Looking for a way to add some fun to your quilts? Chenille-It Blooming Bias is a great way to add cozy texture to your quilts, especially when used as the binding. The best part? It's SO easy to use!
For this tutorial I'm using my FREE table runner pattern, Fourth Down. This pattern is perfect to use up those orange peel shaped scraps from the Fourth and Inches Quilt (available here) but can also be made from yardage as well. You can grab the FREE pattern below.
ADDING CHENILLE-IT BLOOMING BIAS AS A BINDING
Supplies Needed:
A finished quilted project ready for binding
5/8" Chenille-It Blooming Bias
Sewing machine and (optional) serger
50wt thread the same color as your Chenille-It (I like to use Aurifil)
Determining How Much Chenille-It Is Needed:
While I'm using the Fourth Down pattern for this tutorial, you can use Chenille-It Blooming Bias to finish any quilt. The key is to have enough yardage of Chenille-It to cover 4x your measured perimeter.
For example:
In my case, for the Fourth Down pattern, I have two edges that measure 16 inches and two that measure 76 inches on my quilted table runner. My perimeter will measure (16 x 2) + (76 x 2) = 184 inches.
If I take 184 inches and multiply that number by 4, my total number of inches needed is: 184x4= 736 inches.
Divide that number by 36 and you'll see how many yards of Chenille-It you'll need.
736/36= 20.45 yards.
The 5/8" width comes in approximately 40 yard rolls so one roll of 5/8" Chenille-It should be plenty for my project.
Getting Started:
To prep your quilt for adding Chenille-It, you will want to use a serger or a zig zag stitch on your regular sewing machine along the entire perimeter of your quilt.
This helps to hold the layers on the edges together and keep them from fraying since the Chenille-It won't technically wrap around your edges like a typical binding would.
Adding the Chenille-It Binding:
Once your edges are prepped, you will begin on one edge of your quilt and place TWO strips of Chenille-It underneath that edge, with approximately 1/4" extending past the corner, and 1/8" extending along that edge.
Once you have the two Chenille-It edges in place, begin about 1/4" from the top and sew a 1/4" seam allowance from the edge of your quilt, back-stitching at the beginning of your seam to lock the stitches in place.
Sew the entire length of the edge, until you reach about 1/4" from the bottom corner and backstitch again to secure the seam.
Once the bottom layer is finished, add TWO more strips of Chenille-It on the top of the same edge that already has the two bottom layers secured.
Align the edge of the top two layers of Chenille-It with the bottom layers and sew 1/4" from the INSIDE edge of the top two Chenille-It layers (this will keep your seam approximately in the same line with the bottom seam). Start and end approximately 1/4" from the corner, backstitching at either end to secure.
Repeat the same process on all four sides of your quilt, until all edges are covered.
A few notes:
There will be some seams in your roll of Chenille-It. These seams will not show once the Chenille-It is bloomed however, you can put the raw edges of the seams facing toward the quilt or on the inside of the two strips of Chenille-It if you would like to hide or "tuck" them in.
Use a stitch length 2.0 or smaller. There are two ways to "bloom" the Chenille-It and if you use the brushing method which involves brushing the fibers to loosen or fluff them, you will want to be sure those stitches stay put.
When in doubt, give yourself a little wiggle room on the corners. You can always trim the edges once the entire perimeter is covered. In the same vein, it is also better to have more Chenille-It extend on the outside of your edges than less to be sure your raw edges are covered. Be careful the edge of your Chenille-It doesn't get too close to your raw edges (less than 1/8") as you're sewing them down or you may have spots that aren't fully covered.
"Blooming" the Chenille-It Binding:
After you've finished adding the Chenille-It to all of your edges, you will simply take your quilt and toss it in the wash on a cold cycle, and dry on low (the Chenille-It can be dried on warm, but I prefer to dry my quilts on low). Chenille-It provides finishing instructions on the label of each roll so be sure to read the full label before washing your project.
I recommend adding a Shout Color Catcher just to prevent any potential bleeding with your fabric and/or the Chenille-It. When I washed the pictured table runner, I did have a slight amount of black transfer to the Color Catcher.
Once dry, your Chenille-It should be "bloomed" and cover your edges completely. It may take more than one wash/dry cycle for the edges to completely bloom. You can either wash/dry again or you can also use a soft brush to finish "blooming" the additional spots. I use a fingernail brush similar to this one here but Chenille-It's website has a Chenille brush you can purchase as well.
And there you have it! It really is that simple to add a fun touch to your quilt binding. I hope you give it a try and be sure to use the hashtag #fourthdownquilt on Instagram if you try it on the Fourth Down pattern.
One last note to be sure to follow Chenille-It on Instagram for more inspiration for using texture to enhance your quilts!
This post is not sponsored by Chenille-It...I really just love the product that much!
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