Binding
Construction — one of 70 in the glossary
A strip of fabric wrapped around a raw edge and stitched down, enclosing it so it cannot fray and giving the edge a finished line. It is both a construction method and a design device: binding in a contrast colour at a neckline, armhole or hem is one of the cheapest ways to make a plain garment look considered.
Enclosing an edge
A hem folds the fabric back on itself and stitches it down. Binding wraps a separate strip around the edge instead, enclosing it from both sides.
That makes it useful where a fold would be too bulky or would not lie flat — curved edges such as armholes and necklines especially.
It also adds a little structure, which is why a bound neckline holds its shape better than a raw or coverstitched one on some garments.
As a design device
Contrast binding is highly visible for very little cost, which is why it turns up on tanks, athletic wear and children's clothing.
Self-binding, cut from the body fabric, is the discreet version and keeps the colour an exact match.
Jersey binding stretches with a knit; woven binding does not, which is a functional choice as much as a visual one.
For a decorator
Binding is a double or triple thickness at the edge, so a press cannot bear evenly across it and a print crossing it will be uneven.
On tanks, bound armholes narrow the usable print area more than the garment's flat width suggests.
Treat bound edges as the boundary of the design rather than as something to run across.
Common questions
- What is binding on a garment?
- A strip of fabric wrapped around a raw edge and stitched down to enclose it, so it cannot fray. It finishes the edge and can add a contrast detail.
- What is the difference between binding and a hem?
- A hem folds the fabric back on itself; binding wraps a separate strip around the edge. Binding suits curved edges like armholes where a fold would not lie flat.
- Can you print over binding?
- Not evenly — binding is a double or triple thickness, so a press cannot bear flat across it. Treat a bound edge as the boundary of the print area.
See also
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