Binding questions
#12
I generally use a 2.5 inch folded in half with a 3/8" seam allowance. You want to have your binding a little wider in the back to cover your stitching. If you want the wider part in the front then stitch it on to the back first and then hand stitch it to the front.
Things to consider: If you use a border then the width of your seam allowance can be varied. If you don't have a " border and you are applying the binding next to a block then you have to go with 1/4" seam allowance so your block won't be off and you won't lose points etc.
When you are mitering your corners remember to stop the distance of your seam allowance. If you use 1/4" seam allowance you stop 1/4" from the end. If you are using a 3/8" seam allowance however you will stop 3/8" from the corner; 1/2" seam allowance, 1/2" from the corner.
You want your binding to be full - in other words the batting needs to fill the width of the binding. If you use 1/4" seam allowance and a wider binding then your binding won't be full to the fold.
Hope this all makes sense...
Things to consider: If you use a border then the width of your seam allowance can be varied. If you don't have a " border and you are applying the binding next to a block then you have to go with 1/4" seam allowance so your block won't be off and you won't lose points etc.
When you are mitering your corners remember to stop the distance of your seam allowance. If you use 1/4" seam allowance you stop 1/4" from the end. If you are using a 3/8" seam allowance however you will stop 3/8" from the corner; 1/2" seam allowance, 1/2" from the corner.
You want your binding to be full - in other words the batting needs to fill the width of the binding. If you use 1/4" seam allowance and a wider binding then your binding won't be full to the fold.
Hope this all makes sense...
#13
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Here and there
Posts: 1,669
I couldn't ever use a 2 inch binding! You are a better woman than I am. I use a 2.5 inch strip folded in half. I have used 3 inch binding and it is so much easier than the more narrow binding. It becomes a design element for the quilt back when you use a wider binding. I don't see any reason not to use the 1/4 inch seam. froggyintexas
#14
#15
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: England Alton Towers
Posts: 6,673
I always fold the binding into thirds and crease it with my fingers. This tells me what seam allowance to use so it will wrap perfectly. Then I move my needle so the edge of the presser foot rides on the edge of the fabric and the needle hits on the first crease. THEN I measure to see exactly what that seam allowance is so I know how far to stop from the ends to get a perfect miter at the corners. Hope this helps and makes sense.
#16
Super Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Central Wisconsin
Posts: 4,391
The easiest way to achieve a wide binding is NOT to trim your quilt sandwich until after the binding is stitched on. Cut your strips the width you want, fold, press and sew the binding with a 1/4" seam allowance. Instead of trimming the excess layers to within a 1/4" of your stitching line, leave some extra extending beyond it so the binding is filled when turned to the back and stitched down.
After the binding is sewn on, I cut accurately with a ruler and rotary cutter as wide as I want that seam to be. Just do short cuts, and line up the ruler with the stitching.
With a 3 inch binding: folded in half is 1.5 inches. The seam to sew it onto the quilt makes it 1.25 inches left. Fold that in half and you have 1 1/8 inches that you want to leave on the batt and back layers. I would make it one inch. You need a little room for the thickness of the batt.
Hope this makes sense, and hope it works for you.
#19
Depending on the quilt, but I have used Nancy Zieman's Fuse 'n Bind and the binding has a nice size and comes out perfect. But one thing I found out is that if you do not have a border and attaching to the block I happen to do this and lost the points on my star block. So now I know better.
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