How to Add a Message to Quilt Binding

June 1, 2026

Looking for a way to add a special message beyond a traditional quilt label? This personalized quilt binding technique lets you stitch a message directly into the edge of the quilt itself. Whether it's a name, term of endearment, an inside joke, or a note of encouragement, the binding becomes part of the story.

In this tutorial, I'll show you how I created a custom quilt binding using Quilt Tattoo® Ransom Letters.

Step 1: Stitch Your Message Together

Start by selecting the letters you need from your Quilt Tattoo® panel. For this example, I'm using Ransom Letters in Stratosphere.

Arrange the letters in the order you'd like them to appear, then sew them together into a single strip.

Step 2: Adjust the Height

To make the letter strip work as binding, you'll need to bring it up to the same height as your binding strip.

Because I'm sewing my binding to the front of the quilt and wrapping it to the back for hand stitching, I need to add fabric above the letters until the total height matches my binding width. My example uses a 2½-inch-wide binding strip. If you use a different binding width, you'll likely need to adjust these measurements accordingly.

Step 3: Add the Binding Strips

Once your message strip is the correct height, sew binding fabric to each side of the message.

You should now have a continuous binding strip with your phrase built directly into it.

Step 4: Attach the Binding

Fold the binding strip in half lengthwise, just as you would with any standard quilt binding.

For this demonstration, I've intentionally used contrasting colors so it's easier to see what's happening. The quilt front is brown, the quilt back is dusty pink, and the added height above the letters comes from our Starburst print. The colors are doing a lot here, but the idea of incorporating Starburst into a binding has definitely sparked a few ideas for a future project.

Place the binding and quilt right sides together so the letters are facing the quilt front. Sew the binding to the quilt using a ¼-inch seam allowance.

Step 5: Wrap and Finish

Wrap the binding around to the back of the quilt and hand stitch it in place.

When finished, your message becomes part of the binding itself—a detail that's visible every time the quilt is unfolded, used, or gifted.

Why Put a Message in the Binding?

Traditional quilt labels are wonderful, but adding words directly into the binding creates a detail that's impossible to miss. It's a great way to include: