How I machine bind
We are too impatient to finish binding by hand. I have watched several videos, taken a couple of classes, and even bought gadgets, but I was never totally happy with how they turned out. Recently I decided to take all the things about bindings that I had learned, put the parts together that made sense to me, and see if I could do a better binding. After only a couple of quilts, I was finally happy with how the binding turned out.
If any of these techniques look familiar, it's because there is nothing new under the sun. I have taken snippets from Patrick Lose, Red Pepper Quilts, Martelli Notions, Emerald Meadows, Creative Grids, and probably some others. I take no credit for the techniques; I just put them all together.
I will probably have to break this up into several posts, and I may even do it over a period of time.
I hope it helps someone.
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First step - I use 2.5" binding strips. I got tired of the wonky way the strips went together when I just sewed the imaginary line from corner to corner. I had this ruler for cutting small pieces and found a video on YouTube that showed how you could use it to make 45* joins. It's called the "Quick Trim and Circle" ruler and I love it. Check out the YouTube video.
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After the strips are joined, I fold it wrong sides together and press it closed. I start sewing it onto the back of the quilt about 2 feet from the bottom corner, leaving about a 12" tail. I use a seam allowance of just under 3/8" and a stitch length of 3.0.
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While you're sewing, make sure your quilt has good support and there is NO "pull" at the needle. This requires a lot of maneuvering, but it is worth it.
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When you come to the first corner, measure up from the end just less than 3/8" and place a pin. Sew to the pin. You can reduce your stitch length here if you need to so you can stop at the pin.
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Stop at the pin with your needle down, raise your presser foot, and pivot the quilt so you are sewing at 45*, and sew off the corner of the quilt.