Skyangel

After years of trying the edge-stitching foot and moving my needle over, and sticking it down with wash-away wonder tape to keep it in place I was still not happy with the result. I have just learned a new technique using a flat felling foot (used for the double-needle seem on jeans). I sew it to the back, then use this foot to top stitch it down on the front. It has a deep groove underneath for the binding to ride when I sew it down. I use the 8mm felling foot for my Bernina (#71) and cut my strips at 2". I got a decent finish my first try without practice.

I found this technique on a blog and all I can cay is THANK YOU to the bloger:

http://awomanaday.com/2013/01/17/hap...nding-edition/

charlottequilts

Thanks for posting your technique, krafty14. I am about to handsew a binding but have been attacked by trigger thumb, so I'm looking for an alternative. I'm thinking that machine sewing it is actually harder to get right, but I may need to try it.

hugs,
Charlotte

quiltingbuddy

Thanks Skyangel, guess I'll have to get the #71 foot for my machine. Thanks for the tut! This is probably just what I was looking for. The binding with the little flange is nice too! Thanks everyone!

jmoore

I must have missed this post somewhere along the way but I am anxious to try it on my WIP baby charity quilt. Thanks for re-posting.

maviskw

This is my way, but I learned it from others:
1. Sew binding onto the front.
2. Iron that seam open very carefully. Press binding away from quilt.
3. Turn quilt upside down and put a line of Washable School Glue on the seam allowance. Work on a few feet at a time.
4. Fold binding to just past the seam line, about 1/8th inch. Press with hot iron. Put extra glue at the corners.
5. Stitch in the Ditch from the front.

I can get a large quilt trimmed, binding sewn on, trimmed again, glued and sewn in about 3 to 4 hours. The back shows a stitching line about 1/8th from the edge of binding.
I found the best place to do this is on the bed. I place the folded up ironing board at the foot of the bed, and the bed holds the bulk of the quilt so I don't have to rassle with it falling off the ironing board. A large table behind the ironing board might work, too.

ManiacQuilter2

Thanks for all the post. Having finally found a LAQ to finish yo my charity tops, I am going to be overwhelm with a lot of biding. The flange looks interesting but how do you deal with the bulk in the corner? Maybe I just didn't read far enough. I have always done traditional binding all my life but my arthritic hands would NOT survive hand stitching of this much binding. Two quilts are ready and two quilts are at the LAQ and I have prepped two more quilts to be sent to the LAQ when I received the two currently at her place. I HOPE I make some sort of DENT in my UFO pile !!!

Maggiemay

I always sew my binding by machine. I stitch to the front, press then turn pinning with long quilting pins to the back. I pin from the front in the seam making sure my pins catch the fabric where I want to stitch. I remove the pins as I stitch in the ditch from the front side.

lorimax5859

Thanks for posting. Can't wait to try it.

CAS49OR

I did a skinny binding yesterday, 2" and stitched it to the back with straight stitch 1/4" from the edge, then pressed it to the front and did a wide and long decorative stitch that straddled the seam -- so it is half on the quilt top and half on the binding.

pjnesler

I've used the Flange method many times, the contrasting strip adds a nice touch to lots of quilts, but if you've got nice points coming out to the edge of your quilt it does cover them up - I'm going to try that Flat Felled technique from the blogger, looks like it could work pretty well! When I hand sew my bindings, I end up with very sore fingers, I just can't seem to get use to wearing a thimble - drives me crazy.