Tutorial: How to make a quilt - Part 2

Welcome back to Part 2 of How to make a quilt. Last month we looked at pattern and fabric selection, fabric cutting, piecing and selecting a quilting design. In this tutorial we’ll look at layering the quilt, quilting and how to bind the quilt.
 
Like in the previous post, there are quite a few general tips as well as instructions. If you missed the previous post or need to take a look at the materials you’ll need, take a look here.

1. Layering of quilt sandwich

• Begin by measuring the quilt top. The backing fabric and batting should be around 3 inches larger than the top on all four sides.
• I usually use a fabric calculator app like this one www.robertkaufman.com/quilting-calculators/ to help me calculate how much backing fabric and batting I’ll need for the quilt. You can certainly do the math yourself too.
  
• With larger quilts you will probably need to piece two or three fabric panels together for the backing.
• Pick a fabric that is similar in color than the top colors or not too opposite in color. You don’t want a black backing with a white top, since the different color fabric and thread might show through on either side.
  
• I prefer using 100% cotton batting. There are a huge variety of brands and types of batting available on the market, some all natural and some a combination of natural and synthetic. I like to use a light-weigth cotton batting, but you may have to try a few before you find one you like.
• To layer the quilt “sandwich” (top, batting and backing), you’ll need a large space like the floor or large table top.
• Iron the backing fabric so it is wrinkle free.
• Begin by laying the backing fabric wrong side up on a flat surface.
• Tape in place using masking tape or painter’s tape. Begin at the middle of each side, then work your way towards the corners. You want the backing fabric as smooth as possible and taut.

• Place the batting in the center on top of the backing, again smoothing out any wrinkles or folds.
  

• Next you want to center the quilt top, right side facing up, on top of the batting. Smooth out any folds or wrinkles.
  

• Start in the center of the top and pin curved safety pins through all three layers. Place a pin  every 3 - 4 inches and work your way towards the edges.  This is a really important step and if you do it well, it will save you a lot of frustration later while quilting.
  

• Some people prefer to baste the quilt, while others use basting spray. I prefer using curved safety pins (available at fabric stores), but it is a matter of choice.
  

2. Quilting

• When quilting (stitching through all three layers) you can either do it by hand or by machine.

• Hand: traditional quilting, tying, big stitch quilting, buttons.
• Machine quilting: either on a home sewing machine or on a long arm quilting machine. Some people do the quilting themselves and others make use of a professional quilter.

• Before you start quilting, make sure that the top and bobbin threads match the top and backing fabric respectively.
• Set the stitch length to a slightly bigger stitch.
• I would suggest using a walking foot, although for a small size project it is not absolutely necessary.
  

• For larger size quilts, start in the center and quilt towards the outer edges of the quilt. Begin by setting the stitch length to a very small stitch and sew five or six small stitches. Go back to the larger stitch length and start quilting towards the edges, following your drawn design.
• Do not sew too fast.
• Don’t stitch over the safety pins, but remove them as you go along.
• Finish one area before moving on to an adjacent area.
• For a very large quilt, it helps to roll opposite sides up so that it will fit through the machine’s throat space.
  

• Take a look at the backing from time to time to see if it is still smooth. You don’t want any folds.
• If you want to add a label to the back of your quilt, do it now before adding the binding.
  

3. Binding (border around the edges of quilt)

• For the binding, I like to use a fabric with stripes, dots, stars or otherwise a solid color. This is a personal choice and depends on the patterns used throughout the quilt.
• Once you’ve quilted the whole quilt and are satisfied with your quilting, it is time to cut off the excess backing and batting. Make sure the edges are straight and even.
  

• To determine the amount of fabric you’ll need for the binding, use the fabric calculator mentioned in Step 8.
• For smaller size quilts I like my binding strips to be 2 ¼ inches wide and for larger size quilts 2 ½ inches wide. Determine with the calculator how many strips you will need. Cut the strips on the straight grain of the fabric.
  

• Join the strips with diagonal seams. Place the ends of two strips perpendicular to each other and sew a diagonal line. Trim to ¼ inch and press open.
  

• Fold the strip lengthwise in half, wrong sides facing and press. This is called a double fold (French fold) binding. You are now ready to attach the binding to the quilt.
  

• Start on the top side of the quilt (pieced side), in the center of one side. Leaving a tail of about 8 inches, align and pin the binding’s raw edges with the top’s raw edges. Start sewing ¼ inch from the edge.
  

• When you get close to a corner, stop ¼ inch from the end, pivot and sew diagonally a few very small stitches till you reach the corner point. Stop sewing and cut the thread.
  

• Fold the binding strip diagonally away from the quilt. Hold it in place with your finger and fold the binding down so that the edges are in line with the edges of the quilt. Pin in place.
  

• Go back to the larger stitch length, back stitch and start sewing towards the next corner. Repeat this process for all four corners.
  

• When you’ve gone all around, stop sewing about 8 inches from the beginning. Time to attach the beginning and end of the binding. There are quite a few methods that quilters like to use. Personally I like to attach it diagonally so that it looks the same as the other seams of the binding. Some people like to encase the end into the beginning and others like to fold the beginning and end back onto itself to form a horizontal seam. 
  

• To attach diagonally, bring the two binding tails to the center of the opening. Fold each back, but leave about a ¼ inch opening in between. Finger press.
  

• Open binding and on the inside, draw a line with a water soluble marker on the finger pressed fold line as well as on the lengthwise fold to form a plus sign. Do this on the other end of binding too.
  

• Use a ruler and draw a diagonal line through the plus sign, again on both. You want both diagonal lines to face in the same direction.
• Pin binding ends together with right sides facing each other. The ends will be at right angles to each other. Sew in place. Before trimming to ¼ inch, make sure that it is the correct length. Press open.
  

• Pin binding in place and stitch binding to quilt.
  

• Fold binding over to the backing of the quilt and clip or pin in place. I prefer using clips, but pins will do the job too. This is the only part where I hand stitch. Use a blind stitch to sew binding in place. When you reach a corner, make sure the fold of the corner is at a 45 degree angle and that it looks the same as the top side.
  

• Once you’ve gone all around, you are done!
  

4. Taking care of your quilt

• I wash all of my quilts in the washer on a delicate setting and tumble dry them on a similar setting. Or you can wash them by hand and let them air dry.