a {SWEET} bias binding tutorial

I love to do my bindings on the bias.  Especially stripes.  It's like a candy cane wrapping around the edge of my quilt.  So cute!  Yes, it does take a little more fabric, but not much. 

Here is an easy trick for cutting your fabric [FAST] on the bias.  You just have to figure out how to fold the fabric and then the cutting part is easy.

First, lay down your fabric at an angle with the right side of the fabric facing DOWN.  Take the bottom corner and fold it up so that its right edge is parallel with the right edge of the main fabric.

Next, take the left corner of the fabric and fold it over so that it makes a "right angle" on the left side of the first fold.

Then take the right corner of fabric and fold it over, making a "right angle" on the right side.

Cut off the folds. 

Then cut your strips the desired widths you like.  The strips will come out varying lengths.  Use as many strips as you think you'll need.  I usually pick out the longest strips and discard the ones that are really short.

Cut off the angled ends. 

Connect the strips: lay two strips on top of each other {with right sides together} so that they're ends are perpendicular to each other.  Draw a line from corner to corner and pin in place.  Stitch on this line and then trim 1/4" away. 

Iron in half lengthwise with wrong sides together.
In the middle of one side of your quilt, begin sewing the binding to the front of your quilt, lining up the raw edges.  Leave about 5 inches unsewn at the beginning.  Using 1/4" seam allowance, sew along the edge until you reach the first corner.

To miter corners: sew up to 1/4" away from the first corner.  Stitch in place a few times and then cut the threads.  Rotate your quilt, getting ready to sew the binding on to the next side.

You'll need to make this little flap. 

Flap it back and forth.  Adjust it, if necessary, to make sure that its edges line up with the raw edges of the quilt in that corner, no matter which way it lays.  

Before sewing again make sure that the flap fold is lined up with the top edge of the quilt {the edge that already has binding sewn on} like you see in this picture. 

Position the needle 1/4" away from the corner.  Stitch in place a few times and then sew down the entire length of that side of the quilt.  Repeat the mitered corner process in each corner.

When you get back to the side you started on, stop sewing about 8 inches from where you began.  Flip up the end of the binding so that it is perpendicular to that side of the quilt.

Bring the unsewn binding from the beginning across that ending piece of binding that you just flipped up.

Keep the strips taut.  If they're too loose, you'll have too much fabric there~ resulting in tucks in your binding.  Pin the two pieces of binding together and sew on the diagonal.

Trim off excess, leaving a 1/4" seam allowance.

Line up the binding along that side of the quilt again and stitch over that part with a 1/4" seam allowance.

You're almost done.  The last thing you'll want to do is put on one of your favorite movies (one that you know by ♥ is best so that you don't have to look up very much) and begin hand stitching it down on the back side of your quilt.  Here are a few more great tips on that.

Now you're done.  Grab a little cutie {like Miss M} and have some snuggle time together with your finished quilt!  After all, that's what they're really for, right?