How to make a Doll Quilt from Memory Fabrics Part 5

There are many different things you can use to bind a quilt. You can buy binding. For a little quilt like this if you want that's just fine. Just skip to my directions on how to sew it on. You can also buy ribbon binding. This is packaged and sold right next to the packages of bias tape which can also be used. If you select the satin ribbon binding you can apply it folded and sewn as I will show you below or you can slide it over the unfinished edge and use a bit of your decorative stitching (learned in Part 4) to sew both sides down at once and you're all done. That stuff is pretty but runs about $4-$5 a package. You can easily get two doll blankets out of it, but I don't know how much more.

You can even buy wide ribbon in the ribbon section look for 2" or wider if you're a beginner. Iron the ribbon in half long ways and sew it on as written below.

You can also make you're own. Be it scrappy or not it sews together the same. Take a 2 1/2" strip of fabric as long as it is (hopefully at least 2 feet, more is better). Select a color that can handle a little bit of dirt if this blanket will be going to a child. If you pick white then be prepared for the results. I have chosen a green patterned flannel. Unlike black it will not show lint or fuzz, and with the patterning in there it is doubtful that you will see the dirt either. Well you might but no one else will.

Place them like this.
See how this is? I have drawn a diagonal line. Check to make sure your sewing machine has been reset from Part 4 to now sew the locking stitch or straight stitch again. Sew on that line.
Now here I have trimmed the excess off. That will prevent excessive bulk in your binding that sewing machines have a hard time sewing over. Continue on in this way until you have enough binding that when laid loosely around your mini quilt you have enough to go all the way around. If in doubt sew another piece.
Now iron your seam flat and open as sewn. Now this time you do need the iron because you are going to iron the binding in half long ways.
Now that the strip has been ironed in half line it up with the corner of the quilt. Allow at least one inch to hang off. The raw edges of your binding (formerly known as your strip) should be lined up with the raw edge of the quilt. You can pin the binding to the quilt for this first side. Do not pin more than the side that you are sewing on. Sew the first bit with a nice straight stitch.
When you reach the end, stop. Make sure your needle is down into the fabric. Carefully raise the presser foot and turn the quilt. Don't hesitate to click this photo big now, it's a good photo it can handle it. See how I have taken that extra there? It's a triangle of fabric the needle hasn't moved but I've slipped that access to behind the needle to make that little point. It will make a nice perky corner on your quilt. If it's not exactly right that's okay too, when you fold the binding to the back it will smooth away any little bit of trouble you might have had. Now that you have made the pivot you can pin again and sew the next edge.

Continue on placing that triangle pucker in each corner the best you can. Remember needle down presser foot up. And don't forget to put the presser foot back down after the pivot.
Once you have made it all the way back down you will come to the intersection that looks a bit like this. You will need to take the part of the binding you sewed first. Take it and pull it out so that the finished edge points outward towards the outside of the quilt.

Don't worry you've got this! Sew nearly to the end making sure to stop about a 1/4" from the edge of the quilt. You can feel it down there. Don't worry if you sew off the edge just put the needle back a bit. Sink the needle into the fabric. Pivot the entire quilt 45 degrees. Just as you see above how the sewing machine foot angles across the intersecting bindings.

Just like before when we made the binding cut 1/4" away from the seam you sewed right along but away. Creating a nice little seam allowance. Remove the quilt from the sewing machine. Now gently pull the binding towards the back. It nearly begs to move over there. The corners should flip right side in like they were made to do it, and trust me that's just how you made them.

Now you have two choices. You can stick with me and our non rules. Or you can now take your little Doll Quilt and hand stitch the binding on the back. Oh ick. Sounds dull and boring and we were having so much fun together! This is traditional but unless your hand sewing is at least good if not really good your binding will not hold as well as if you had machine sewn it.

Okay then. Place the quilt in the sewing machine upside down so that the back is up. Using a couple of pins pin the binding to the back of the quilt.

Remember that decorative stitch that looks so great all over your quilt? Yes tell the sewing machine to sew that one again. Line up and GO! Remove the pins as you need to. When you near the corner you can either ease around it, or you can stop make the needle go down and pivot 90 degrees. No matter either way you'd like. I like to round into mine, but it does take a little more effort. It you crash off the edge of the binding don't worry about it, just correct it and sew some more. All the way around. Beautiful.
You did it. You made a doll quilt just like you wanted to, and you even learned how to work with Memory fabrics while you were at it. Congratulations.