A binding "tail"

I spent a few minutes yesterday morning reviewing my list of UFOs and decided it was time to reduce the size of the list.  I tackled two quilts that needed binding and a label; a good place to start.  While sewing the binding on the first one, a friend commented that the tip I had shown her was one that she continues to use.  Just in case some of you could use a binding tip, here is what I showed her.

I attach the binding to my quilts by leaving a loose "tail" at the beginning and end, sewing around the entire quilt till I reach about 12 inches (30 cm) from where I started.  Here's a simple diagram.

Take the two loose ends and fold them along the edge of the quilt till they meet within 1/8 of an inch like this picture.

Now press the folds.  Open both ends of the binding out so that the left side is facing right-side up and the right side is facing right-side down.  Line up the pressed fold lines so that they form a + .  Like this:

Pin the binding together and now sew diagonally through the + like this, keeping the loose ends of the binding to your right and the quilt to the left.

Once you have sewn the ends together, it's a good idea to check to make sure that you have sewn the diagonal correctly before cutting off the extra tails left over.

TA DA!  it will fit every time.  So now I have two quilts bound...just the label and hand stitching to do.   Till the next time!!