Cutting binding strips lengthwise rather than crossgrain
#11
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Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Long Island, New York
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I'm going to see how it goes this time. The quilt is strangely square this time. I think it was the way I measured and cut the borders because there was a lot of wonkyness in the blocks themselves. I did a bunch of easing so I'm surprised.
Normally, I would just put the leftover fabric back in my stash but I heavily starched the entire length of fabric and I don't want to have starched fabric hanging around in my stash.
Normally, I would just put the leftover fabric back in my stash but I heavily starched the entire length of fabric and I don't want to have starched fabric hanging around in my stash.
#12
One thing to be particularly careful of due to the longer strips of fabric between the joining seams in lengthwise grain binding...plan it out so your seams do not wind up in the corners. It can mess up the miters and/or just not look as 'polished'.
#13
I don't think it matters really. They say bias bindings hold up better - and if you're doing a scalloped border then a straight grain border won't be stretchy enough to go around the curves so you'll have to do bias binding, but for a regular square or rectangular quilt I think you're fine. I have quilts that have been washed a hundred times in the washer and tossed in the dryer afterwards and their straight grain bindings are still holding up strong. (Doesn't matter if it's lengthwise or selvage to selvage, it's still straight of grain.) I can't say that it will live a hundred years after me, but I won't be around to be heartbroken about it.
#14
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Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Long Island, New York
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Thanks, Ghostrider. I didn't really even think about that.
#15
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Mechanicsville, IA
Posts: 1,497
I have not had any problems using length of grain for binding. If I am dealing with a lot of yardage I subdivide it into 45" - 60" lengths by clipping and ripping. If I subdivide to around 45" I will have no more seams in my binding than if I had cut crosswise and it is an easy amount of fabric to deal with.
#16
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Fox Valley Wisconsin
Posts: 1,920
You can use the lengthwise cut fabric for binding, but you may find that there is less "give" as you do your binding so it may be a bit harder to use. Most of the time I use bias binding as I like working with that the best.
#18
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Sturbridge, Ma
Posts: 3,992
It makes no difference. Sometime length is good if you are following a pattern in the fabric that is printed longwize. In these cases or even on the width it looks better to cut with the design and not with the grain.
#19
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Norfolk, VA
Posts: 5,397
You only need to cut binding on the bias is you are going around a curve. I just took a class at Raleigh sewing/quilt expo and one of the teachers there has a site that has the most watched video on the internet about binding. It's quilttv.com,
#20
The most important part is that the seams do not end up on the corners and......
That remaining fabric when the project is finished....be sure to wash the starch out before storing with other fabrics.....if necessary run zig zag or serge the cut edges to prevent fraying, but be sure to wash !
That remaining fabric when the project is finished....be sure to wash the starch out before storing with other fabrics.....if necessary run zig zag or serge the cut edges to prevent fraying, but be sure to wash !
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