Tuesday Tip - Perfect (and EASY) square corners on your quilts!

I picked up this great tip for making the corners of your binding square at a SewExpo class, taught by Kaye Woods. (If you haven't been to the Sew Expo in Puyallup, you must go this year - it is such a fabulous opportunity to learn great techniques and see all the latest in sewing. We are so lucky to have one of the largest and most exciting sewing events of the year in our backyard! And be sure to sign up for seminars - we are going to have great ones!)  Kaye is the host of Kaye's Quilting Friends on public television, and I loved this simple tip!

 

 When you stitch your binding on, stop with needle down just before you reach the end of your quilt - if you are using a 1/2" seam allowance, stop 1/2" before the end.  Rotate your project 45 degrees, so your stitching is now pointed to the corner. Stitch to the corner.

Take the loose end of your binding and fold it away from your quilt, so that it follows the little angle you have just added, and the raw edge of the loose end is even with the next edge that you will be sewing the binding onto.




Keeping the little crease you just made, fold the loose end down and into place along the edge to be stitched, raw wedge matched with the edge of your quilt. Begin stitching right at the upper edge. 




Your corners will look like this...



Until you whipstitch the loose edge onto the back - you will find you have perfect, neat, square corners - like they just want to be square!

Thanks Kaye Woods, for the great tip!



- Anna-Beth