One
way is to fold the seam allowances inside the quilt, pin the front and
back together, and then hand or machine stitch around the outside of
the quilt to secure the edges.Because you do this with the quilt top and backing facing out, you can finish your quilting before you close the edges of the quilt. The benefit of this is that most of the time, your quilting causes the fabric to shift and after quilting, the edges most probably will not line up as they did before you started quilting.
Finishing your quilt using the knife-edge technique after your quilt is quilted allows you the benefit of trimming the edges of your quilt, so they will lay flat.
The second method of finishing your quilt using the knife-edge technique is to layer your quilt with the top and backing facing right sides together, add a layer of batting (or flannel) and then stitch around the edges of your quilt, leaving an opening.
Once
the edges have been sewn, you can trim the seam allowances, if you
like, cut the tips off of the corners of the quilt, and then turn the
quilt inside out - which actually means that the right sides will now
be facing out.Flatten the quilt, and then finish the edges in the opening. To do that, you fold the seam allowances on the top and backing inside, pin the edges and stitch them closed - either by machine or using a blind stitch by hand.
If you use the second method, I recommend tying your quilt. If you either hand quilt or machine quilt a quilt that has been finished this way, you are very likely to get puckers and tucks at the edges of your quilt - due to the fabric shifting during your quilting.
Happy Quilting!
Penny Halgren
www.TheQuiltingCoach.com
Learn 6 Different Ways to Bind Your Quilts with Perfection - You'll Have Smooth and Square Mitered Corners; Hand Sewn Blind Stitches that are Completely Hidden; a Smooth Closing Where the Beginning and End of the Binding Meets; and Even Edges All the Way Around Your Quilt.
