Ariannaquilts

I am so sorry for your loss, I know I just lost my father 2 weeks ago. As for the binding I pretty much do it exactly as Peckish and Tartan. There are so many good tutorials on YouTube that would refresh your memory. If I'm not mistaken Jenny Doan has one on her channel. Good luck and prayers to you and your family.

Mkotch

I do the same.

luvstoquilt

I trim to the edge and bind with 2 1/2 “ strips,. I fold in half, press and sew to the top of the quilt, press again and hand stitch to the back.

maviskw

Lots of help here. Find a video (a recent one) for more inspiration. Missouri Star has good directions in their Block Magazines.

SusieQOH

I can't seem to machine quilt both sides of binding. I've watch a million tutorials and mine never look right. So I machine sew the front, turn over and hand sew the back. I don't mind but a lot of people don't like to hand sew.
I use 2.5 inch binding.

So sorry you lost your husband.

ktbb

Everyone seems to have their own "formula" for how wide to cut strips. Here's a little math I was taught to help me decide. Because some quilts "like" as smaller binding than others,,,,and some like a bigger one, try this.

For a folded double binding (French?) - Determine how wide you want your finished binding to be (I use 3/8's for most of my larger quilts) then multiply that by 7 to determine how wide to cut your binding. 3/8th inch times 7 is 2 5/8ths. that will do for a hand finished binding. If, like me, you finish your bindings by machine, add 1/4 inch to the finished dimension: 2 5/8 + 1/4 = 2 7/8 inches to cut. Why the extra quarter inch for a machine finish? when strip is folded in half, this gives me an extra 1/8 inch to allow for stitching in the ditch.

Use a 1/4 inch finished binding? 1/4 inches x 7 = 1 3/4" for hand finish, 2" for machine finish.

bearisgray

This makes a lot of sense.

I trim the sandwich before I put the binding on, so I do a "sample/test" stitching with a longer stitch for about six inches to make sure that the binding "ends up" where I want it. Sometimes I have to move the needle a click or two one way or the other.

Tare

I prefer a smaller binding. I cut mine at 2". I press a 1/2" fold down the length of the binding, sew the unpressed raw side to the front so when I turn it over to hand stitch the back closed I need not worry about folding it under to hide raw edge. Works well for me.

juliasb

Recently I have been trying different binding techniques and the one I found to be the simplest uses an nice 2/5" stripfolded in half and sewn onto the quilt in half and folded over and hand stitched down. There are many different ways to bind quilts. To me this one does the job the best without having to stress about it fitting correctly.

FWLover

I cut my binding 2 1/4” wide. To determine the amount of binding needed: Measure the circumference of your quilt and add 20” this will leave you enough to create the corners and join the ends easily. When sewing the binding strips together I always lay the first piece right side up horizontally in front of me at the machine the bulk of it to my left. Take the next strip wrong side up with most of it in my lap arranging the ends so they have 1/4” excess from where they cross each other. I lay a 6” ruler across where they meet and draw the diagonal line as I can’t seem to sew this angle without the line. Stitch. Without twisting fold and lay the second strip in front of you horizontally right side up and repeat. If you always do this the same way you will know the correct angle when you join ends together on quilt.The critical point in width of binding and stitching is to have the same amount of binding showing on the front and the back. I like to press my binding in half so I don’t have to mess with it at the machine. I spray the inside of the binding with starch then press in half. This helps hold it together.

When trimming your quilt for binding there is no Oon solution on whether to trim to the edge of the quilt top or to leave an amount of batting on the edge. The thickness of the fabric and the type of batting will determine how much to leave. For a test run: Using 2 1/4” binding I start trimming leaving 1/4” for a short distance then pin the binding on approximating a 1/4” seam, turn to the back and see if I will need more or less batting to cover the binding stitching. I leave an 8” or so tail then use the little red clips and clip the binding all the way around the quilt folding the corners as described below. I prefer the clips as they are easy to remove and readjust the binding. I never want the joined seam of the binding to come at a corner. Backstitch when you begin sewing on the binding. Leave a 10” gap between the beginning and ending of the binding.

A walking foot makes sewing on binding easier. If you are using 1/4” seam stitch binding to within 1/4” of the end. When I am close to corner I mark this, stitch to the mark and back stitch. Remove the quilt from machine and turn for next side. Fold the binding straight up at right angle, then bring it back down over itself. Keep adjusting so the fold exactly matches the raw edge of your previously stitched binding. If you make sure the two folded edges lay exactly on top of each other your corners will be easier to align when hand stitching the to the back.

Backstitch when you get within 10” of where you started. Remove quilt from the machine. With the body of the quilt toward you pin put a pin in the middle of the space you left. Bring each folded binding edge to within 1/8” of pin and place a pin in the fold. If you put your binding strips together as described above put the left opened piece right side up vertical to the quilt. Squeeze that 10” together so you can bring the right opened strip with pin horizontal to the left piece matching the fold where the pins are. I try to stick a pin or two in the top corner to hold it in place. Remove the marking pins, draw diagonal line and stitch. Bring this down to the quilt edge to be sure it fits correctly. If it’s ok trim excess off leaving seam allowance. Double and triple check to be sure you are cutting the on the excess side of stitching not the binding side, finger press seam open and fold wrong sides together. Lay against quilt and stitch.

Sounds more complicated than it is. But it never fails and always lays perfectly. Going camping til next week but if this method sounds interesting and you would like pics I would be glad to do some next week.