Originally Posted by JADE D
O.K. 6 hours to make the quilt but how long to bind it?
Anybody have any ideas about a quick way to bind?
First, square up the quilt! Trim slivers off all the edges to get an clean easy surface to work with. Trust me, this is important.
Is the quilt for a kid? A wall hanging? A big bed?
I sew the binding for a kids quilt entirely by machine because it will get washed often and the kids don't care how it is sewed. First you sew the binding to the back.
making it wider than the front will be by 1/8 inch. Turn it and topstitch it down very close to the edge. The bottom thread stitches should be in the binding fabric. In fact I usually stitch around a kids quilt twice for durability.
Try this with a "6 hour quilt" ! It is the fastest.
If the wall hanging is a work of art, and otherwise all hand stitched, I stitch the binding to the back with a running stitch, then turn and stitch the front side of the binding carefull to get it even width, using a ladder or invisble stitch....and mitering the corners.
For any other wall hanging or bed sized quilt, the traditional way to put the binding on is to machine sew the binding to the front of the quilt. Then turn the binding over the stitching and having the fold inside, sew the binding to the back - following the line of machine stitches that you will see. Just try to barely cover them. Use ladder or invisible stitches. Either fold the corners square or miter them - it is your choice. It is surprising how quickly the binding gets stiched down handsewing just the one side.
Hope this helps! Ask if you want to know more! Jeannie