Quilt Binding Calculator: Strips and Yardage for Straight Grain or Bias Binding

Binding is the narrow strip that wraps and finishes the edges of a quilt. Enter your quilt size and strip width to get the number of strips to cut and the yardage to buy, or switch to bias binding for the size of the square to start from.

Machines that make binding a big quilt easier

Stitching 30 feet of binding through a bed quilt goes faster on a machine with room to the right of the needle and a knee lift to free your hands.

Beginner

Juki

Juki TL-2000Qi Long-Arm Sewing and Quilting Machine

$999.00

A fast straight-stitch machine with a large work area for sewing binding to big quilts.

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Intermediate

Juki

Juki TL-2010Q High-Speed Sewing and Quilting Machine

$1,199.00

Adds an automatic thread trimmer and a knee lifter with up to 12 mm of lift, handy at every corner.

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Expert

Janome

Janome HD9 Professional High-Speed Straight Stitch Machine

$1,599.00

A professional straight-stitch machine with adjustable presser foot pressure up to 5 lb for thick binding seams.

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How do you calculate how much binding a quilt needs?

Binding length is the distance around the quilt plus a little extra for turning corners and joining the ends. Yardage then depends on how you cut it. For straight grain binding, strips are cut across the width of fabric and joined end to end with diagonal seams.

1. Find the perimeter. Add all four sides: 2 x (90 + 95) = 370 inches for a queen.
2. Add the extra. 370 + 12 = 382 inches of binding.
3. Find the usable length of one strip. A strip from 42 inch cotton is about 40 inches long after trimming selvages, and each diagonal join uses roughly one strip width. At 2 1/2 inches wide, each strip adds about 40 minus 2 1/2 = 37.5 inches.
4. Count strips and round up. 382 / 37.5 = 10.19, so cut 11 strips.
5. Convert to yards. 11 strips x 2 1/2 inches = 27.5 inches of fabric, which rounds up to 7/8 yard.

Bias binding uses an area method instead. A square of fabric with side s holds about s x s / strip width inches of continuous bias. Solve for s with the length you need: the square root of 382 x 2 1/2 = 955 is about 30.9, and the calculator adds two strip widths for the diagonal ends, so start with a 36 inch square, 1 yard of fabric.

How many binding strips does each quilt size need?

Every row uses 2 1/2 inch strips, 12 inches of extra and 40 inches of usable width. Each size links to a page with step-by-step binding instructions for that quilt.

What width should you cut quilt binding strips?

Strip width sets how wide the binding looks on the front and how snugly it wraps the batting. Wider strips need a little more fabric but are more forgiving to sew. Here is the same 90 x 95 inch queen at five common widths.

The widths above describe double-fold binding, where the strip is folded in half lengthwise before sewing. Single-fold binding uses strips about half as wide and is less common on bed quilts because it has only one layer at the edge, which is where a quilt wears first.

Is straight grain or bias binding better?

Straight grain binding is cut across the width of fabric, which has a little stretch, and it is the standard for quilts with straight edges. It is quick to cut, easy to join, and uses slightly less fabric than bias on most sizes. Bias binding is cut at 45 degrees to the threads. It stretches and curves smoothly, so it is the only good choice for scalloped, rounded or curved edges.

Bias also wears differently. On straight grain binding, a single thread runs along the entire fold, and when that thread wears through on a well-used bed quilt, the fold splits along its length. On bias binding, the threads cross the fold at an angle, spreading wear across many threads. That is why many quilters choose bias for heirloom quilts even when the edges are straight. Stripes and plaids cut on the bias also make an eye-catching candy-stripe edge.

Should you sew binding by hand or by machine?

Almost everyone attaches binding to the front of the quilt by machine. The difference is the finish on the back. Hand finishing gives an invisible edge and is relaxing work in a comfortable chair with good light. Machine finishing is much faster and stronger for quilts that will be washed often, like baby and picnic quilts.

Size is where machine choice shows up. Binding a throw is easy on any machine. Binding a queen means guiding roughly 32 feet of edge while the weight of the whole quilt hangs off the table. A machine with a larger work area to the right of the needle and a knee lift, which raises the presser foot so both hands stay on the quilt at every corner, makes that job far more pleasant. For backing and batting, use the quilt backing calculator and the batting size calculator, and see our step-by-step guide to binding a quilt.