How many machine bind their quilts?
10-14-2012, 07:01 AM
#81
Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 198
I typically machine sew all my bindings down. I started out machine stitching until I was comfortable enough to do it by hand, but after sitting for nearly five hours stitching a huge quilt on a time crunch I machine bind. I haven't made any show quilts or anything that would need perfection. Also, after the quilt is quilted I usually let is sit for a few weeks before I want to consider cutting and sewing binding. After I sew the binding to the back, my quilt sits until I want to devote a few hours to machine stitching it down. I just try to stay on the stitching that holds the other side of the bind down.
10-14-2012, 08:02 AM
#82
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Northwest New Jersey
Posts: 168
I machine bind all my quilts. I cannot physically sit and hand sew a great big quilt. Like others have said, I make the binding 3 inches and then fold in half. Attach to the back and pull to the front. Sometimes I just straight stitich in a thread to match the quilting thread so when it shows on the back it coordinates as wellas on the front.I have used straight stitches which sort of look like a frame on the back. I have also done the front with zig zag stitches. Some other decorative stitches look great too.
10-14-2012, 08:04 AM
#83
Power Poster
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 26,325
I always machine stitch the binding on. They can look great. If you are skilled with a sewing machine you can get a beautiful result. I cut 2.5" binding fabric and press it in half. Then I sew a 1/4" seam with the binding on the front. When I turn it to the back I pin it around, and stitch in the ditch on the top side, catching just inside the edge of the binding on the back side. If you move the binding away from the seam as you stitch in the ditch, it will be totally hidden once the binding relaxes back into place. No visible stitching on the front, and a nice edge stitch on the back.
I am not about to sit and hand stitch binding down, no matter how "traditional" that is... Consequently, I don't mind binding my quilts at all! I actually enjoy it.
I am not about to sit and hand stitch binding down, no matter how "traditional" that is... Consequently, I don't mind binding my quilts at all! I actually enjoy it.
Last edited by sewbizgirl; 10-14-2012 at 08:06 AM.
10-14-2012, 09:31 AM
#84
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Upstate NY, north of Syracuse Area
Posts: 6,003
I always machine bind my quilts. I cannot do the hand sewing due to physical restraints. I have made a lot of quilts in the 2.5 years I've been quilting and have not had one complaint about the machine binding. Sometimes I use the decorative stitches, sometimes a straight stitch. It depends on the style of the quilt.
One thing I like to do if it works with the stitch pattern is to make it longer so the zigzag is further apart than the stitch design is meant to be. This stretches the pattern over a longer distance and uses less thread.
It doesn't work well on flowers but is great on leaves and can be done on hearts to a moderate degree. Just try it on scrap till you find what works for you. I use fleece for backings so the tight zigzag sometimes will bind up in the fleece.
One thing I like to do if it works with the stitch pattern is to make it longer so the zigzag is further apart than the stitch design is meant to be. This stretches the pattern over a longer distance and uses less thread.
It doesn't work well on flowers but is great on leaves and can be done on hearts to a moderate degree. Just try it on scrap till you find what works for you. I use fleece for backings so the tight zigzag sometimes will bind up in the fleece.
10-14-2012, 12:51 PM
#86
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: proctor,wv
Posts: 1,395
I too love the look of the hand binding. I have done some machine binding, mostly on lap robes and baby quilts. I love to sit and watch tv and sew binding on, once the quilt is all finished. But it looks like the decorative stitching would work really well, too. I think we do whatever we have the time for. As long as you are making quilts.
10-14-2012, 05:18 PM
#87
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: S C michigan
Posts: 2,118
cat. that is a real nice binding will have to check out the tut. i just machine binded a twin quilt tonite. just got done. usable, service quilts i machine bind. i don't exhibit. i'm not that fussy of a quilteder. but i like them done nicely. my dear jane, i hand sewed the binding on the scalloped edge. nice, nice quilts, i hand sew the binding.
10-14-2012, 09:58 PM
#89
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Lake Villa, Illinois
Posts: 278
I do not like to bind my quilts. I have 9 quilts waiting to be bound. That must tell you how much I don't like binding quilts. I want to machine bind them all.
I know they don't look as good. I know that 100%. My LQS owner bound my last quilt and she machine bound it with flowers and it looked wonderful. I want to try it. It wasn't a straight stitch, so it didn't matter that it wasn't straight all the way around.
It was a wide flowery stitch, about 1/4" wide. What is your opinion? I use to hand bind years and years and years ago. I need these done by Christmas and the only way I will get them done is to machine sew them.
I even send them out to be bound (shame on me). But I want to do it myself and machine sew them. Is that so awful? The people they are going to don't quilt. So they won't know the difference.
I know they don't look as good. I know that 100%. My LQS owner bound my last quilt and she machine bound it with flowers and it looked wonderful. I want to try it. It wasn't a straight stitch, so it didn't matter that it wasn't straight all the way around.
It was a wide flowery stitch, about 1/4" wide. What is your opinion? I use to hand bind years and years and years ago. I need these done by Christmas and the only way I will get them done is to machine sew them.
I even send them out to be bound (shame on me). But I want to do it myself and machine sew them. Is that so awful? The people they are going to don't quilt. So they won't know the difference.
10-14-2012, 10:16 PM
#90
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Mechanicsville, IA
Posts: 1,497
I just machine finished a quilt for a client. I used 2 1/2 inch binding pressed in half and sprayed with starch per Sharon Schamber. I sewed it to the front with 1/4 inch seam. Then used Wonder Clips to make sure I had enough on the back to catch when I SID'd from the front. I only had to go back and restitch 2 small places where I didn't catch the binding on the back. I did a little hand stitching to secure the corners. My personal preference is using ladder stitch to hand bind with 1/4 inch or smaller stitches. I love hand work and do hand binding professionally as well. But I think however they are done its nice to have them finished and being used.
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