Easy Lace Edge Tutorial

Hi friends! I have a quick little tutorial I want to share with you for adding a lace trim edge to your quilting. It’s so simple, but I had trouble figuring out which way to fold mine to get nice corners so I figured maybe someone else would appreciate pictures too.

Today I’ve made a simple nine patch mug rug, I have my binding and trim all ready and clips holding it in place for starting. My favorite binding method is from Jera Brandvig of Quilting in the Rain which can be found in her book Quilt As You Go Made Modern. Her method takes all the math work out of closing up your binding strip and has turned the dreaded last step of the process into a breeze. I machine sew all my binding mostly because I am just too lazy to hand bind but I also feel that my binding will hold up better over time having been machine stitched (After all, its gotta hold up under the wear and tear of my three boys!).

Sew your lace and binding on at the same time, stopping when you get a few inches from the corner. With your quilt still in place under the sewing needle, move the binding to the side so you have room to make a neat corner with the lace. Leaving a little slack in your lace, lay flat along the bottom edge and push out to the corner.

Finger press your corner and play with it until you have a neat angled corner. Use a clip to hold into place while you sew your binding to the corner as you would normally. Repeat with all four corners and close off your binding.

Once you have attached the lace and binding, fold the binding to the back side and clip into place. I stitch in the ditch on the front side of my quilts just along the edge of the binding, making sure to catch the back of the binding as I go. If you miss a spot, just go over it again when you are done and it wont be noticeable.

As you can see, I’ve trimmed the lace so it overlaps a little. You could whip stitch the two ends together to give it extra hold as well. You can also see a closeup of my closed off binding. I know some people prefer a seamless look but for me it was so stressful doing the math and trying to get any uneven bumps out that I’ll take this little overlap pocket look and save myself the stress. For me, quilting is about enjoying the process and pouring love into something that will be a treasured gift.

Sweet little mug rug ready for a hot cup of tea. Fabrics and lace are La Conner by Jera Brandvig for Lecien Fabrics. I added simple hand quilting using Brillo from Aurifil which has a golden shimmer to it and goes nicely with the bits of metallic in these fabrics. This is a line you need to see in person to get the full beauty of those sparkles. (Insert heart eyes emoji here).

I hope this little tutorial was helpful, feel free to let me know if you have any questions.