding strip.


Once a long enough strip has been made, fold the binding in half lengthwise, with wrong sides together, and press to crease.


Arrange the binding to the front of the quilt, with the raw edges of the binding aligned with the raw edge of the quilt. Start sewing the binding in the middle of a side, leaving the first few inches of binding free.


Upon reaching a corner, break thread, fold the binding as shown in the diagram below so it becomes aligned with the adjacent side, and start sewing again. Folding the binding this way creates a mitred corner.

Continue sewing around the quilt, creating mitred corners as you reach them, until returning to the starting point. Leave several inches of binding free rather than sewing right to where you started so the two ends of the binding can be joined.


I am still experimenting with different ways of joining the ends of binding strips, and haven't yet found one I love, so I don't have a particular method to recommend. There are infinite possibilities for how to join these ends and it's best to experiment yourself to see what fits your preferences!



Binding Non-Square Corners


Going into my research, I expected there to be some kind of special trick to binding non-square or oddly angled corners, but it's actually quite similar to the technique shown above!


Before beginning to bind the quilt, mark the centre of each corner. To find the centre of a corner, fold the quilt with the two adjacent sides together, then use a pin to mark the crease.

These marks are super important for getting the mitred corners looking neat, so be careful not to move them by accident!


With the corners marked, begin sewing on the binding as usual, starting in the middle of any side and leaving the first few inches of binding free. Sew along the edge, approaching the corner until you get to the marking pin. Do not sew past the pin, simply back stitch to secure the seam, and break thread.

To create the mitred corner, flip the loose end of the binding away from the quilt, in line with the next adjacent quilt edge. This fold should be exactly in line with the angle and location of the marking pin.

Then, fold the binding back across the adjacent edge, so the raw edge of the binding aligns with the raw edge of the quilt. There should be a small triangle of overlapping binding fabric that points directly to the corner of the quilt as shown:

Resume sewing at the marking pin, exactly where the first seam originally stopped, beginning with a back stitch to secure the thread. Continue sewing around the edge of the quilt, repeating the mitred fold at every corner. Join the binding ends using your preferred method.



Binding Inside Angles


While it wasn't the focus of my research, I came across a few tutorials that included methods for binding inside angles, as well as odd corners!


Inside angles can be found on quilts with decoratively cut edges, some examples include scallops, zigzagz, and hexies.

While the process of binding these angles is a little different than creating a mitred corner, it looks to be quite easy!


Begin by sewing a stay stitch around the perimeter of the quilt, this will help prevent the quilt from stretching or warping as you handle it. Use sewing or thread scissors to make a small snip into all inside angles, do not snip through the line of stay stitching.

Once all inside angles have been snipped, find the centre of each, and mark it with a pin. These marking pins are really important for getting neat, even binding, so be sure not to remove them too early.


With all corners and inside angles prepared, behind sewing on binding as usual. As you approach an inside angle, sew until you reach the marking pin. At the pin, stop sewing with both the foot and needle down , this will hold all the layers of the quilt in place for the next step.

Without raising the machine foot or needle, rotate the adjacent side of the quilt, scrunching the quilt as needed, until it is in line with the side you've just bound.

Continue sewing the binding as though the inside angle were a single straight side. Sew around the binding, repeating these steps at every inside angle. Join the binding ends using your preferred method.


Once finished, the weight of the quilt will bend the binding into the proper shape, creating a naturally mitred inside angle!



Hand Finishing


Once the binding has been secured to the front of the quilt using machine sewing, the back side can be finished by hand!


Begin by pressing the binding open on the front of the quilt, this will give the binding a crisp, clean finish.


Fold the binding around to the back of the quilt so it just overlaps the original binding seam, then use clips or pins to hold it in place. Use a hand sewn slip stitch to permanently secure the binding to the back side of the quilt, being careful that the stitches don't go through to the front.


To keep the mitred corners looking neat, secure them with a hand sewn slip stitch. This should be done to all inside angles as well as outside corners.



Making the Mini


When designing this week's mini quilt, I wanted the binding to really stand out! Since it is the prompt for this project, I thought it would be fun to make a neutral quilt with brightly coloured binding!


I sorted through my stash, specifically looking for strips since that also references the binding prompt. I found several solid strips in black and white that I thought would work, and added a few muted prints for some visual interest.

I trimmed all the strips to the same width so they could be easily pieced together, but left them all at different lengths.


Before I began piecing, I drafted a hexagon template to represent the finished size of my mini quilt.

