barbrdunn

I too hand stitch through the stitching about every 3rd stitch. It can be sometimes difficult to get through the stitching, but a good thimble works wonders.

babyquilter

Thank you, thank you! I just watched Sharon Schamers site on bindings! Wow! What a wonderful tutorial. So prescise and clear as a bell. Can hardly wait to use her method on my next quilt.

Yankee Quilter

I have only had one quilt judged. I did get a ribbon and one comment. Guess what the comment was? "The binding should be the same size on the front and on the back". Actually, I was shocked that was the only comment. But ever since then, I try to make it even. It helps when I trim the batting to within a scant 1/8 " of the quilt top, instead of trimming it even with top. However, I think the best advice is what was already mentioned, the front should be a consistent size and the back a consistent size, but not necessarily the same size.

LucyInTheSky

My philosophy is that they're on different sides of the quilt, so who cares? :) I try to get them close, but I'm so glad to be done with the quilt, I'm not going to fret if one's slightly larger

zz-pd

thank you for all the information. God bless. Penny

kwiltkrazy

AS ALWAYS, IT GOES BACK TO HAVING A TRUE 1/4" SEAM. I always cut my strips at 21/4", and it comes out right on the line. But, I only have 1/4" binding on front and back, I like the look of a small binding, but I have not been successful making a larger border. There have been times that I would have liked to have had a larger binding.

Melinda in Tulsa

Kwiltkrazy, do you sew your binding on using a 1/4" seam? I've read some people use a 3/8's.

ghostrider

The secret to making wider bindings is not in changing the seam allowance, it is in not trimming the batting/backing even with the edge of the quilt top. The seam line remains a quarter inch from the edge of the top, but is a greater distance from the edge of the batting. That way saves any points on the top and makes a nice full binding any width you want.

kwiltkrazy

Melinda: my quarter inch binding always turns out, it's when I want a wider binding, that it never turns out properly.

Ghostrider: let me see if I got this straight, I still sew on binding as usual, but when I trim it I measure out, say, 1" and then trim it at that measurement, then you just do what you normally do, and you still get a good miter and all.