franc36

One thing that really helped me with binding is a tip I learned here--wrap your binding around something like the cardboard from a toilet paper roll, put a ribbon or cord through it and tie it around your neck. This allows the binding to come off without any twists. I use a roller that is much heavier than the one which comes out of toilet paper; but it is about that size. Another thing I do is cut, press the binding, and roll it on the cardboard roller before I start piecing the quilt top. (I see now that lots of people are no longer pressing the binding.) When it is time to apply the binding, everything is ready and I'm excited to be putting on the finishing touches. I sew the binding to the front, trim the excess fabric and batting, and have a relaxing time hand sewing the back of the binding as I watch TV. I have The Binding Tool which makes joining the binding easy. The two things that made me not like binding was that I had so much trouble joining the binding and the fact that my binding was getting so twisted as I tried to sew it on. With those two problems solved, I love, love, love sewing on binding. I do enjoy hand sewing, perhaps that helps. I hope that you will soon learn to enjoy putting on binding. Really, it is fun!

jcrow

But what about cutting all the 2 1/2" (if that's your size) and then sewing them end to end and clipping off the edges and ironing the joined pieces? That seems so time consuming. Just that alone puts me off. Then I have to think about sewing it all around the quilt and (I iron it right sides together, which I think I might not anymore) then turning it over and I've tried machine stitching and it looks really bad, so when I hand stitch it, it seems to take days and days. I have paid my LQS owner to bind my quilts. Actually, I gave her my quilt to give to a gal, but she did it instead for me and I was so embarrassed but she machine stitched it with a pretty decorative stitch and it looked so nice and I told her I was embarrassed that she did it and she said she had fun doing it because she always hand stitches and I had said it was okay to machine stitch and she liked how it turned out and she planned on trying it on her next quilt. Anyway, I am still embarrassed that she bound it. She is the nicest person in the whole world and one of my best friends and she does things like that for me. But, I want to bind. You all make it sound delicious, but I keep thinking of the beginning of the binding. All the strips to be sewn together and clipped and ironed down. Now, I love to iron...love, love, love to iron. Love to cut. Love, love, love to cut. But stick me with the 1/2 yard for binding and I get a sinking feeling. If I could just get it on the quilt, I think I could machine or hand stitch it. It's just that process that I have trouble with. I love piecing quilts. I love making blocks. I can make a gazillion of the same blocks over and over again. It's just the first part of the binding. And I have about 9 quilts that need binding. And it costs about $45 to have them bound from beginning to end. Lots of money for me.

auntpiggylpn

I guess the only thing I like about binding is cutting the strips to do it! I bind because it is a must. I am getting better at it and have adopted many techniques gathered here on the QB. I also switched to only using binding cut on the bias. For me, the bias binding is more forgiving than straight of grain and I can get it to lay flat, no bubbles or wrinkles. I machine sew it to the front but I am hand stitching it down on the back. I am never happy with my bindings when I machine sew the back down. It takes me a while due to neuropathy in my hand but the end result is sooooo worth it!

Jingle

I like all the quilt making process. When I hand sew the binding to the back I race a radio program or listen to a movie on TV, not a TV watcher. I put the quilt on dining table and just sew. I always finish one quilt before I start another, I have no ufos, only some pieces to make into a quilt, I do plan on using those up.

Chicca

For quite a long time, I hated to do the bindings. But, knowing I can not afford to pay someone to do it for me and I love to gift finished quilts; I began to do some research. My first discovery was using Elmers Washable School Glue instead of pins...it makes everything so much faster and neater in my opinion. The second was learning how to make Continuous Bias Bindings. There are several videos and posts about it, but I was really inspired by this one.

http://www.mccallsquilting.com/mccal...ontinuous_bias

for some reason on my screen, the video is about halfway down the page....so you may have to scroll down.

Little by little, my bindings are looking prettier and I am enjoying the process more all of the time.

sahm4605

I love to sit on the couch or outside and hand sew the binding on the back. I actually just finished the binding on a quilt lastnight that has been waiting for about 6 months to be finished. Just had a ton of other projects to take care of and havebeen sucked into a book series that I have been reading and re reading for the past month. But sewing the binflding on the back is relaxing and it means a quilt can go to its new home after that. Which is my favorite part of quilting.

teddysmom

Sewing on the binding is my least favorite thing to do BUT I know it's the last stage and then I'll have a beautiful finished quilt!

joyce888

I like to make the binding as soon as I finished the top (send my quilts out for LA'ing). Then when I get it back I sew the binding on and hand stitch to the back. This is great "sitting on front of TV work" and gives me the opportunity to sew hidden stitches. I also like the time it gives me to reflect on the making of the quilt and what I want the label to read.

NJ Quilter

I like figuring out which fabric to use for the binding that will the perfect finish to my quilt. Either to make something in the quilt 'pop' or to tone the quilt down or to bring the whole thing together. I machine sew the binding to the front and hand stitch to the back. I don't mind the machine part at all, nor the hand sewing either for that matter. Sometimes it's a little difficult with a large quilt, but I can still get the binding machine sewn to a king quilt in about an hour. The hand sewing part might take me two evenings but that's no big deal.

bearisgray

You could probably pay someone to do it for you.