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I love a good finish! Today I will share with you my favorite hand binding techniques to finish up Hugs ‘n Kisses. It took me a total of 3.5 hours to prep and bind.

Step 1 – Prepping the Binding (1 Hour)

First, square up your quilt and trim off the excess batting and backing fabric.

Next, cut out 6 binding strips that measure 2.25 inches by the width of your fabric. Using a blending thread helps to hide the seams.

Join them together into one continuous length and press in half wrong sides together. If using solids with no right or wrong side, be careful when joining seams.

Be sure to trim one end to a 45 degree angle before pressing in half and sewing to the quilt. Press all of your seams open to reduce the bulk.

Next, measure around the length of your quilt to make sure the binding is long enough. You can adjust where you start sewing the binding so you do not end up with any bulky seams in your corners. Leave a few inches of overlap, but trim some of the excess length.

Starting away from the corners and leaving a few inches of tail at the beginning, attach the binding to your quilt on the front using 1/4 inch seams. The edge of your walking foot may be a good guide.

When you get to a corner, stop 1/4 inch away from the end, turn your quilt and sew off at the corner. This will help make a 45 degree miter.

Remove the quilt from the machine and pull the unsewn binding up in a continuous line.

Tuck the strip of binding back on top of itself. This excess binding fabric will fold over and create a nice mitered corner.

Continue sewing from the corner and sew all the way around the quilt, leaving a few inches of space in between the start and end of your continuous binding strip. Mark the angle where the two binding stripes meet.

Cut your ending piece 1/2 inch away from your mark, then join the two ends to finish the continuous strip and finish attaching it to the front.

Step 2 – Finish by Hand (2.5 Hours)

My new favorite notion is a package of 50 Clover Wonder Clips. They hold the binding in place much more securely than pins or clips. They are easy to add and remove as needed.

Finish stitching the binding on the backside by hand using small hidden stitches in a thread color that matches the binding fabric. If you want a quicker finish, please see my machine binding tutorial here.

Now you have a finished quilt! Pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself on a job well done. Be sure to visit my Quilt Along page for upcoming announcements about the next one.

My daughter claimed this quilt early on and she’s happy that it’s finally finished!

Hugs and Kisses Quilt Stats

• Name: Hugs ‘n Kisses for Jenna
• Finished Size: 48″ x 64″
• Materials Used: Kissing Booth Fabric, Scraps, Kona Snow, Wool Batting
• Thread: Glide Polyester
• Total Time:  47 Hours from Start to Finish

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Quilt Along Kits are available for purchase while supplies last. If you have any questions about this week’s homework, please be sure to join my flickr discussion, leave a comment, or email me directly at christa@christaquilts.com.

Quilt Along Schedule – Links will go to each active post when published.

• 5.1 – 2/27/13 Supply List
• 5.2 – 3/6/13 Choosing Fabrics and Layouts
• 5.3 – 3/13/13 Cutting and Sewing the Bow Ties
• 5.4 – 3/20/13 Sewing the X and O Blocks
• 5.5 – 3/27/13 Finishing the Top and Borders
• 5.6 – 4/3/13 Piecing the Backing
• 5.7 – 4/10/13 Pin Basting
• 5.8 – 4/17/13 Stitching in the Ditch
• 5.9 – 4/24/13 Decorative FMQ
• 5.10 – 5/1/13 Additional Quilting
• 5.11 – 5/8/13 Binding – It’s Finished!

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