Binding by machine, with mitered corners

When I do a quilt, I always attach the binding on the front by machine and then turn it to the back and hand sew it. It’s just so hard to catch it perfectly and evenly on the back. But on smaller or less important projects, it’s nice to be able to finish the binding quickly. But what about the corners? How do you get nice corners? It’s possible. The one at left is the back side of a project I just did.
Here’s an example of things gone wrong. This is the back side. I’m going to take you through this by doing one side at a time. That’s how you get it nice and neat.<——– This is what you get if you wrap it around all the way around and pin and sew the whole thing at once. Messy! Potential for disaster!

Supplies

(Click fabrics for direct links for purchase at Warehouse Fabrics Inc.)

Extra-wide double-fold bias tape

Canopy Chartreuse / White

The process

Here is my binding (some pre-made extra-wide double-fold bias tape) and the item I’m binding. I have two pieces of fabric with interfacing in the middle.NOTE: I am just binding three sides in this example. If you need to bind all the way around, start on one edge and DON’T SEW the first 1.5″– and press under 1/4″ of the raw, short edge. Just let it hang loose till you get back around. Then, when you get back to that point, overlap that beginning edge over the end and finish sewing.
ABOVE LEFT: First, take a look at your bias tape. Open it up. Theoretically, one side is narrower than the other. You want the narrow side on the top of your project and the wide side on the back side so that it’s easier to catch when you’re sewing on the front. Sometimes bias tape isn’t well made in this manner and you might have trouble finding a wide and a narrow side.ABOVE RIGHT: On the front of your project, open up the bias tape all the way and line up the “narrow” edge of the bias tape with the raw edge of your fabric. Sew in the crease, but …
Don’t sew all the way to the end. You’ll see why. Stop about the width of your seam allowance.
ABOVE LEFT: Now open your bias tape all the way up and fold it up at a 45 degree angle as shown. Hold it in place as you do the next step.ABOVE RIGHT: Then fold it back down along the edge of the fabric.
As you sew down the next side (in the crease again), start at the very top edge.
Once again, stop a “seam allowance width” away from the end. I really just eyeballed this.
Follow the same step of folding up at 45 degrees then back down, as you did above. This time you’ll sew that third side all the way to the bottom. I’m only doing three sides in this example.
ABOVE LEFT: From the front at this point.ABOVE RIGHT: From the back at this point.
ABOVE LEFT: From the back, take the right side and fold it over to the back side, forming a 45 degree angle at the top corner.ABOVE RIGHT: Hold in place as you carefully turn over and then sew close to the edge of the bias tape, catching the bias tape on the back side. I choose not to stitch in the ditch. I have more success catching it on the other side and when I stitch in the ditch, it always looks sloppy. I think this looks nicer — that’s just me. Sew up to the fold in the mitered corner. Backstitch just a touch to secure.
ABOVE LEFT: Flip it back over to the wrong side and fold the next side over, arranging it so the mitered corner looks like this.ABOVE RIGHT: Holding your corner carefully, flip it back over and sew the next side, starting at that mitered corner fold where you left off before and stopping at the next mitered corner fold.
Repeat on the last edge.
It should look nice and neat!
Close up of from the “wrong side.” I know this is a different fabric. I was doing a bunch of pieces and I guess I photographed a different piece!