Quilt Binding Alternatives – Quilting Daily

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What’s black and white and fun all over? One of Jamie Fingal’s quilts.

“A Slice of Old Town Charm” by Jamie Fingal.
This fused piece has no traditional quilt binding,
just stitching along the edge.

Jamie considers herself a rebel quilter, saying “no” to batting, bindings, pins, and rules. Instead, she uses MistyfuseTM (a lightweight fusible without backing) to fuse brightly colored fabrics (she just debuted her own line) to felt. Her only nod to binding a quilt is to stitch around the edge of the cut-and-fused layer, sometimes adding trim like an open zipper to frame the design.

“My quilts are about having fun and not taking myself or them too seriously,” says Jamie. “I’m all about being bold and brave–let’s set the world on fire with quilting!”

If mitered corners and other details of a traditional quilt binding aren’t your thing, here are some other techniques you can use for binding a quilt.

Use a zigzag or decorative stitch around the edges. Like this quilt binding method from Terry Grant for ATCs and small quilts.

Paint the edges with fabric paint (best on a small art quilt).

Hand embroider around the perimeter using a blanket stitch or whipstitch.

Use a scalloped or wavy blade on your rotary cutter to give a decorative finish to small fused quilts.

Employ the “pillowcase” method: Place the backing fabric right-side down on top of the quilt. Pin or baste in place and then stitch around the perimeter, leaving a gap for turning. Clip corners, turn inside out, and whipstitch the gap closed. You may also want to top-stitch around the perimeter.

Couch or topstitch trim on top of the edges.

Jamie shares her rebellious–and fun–techniques on her video tutorial Rebel Quilting: Thinking Outside the Block, now available on Craft Daily. With your subscription, you can get access to Jamie’s video and full-length video workshops from many other talented art quilters for one low price.

For even more alternative methods, be sure to also check out this collection of quilt binding and finishing techniques.

P.S. What’s your favorite way to bind a quilt? Leave your comment below.

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