Binding the Hot Cross Star hotpad
Binding Thoughts
Our sample is using the Hot Cross Star Hotpad pattern.
On one end only, fold ½” of the fabric to the inside and create a finished edge.
Press the finished edge. This is your starting point.
Place your quilted block front facing up.
Place the folded starting edge about one half of the way down any side of the quilted square.
Open the folded binding.
Sew an ⅛” seam from the edge of the fold inside of the binding 1” down to tack the starting point down. This seam will be hidden inside of the binding.
Fold the binding back onto itself and measure 3” down from the starting edge.
Sew the binding to the quilted top 1/4” away from the raw edge. Backstitch a couple of stitches to start this seam.
Sew the binding down but stop a couple of inches from the corner.
Using the 2½" wide binding strips, place (1) 18" binding strip face up and another 18" binding strip face down in the L-shaped position shown. Draw the sewing line from corner to corner.
Sew on the line you've drawn.
Trim the seam to a ¼".
Add (1) 13" binding strip, using this same method.
Add (1) 18" binding strip, using this same method. The binding strip will be about 60" (you will not need all of this). Adding strips in this order will keep your binding seams from ending up in the corners.
Press binding seams open.
Fold binding in half lengthwise, right sides out. Press this so it is a folded, pressed 1¼" x 60" strip
Measure 1/4” up from the bottom edge of the quilt square and draw a line on your binding.
Sew down to the 1/4” mark you’ve drawn, stopping with your needle down in the fabric.
Turn the fabric slightly so you are aiming off the corner of the square at approximately a 45° angle and sew off, as shown.
Turn your quilted square so it looks like the photo. The seam you just sewed will be at the top and the seam you are about to sew will be to the right.
Bring the binding straight up so it creates a 90° angle and finger press the fold.
Keeping the angle folded in place, fold the binding back down. This new fold will be at the very top of your square corner. The binding fabric on the left, the top and the right should be lined up evenly.
Secure the folded corner in place.
Sew ¼” seam starting at the top edge of the binding. Continue sewing the seam, raw edges of the binding and quilt square as even as possible.
Continue in the same manner to complete the next corner and the remaining corners on the project.
With the quilt square in front of you, the last seam you sewed will be on the top and the original starting point will be to your right.
Smooth out your binding so it lays flat over the starting fold.
Carefully cut the tail of the extra binding off, giving yourself 1” of fabric past the folded starting point.
Tuck the end of the newly trimmed binding into the folded starting point. Pin this so it doesn’t shift while sewing.
Start your 1/4” seam on the binding where you backstitched earlier, sewing the rest of your seam down over top of both layers of binding and the folded edge.
Trim the corners by snipping off some of the extra batting, being very careful to move the binding away while you trim.
Fold the binding to the back of your hot pad and lightly press, being mindful of the corner folds. You can finish the final seam to tack down your binding by using a decorative stitch on your machine or by using a whipstitch or hemming stitch to stitch the binding to the back.
