How to Cut & Bind a Piece of Carpet

Cutting the Carpet

• 1

  Choose a flat, clean surface to work on. A concrete floor or a work bench top are ideal. Use a piece of cardboard or other protective surface between the work area and the carpet if you are concerned about damage from cutting.

• 2

  Turn the carpet remnant over with the backing side up and place it on the work surface.

• 3

  Mark the back of the carpet with the dimensions you require. Use a dark-colored marking pen and a metal-edge ruler to layout dimensions on the backing.

• 4

  Cut through the backing with the carpet laying flat and the backing side face up on the work surface. Place the straight edge along the outline you drew. Run a sharp utility knife along its edge for the straightest cut. Cut all four sides. Cut from the back because it's easier to mark and see the dimensions, as well as to see the cutting surface.

Binding the Carpet

• 5

  Purchase twill binding tape from a fabric store. Choose a width of at least 1/2 inch and enough yardage to bind all the sides. Find a heavy-duty nylon thread that matches the tape.

• 6

  Choose a sewing machine needle meant for heavy-duty fabrics such as denim or brocades. Load the needle and thread on the machine

• 7

  Fold twill tape over the carpet remnant raw edges and begin stitching. Start the tape at the middle of one side and stitch with the backing side down and the yarn side facing up. Stitch through both layers of the tape. When you reach a corner stop with the machine's needle in the carpet, lift the presser foot, turn the carpet (with the needle inside) 90 degrees, drop the presser foot back into place and keep stitching.

• 8

  Stitch the tape around all four edges. Once you meet the starting point, continue stitching over the existing tape about 1 inch by pulling the binding tape over the starting point and stitching it into place.

• 9

  Cut the tape away from its spool or card. You can fold the edges of the tape ends under before stitching the last part of the tape into place or stitch the tape into place by cutting it and then dabbing some white glue along its edges to keep it from fraying.