OK I made this resolution to get bindings on all the finished quilts. Four quilts that need binding. I made all the bindings as I finished the tops. First one I do, the binding is about 15 inches short!!!!! I'm freaking out!! I gave the extra fabric away!! My only hope is that my daughter is the one who has the extra fabric and hasn't used it yet. I made this quilt last spring and it took my LA quilter 6 months to get it back to me; so there's no hope of getting more from the LQS. New resolution "Add extra, extra inches to measurment for binding!!!

OH ! so very sorry ! I do hope you find the fabric !

Do you mean you've sewn the binding on already and came up short? Or that you measured and it's short? If it's not sewn on, perhaps you can do a patchwork binding, using the fabric you meant to use all along plus scraps here and there of other fabrics from the quilt. Depending on the quilt style, it could be more beautiful than just using the original fabric.

You could always post a looking for picture on the board and we can all check to see if we have it. Sounds as though the fabric is pretty recent so there's a good chance!

make that last 15" a different color and sign that part. in other words, make that your label. just embroider or write with a pigma whatever you usually do, name, year, place. i think it will appear to be deliberate.

Yes I was sewing it on and didn't know it was too short. I thought I'd be ahead if I made my bindings as soon as I finish the tops. So this one has been waiting for some time.

What a great idea!! I've learned so much on this site from clever quilters like you!!

Check out ebay and see if you can find it there. And good luck!

Just reinforces my motto - "never throw scraps away" The one with the most scraps when they die wins!!! I hope your daughter still has it. If not, I really like Butterflywing's idea!

Crisis averted!!! My daughter just returned my call and she has my fabric!!! I will never scold her again for not doing something with the fabric she gets from me. Great - maybe I can use her house for storage of extra fabric...Just a thought.

For some odd reason, I have always been paranoid about this happening to me. So whenever I make binding for a quilt I actually run it along the edge of the quilt with ample fold put on each corner to account for the mitering before I start sewing it on. I have never come up short but I have a ziploc baggie full of "bits 'o binding" ranging from a foot in length to several feet. No worries, I will end up sewing it all together and using it to bind a scrap quilt.

Great Idea!
LOL Although I don't have much fabric wouldn't this still be nice for all the other "junk" around here. To bad my daughter is only six I have a LONG time before I will be passing my "junk" on to her!

Good luck getting your binding done. Don't let this minor issue throw you off course for getting the projects done!

So glad you found more fabric for your binding! feline fanatic mentions running the binding around the edge of the quilt to make sure there's enough. I've also been told to do that to make sure the seams in the binding don't wind up in the corners, where it makes it harder to get a good mitre. I never have done that, but I do keep my scraps of binding in a separate plastic shoe box, and they get used on scrap quilts.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and words of encouragement. Experience is the best teacher - I'm not getting rid of any scraps until the quilt is completely DONE!!!

What a great idea-I never would have thought of that! I might try that on a wall quilt I'm about to start!

Glad it all worked out! How frustrating when we run short!! :D:D

I love that idea, too!

I read your first post with a sinking heart - as quilters I think we've all had that "oh no!" moment one way or another. But I'm so glad this has a happy ending.

You could just always cut one or two strips of binding width more than what you're sure you'll need. After awhile you'll have enough strips to make a scrappy sring quilt.

lol I'm the same way. I usually use those extra bits for testing when my machine is going wonky. I never throw them out because "some day" I'll use them. Scraps multiply like bunnies...