Originally Posted by
Rhonda K
I use 3/8 inch seam with binding cut at 2.5 inches. Make some samples and mark the allowance on sample. If you use a 3/8 inch seam allowance, you have to stop at the corners 3/8 inch also. I stop at the 3/8 inch and then stitch off on an angle.
Yes, Rhonda, the 3/8 inch seam is the magic width for a 2.5 inch wide binding. But if you sew at 3.8 inch, you certainly will be sewing off your end points. What's the answer? The binding should be full, but that doesn't have to include the "top" fabric. I trim the quilt just before binding, but not close. Leave a half inch or so of batt and backing beyond the top. I sew the binding on with a quarter inch seam f
rom the edge of the top.
After the binding has been sewn on, trim at
exactly 3/8 inch from your sewing line.
This is enough to fill the binding. I use a 12 inch ruler and my rotary cutter to get it pretty exact. I cut only about 3 or 4 inches at a time. Then I trim a bit out of the corners; not too much. Now the binding has to be ironed open carefully. Give it a stretch to open that ditch completely and make it stay there.
I flip the binding to the back, take a peek to see if it is covering the sewing line, and stitch in the ditch from the front. That is the actual ditch, not next to it. I only pin at the corners.
I've done lots of large quilts like this, miss my mark only a few times. It's surprising how fast this goes, and that's the point in doing it by machine.