Any binding advise about machine binding?
 

I need to machine bind a quilt that is going to get some pretty hard use and need to machine bind it. However my past experience with that has not been a good one. I keep missing the edge on the back.

The last time I tried this I completely missed the edging on the backing. Thank goodness it was a decorative stitch...it just framed the quilt so I didn't have to take it all out.

Any tips or tricks to be able to catch both sides?

Thanks in advance,
Dray

You can machine stitch the binding to the back of the quilt. Then use a decorative stitch to the front. There are You Tube videos on how to do this. I just did this and it was OK. I much prefer the look of hand stitching.

When I want to stitch the binding in place by machine, I fold it to the back a bit at a time and I put a straight pin from the front to catch it in place. The pins are vertical to the binding. right where you want to machine stitch. I do take care to pin two or three pins on the corners. The one I just made worked well. I got all four corners sewn down well. Sometimes I do miss one. good luck. (I remove my pins as I sew along)

You could also cut your binding a little bigger. That's what I did on my last quilt and it worked perfectly.

Sharon Schamber's YouTube video "Binding the Angel" is a good one to watch. She uses glue to hold the binding down on both sides of the quilt and I believe she talks about machine sewing it down as well as hand sewing. hth

Have you ever considered using a fusible strip to fuse the binding in place and then when you don't have to fight the binding. Fuse it, then sew it.

I know a lot of people machine stitch their binding but I really like to hand stitch the second round. Never had a problem with it wearing out before anything else. Good luck with your binding.

Here's what helps me.

First, I don't iron the binding in half before starting; this allows the binding to roll easier.

Second, after sewing the binding to the back side of the quilt, I *iron* the binding away from the quilt (again, not ironing a crease into the binding). This step helps a lot to make it easier to fold the binding over evenly to the other side.

Third, I glue baste the binding to the front, just barely covering the stitching line. Glue basting is worth every minute of the time it takes, and it doesn't take that long (especially if I have done step #2, which helps a lot).

If using a serpentine stitch or zigzag, I sew the binding onto the front with the middle mark of the presser foot lined up with the edge of the binding (that has been glued down). Serpentine is very forgiving, and as long as you have done the above steps you will be sure to catch both sides of the binding. If using a blind-hem stitch, I try to stitch just a thread to the left of the stitching line. To do this, I use my fingernail to lift up the glued binding just slightly so I can see the stitching line in order to stitch right next to it. (It's a *lot* easier to use a serpentine stitch or zigzag. Most decorative stitches have a center line that needs to fall almost on the stitching line, and it is that straight-line precision that makes it so difficult to get the stitching to look good on both sides.)

I machine stitch to the front side....then flip to the backside and using either liquid washable glue or fusible (in a roll) fix the binding in place so it just covers the stitching line....then machine stitch from the front side right at the edge or SITD on the seam line....either way you catch the backside....all done and you have a nice strong binding.....sometimes I use a deco stitch, specially for a child to give it a bit of zing!