Finishing a quilt comes down to the edges, and how you desire to bind them. For something a little more decorative than a plain straight edge, bind your quilt with triangles, also known as prairie points. Many quilters may not consider prairie points as a binding, but binding a quilt is closing and finishing the edges, which is exactly what a prairie point edging will do. Triangles can be made using scraps of fabrics used in the quilt, or one fabric that coordinates with the quilt's design.
Instructions
1. Cut 3-inch squares from fabric that coordinates with your quilt. The amount of squares needed will depend on the size of your quilt and the size of the overlap on each triangle.
2. Place one square on your ironing surface with the wrong side facing up. Fold the square in half diagonally, folding down the top right corner to the bottom left corner. Press the fold using an iron. Do not unfold the triangle.
3. Fold the triangle in half and press the fold. You now have a folded triangle with the raw edges on the bottom edge. One side edge of the triangle will have one fold and the other side edge will have two folds layered on top of each other. This is one prairie point. Repeat with each square.
4. Lay your quilted quilt on a flat surface. Note: Your quilting stitches need to be at least 1 inch from the edges of the quilt. Trim the edges of the quilt top, batting and backing even with each other.
5. Lay the raw edge of one prairie point on a raw edge of the quilt. Point the top of the triangle toward the center of the quilt. Slide the triangle to a corner of the quilt. Fit the end of the triangle into the corner. Pin the triangle to the quilt top and batting. Do not attach it to the backing fabric.
6. Lay another triangle on the quilt's edge, beside the first one. Overlap the ends a 1/2 inch. Pin the triangle to the quilt top and batting. Repeat with additional triangles to the next corner of the quilt. Adjust the overlap as needed to fit the last triangle end into the corner. Pin triangles to the remaining side edges in the same way.
7. Fold the edge of the backing out of the way. Using a sewing machine, sew the pinned prairie points to the quilt edge using a 1/4-inch seam allowance.
8. Turn the quilt with the backing side facing up. Fold the prairie points outward and press the raw edges of the seam toward the inside of the quilt.
9. Fold 1/4 inch on the edge of the backing fabric to the wrong side and press. Lay the folded backing edge over the seam of the prairie points. This will cover the raw edges and the stitch line. Pin the backing edge to secure.
10. Hand-sew the pinned edge using an invisible seam stitch.