My hexagon has 6" sides and is about 12" across its widest part. This size was chosen quite arbitrarily, since it was the largest hexagon I could draft on the cereal box I found.


To assemble the quilt top, I began by sewing pairs of strips together along their short sides. Once pieced, I measured the strips against the hexagon template, trimming or adding strips as needed.

Once they were the right length, I folded each strip in half, creasing the middle with my fingers to mark it. I sewed the strips together along their long edges, aligning their marked centres rather than their ends until the quilt top was slightly larger than my template.

I pressed the quilt top thoroughly before layering it together with batting and backing, then basted the layers to prepare for quilting!


To imitate the strips in the piecing, I decided to use straight line quilting. My original plan was to use white thread, since it would blend in with most of the lighter piecing. As I was quilting it, I began to notice how much the white thread stood out against the black fabric and decided to add a few lines of black thread to help balance it.

I really don't think the black thread helped to balance it, if anything, it made the quilt top more chaotic! While it's definitely not the effect I was aiming for, I actually really love the way the combination of black and white quilting interacts with the black and white piecing!


Once quilted, I used my hexagon template to trim the quilt. Accidentally cutting through the cardboard with my rotary cutter would really dull the blade, so to avoid that, I laid a ruler across the edge of the template.

With the quilt trimmed, I could finally start working on binding! As I mentioned earlier, I wanted to use bright, colourful binding fabric to contrast the starkness of the black and white quilt top.


But with the addition of a few prints, my quilt top is no longer just black and white. I was really drawn to the bits of blue and cyan in the printed fabric, and wanted to accent them a little more by using this bright cyan as my binding colour!

Fabric chosen, I cut my binding strips, joined them on the diagonal, and pressed the whole thing in half. This part was quite easy and familiar since it's the exact same process as creating binding for a quilt with square corners!


Based on my research, sewing mitred binding on a non-square quilt shouldn't be that different from doing so on a square or rectangular one. It follows the same process of sewing along the straight edges, folding over the binding at the corners, and joining the ends. But in practice, it felt just different enough that my first attempt didn't come out quite right and I had to rip it off and go for a second try.

I managed to get the binding sewn on the second time, after a slight adjustment to my seam allowance and some sleep to clear my head!


To create the final join in my binding, I wanted to use an angled join that would match those used earlier. While prepping my binding, before pressing it lengthwise, I cut one end on a diagonal and basted a ¼" fold at the end. I pressed that fold in place and then proceeded to press my length of binding in half. This angled end became the start of my binding.

After sewing the binding around all sides of the quilt and returning to the starting point, I cut away most of the excess binding, leaving just a few inches, which I then tucked inside of the angle-cut end of the binding. The two ends are secured to one another by hand.


This wasn't a method I discovered through research, it was simply an idea that crossed my mind which I decided to test! I think it turned out really well and I'm interested to try it again, although I will continue experimenting.


To finish the binding, I pressed it open and turned it to the back side of the quilt, securing it with a hand sewn slip stitch. And just like that, the mini quilt was finished!

VA, Hand Finished Binding, Hexagonal Mini Quilt, 2021, 10⅜” x 11⅞”, cotton thread and fabric, poly-cotton batting.


I'll be honest, this quilt did not turn out as expected. My original plan involved a fairly plain, understated quilt with bright, vibrant, eye-catching binding, and while I do think the binding stands out, so does the rest of the quilt!



Even if it's not what I expected, Friends, I'm really happy with the end result, especially how the mitred corners turned out! Let me know your thoughts on my finished quilt in the comments below!


If you'd like to check out some of the other projects I've made for the Summer Mini Quilts Challenge, there are links to each post in the original Challenge Announcement! It also has a full outline of the rules and prompts I've been using to guide me while working on my quilts!


Although there's only a few weeks left of the challenge, anyone who's interested can feel free to make a mini quilt of their own! You can use a prompt from my list, or something that's been on your own quilt making wish list! If you do make a mini quilt this summer, I would love to see it! Share photos and stories in the comments below or on social media, be sure to use #summer2021miniquilts to tag your photos so I can find them!


I'll be continuing to learn new techniques with next week's prompt, Needle Turn Applique! I've worked on several applique projects in the past, but used a method I made up rather than researching the proper method. Who knows, maybe it will turn out I was doing the right thing all along! I guess we'll find out next week!


Until Next Time Friends, Keep Creating!

VA



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