Originally Posted by Prism99
The advantage of marking first instead of trimming first is that it is much easier to sew an exact 1/4" seam without any stretching or slippage. It allows pinning to the right of the sewing, for example, to keep everything aligned. Also, it allows you to increase the amount of batting that fills the binding, if necessary.
This is a technique I developed for myself after a particularly difficult quilt, where the edges seemed really hard to control.
Hmmm, so you're sewing an exact 1/4" from the edge of the quilt top. But, again, when/where is the squaring of the quilt - even if it's not major, a trim here and there - happening?
I'm so weird about stuff. I can have a couple of mismatched points, and be fine with it. However, if my quilt is not PERFECTLY square, I'm totally pi&&ed off. Weird, huh?
For my first few quilts I used to beg a friend to put the binding on. I had no problem hand sewing it down on the back but was horrified about actually sewing it on. Then I realized that was stupid and insane, and so I just figured out how to do it myself. And I have to say I now do a pretty wicked, and very stuffed, binding.
But I'm always willing to pick up a trick or two. I'm going to have to ponder this a bit more. Maybe try it on a small quilt.
Edited to add: Ah, so the Sharpie line becomes the new edge of the quilt, and you're working inward from there. Got it!
Do you do that on the floor, or a table, or where? Cause I trim and square on the floor (for big quilts, which, stupidly, is all I seem to be doing these days).