Decorative Stitch Binding

Have you tried adding a decorative stitch to your binding? It's so simple, and you'll love the results!

First, stitch the open edge of single-fold binding to the front of your project using a 1/4" seam. Miter the corners.

Wrap the folded edge of your binding to the backside of your project. You may wish to fuse it in place with 1/4" wide fusible web. Miter the corners on the backside and press well.

Set up your machine with a foot with a center guide. Choose a thread that will show up well. We used Mettler Silk Finish 50 weight in the needle and the bobbin.

Stitch your decorative stitch from the frontside, stitching through the binding. You can center your decorative stitch so the stitch is half on the binding and half on the quilt, or move the stitch so the entire decorative stitch is on the binding. Either way, choose a stitch that "bites" into the binding at least 1/16" of an inch. You want to be sure you are catching your binding on the backside all the way around. Use binder clips to help hold the binding to the back side.

For our example, we choose a blanket stitch and set it so the spine of the blanket stitch landed exactly in the ditch of the binding and the teeth bit into the binding.

Using a decorative stitch not only gives your binding a little flair, it also helps catch the backside of the binding more securely.