I just dont get it. I have taken classes, watched video's and bought a thousand gadgets. I do have to admit my mitered corners are much better but no matter how I try I cannot get both the front and the back stitching straight when applying a binding with a machine.

The only thing I do worse than apply a binding by machine is doing any type of hand stitching so that option is out. The back of the binding would come undone with the first washing.

I have stitched on the front and folded to the back and SID. I have stitched on the back and folded to the front and topstitched. I have stitched on the back and decoratively stitched the front. No matter what the stitching on the back looks like a snake. I tried a Martelli thing but it was not any better than using a 1/4 inch accufeed foot on my machine.

I have glued. I have clipped. I have pinned. I have stiched super slow to be accurate. It never ends up exactly straight.

I have cut the binding strip 2 1/2. 2 1/4 and even 2 3/4.

I feel like Im the only idiot who cannot figure this out. Thank God I have only given quilts to people who have no clue about quilting. I would be embarrassed if anybody who knows how to quilt would look at these bindings.

NO, you're not an idiot!! (Well, if you are, then I am too :lol: :lol: :lol: ) because I can't do it by machine either. I sew my binding to the front by machine and then wrap around to the back and hand sew. If I do it any other way, it looks, well, funky :lol: :lol:

I do not even try to miter any corner. I also sew binding to the front by machine and hand stitch by hand in the back.

I too can not machine stitch binding to the back of a quilt! I machine sew to the front flip to the back and then do a ladder stitch so none of my stitches are seen, I aline all my stitches just a thread or two BELOW the machine stitches from where I stitched the binding on the front! Nothing is seen and it looks clean!

Whew! I'm with you. I thought I was the ONLY one that didn't like the looks of the stitching on the back when done by machine. I suppose if I scruptiously measured the binding that was folded over, then secured it well, it might turn out decent. But that seems so laborious. So I am relegated to forever hand whip stitching my bindings :(

Thats how I do my bindings BUT when I get to the corners
They are a mess.

I've only done a couple that I machine sewed the back. I usually hand sew the binding down. However, on the second machine stitched (the first was a mess and took it out and hand stitched), what I did was attach binding to the front. Then I folded binding to the back, but I pinned on the front, in the ditch (parallel to the edge), really close together, making sure the pins were inside the edge of the binding on the back. I tacked the mitered corners in place, then sewed in the ditch on the front. I went pretty slow, but it turned out pretty good. By pinning close together, my binding didn't fold or creep like the first one I tried.

I think this is the best machine quilt binding technique I have seen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wprg5...os=1nZBY_XIxcw

If you have a feather stitch on your machine, I think it would look fantastic on both sides.

I just had to do two today. Both lap size. The first was a mess. Luckily it is going to my dad and he wont care! The second went better. I just was super duper careful and luckily my bobbin thread was a dead on color match. Neither are show quality for sure.

I will share my miter corner trick from the class. You pin the binding, then you mark a 45 degree angle on the binding from the corner out about a half inch. I stick a pin along that line. Then you sew to where you hit the line (and the pin). You pivot and sew along the line to the corner. You fold the binding up along the stitch line--making the angle. Lightly press the angle. Fold binding back down. Square and press. When you undo the corner after all the sewing, grab the corner of the binding with your teeth (I swear this is what we did in class!) and grab the sides with your fingers and give a little snap. If you need to clip the excess batting etc at the corner.

I think I will just have to be very careful and practice. I glue or pin ALOT.

I have to sew mine to the front and hand sew to the back too.
I have tried to do it all by machine and it doesn't look good at all. I know practice makes perfect but I've done alot of practicing and I've given up on it. :shock: