Originally Posted by ewecansew
Just a question....what would happen if a person cut the binding on a slight angle, not bias, not straight? I don't know the answer, just wondering about better wear than straight cut.????
You could do this. It would be cutting on the bias, but not on the true bias, so you would still have some of the difficulties associated with bias strips -- i.e., stretching.
Bias binding really is stronger than straight-grain binding. This is because the exposed edge, which gets the most wear, has multiple threads bearing the strain with a bias cut. On a straight-grain cut, the stress at the edge is being born by just a few strands of thread running the entire length of the binding.
However, straight-grain binding is easier to handle and to attach to a quilt without getting distortion or stretching. That is one reason why so many of us use straight-grain binding. My quilts are not heirloom-quality quilts designed to be handed down for generations in my family, so I don't care if the binding wears out a little sooner; if someone still wants the quilt by that time, they can replace the binding.
Whether cutting binding on the grain, off the grain, or on the bias, it helps a *lot* to heavily starch the fabric before cutting the strips. Starch stabilizes fabric so there is much less chance of getting distortion or stretching while applying the binding.