sewnclog

On large quilts I sew the binding on the front, turn to the back and hand stitch it down. I also lock the stitch every 6 inches or so, so that in case it comes unsewn for some reason the entire binding doesn't come undone. I can never seem to get the hang of stitching in the ditch on the front and consistently catching just the edge of the binding on the back, so hand stitching is better for me. If I were to machine sew it I want it to be at a consistent distance from the edge of the binding and I can never seem to achieve that look.

On baby quilts because they are used and washed so much I stitch them down with a decorative stitch. I figure it will last longer by machine.

feline fanatic

I have used synthetic yarn but found it would flatten some and not come back, especially when hit with an iron and because I glue baste it all in place I was hitting it with an iron, but even a cool iron tended to flatten it more than I liked so I buy cotton cording from a feed store like Tractor Supply. I eyeballed the size. While it is cotton I stitch it into the fabric pretty snugly and have not had issues with shrinkage after washing but I have only done this with show quilts so the quilt was washed in cold water and never got put in the dryer but was blocked flat and dried that way.

QuiltE

Love it when I can go back to the farm stores for quilting supplies!
A good idea ... must see if we have some in our local TSC.

I remember learning the patience of sewing slow to prep the piping and being careful to not nip into/over the cording. Then snuggling up to the ridge when I stitched the final seam. At the time it was a love-hate relationship, but the big part was I loved the rewards of the finished look, but never on a quilt. Always garment sewing.

I think you have me hooked to get at it and get back to it for quilts!
Thanks for the nudge, FelineFanatic!

Rhonda K

Honestly, it has to do with math. The folded 2 1/2 inch binding leaves 1 1/4 inch to work with on the quilt. Using the 1/4 inch seam line you use up 1/4 inch of the binding strip.

This leaves ONE inch of binding strip. If you fold at the 1/4 inch seam line there is going to be approximately 3/4 inch of binding to bring to the front. This is give and take a little depending on batting. It doesn't fold exactly in half using these seam allowances.

The other option is to try a 2 1/4 inch binding strip. Sew these with the 1/4 inch seam allowance.

I make small samples and mark the seam lines.

Actually, I just measured and it is really between a 1/4 inch and 3/8 inch seam when I sew binding on the quilt. The 3/8 inch is a little too wide and doesn't leave enough binding when you bring it to the front.

If you use a wider seam allowance, you have to stop the corner stitches the same distance so you still have the correct 45 degree angle in the corners.

Try a 3.0 stitch length for sewing the front of binding. The smaller 2.5 or 2.0 adds some pull.

Do you have a walking foot for your machine? I always sew binding with the WF.

I have also used a glue stitck to hold that fussy binding in place on the front. Clip and let dry. Then stitch down.

Hope that helps!

Onebyone

I don't know why narrow binding is used at all. It's a hassle to mess with so I don't use it.

Libits

Thanks, Rhonda! I have a few things I’m going to try.

**Getting a different walking foot with better visibility so the stitching is more consistent
**If I’m still saying all kinds of bad words, then I’m going to try stitch in the ditch but sometimes that just causes a new array of bad words
**Using a glue stick might work for me, too, which would give me the chance to adjust the fold before committing to sewing it

Thanks so much again!

Libits

Thanks, Rhonda! I have a few things I’m going to try.

**Getting a different walking foot with better visibility so the stitching is more consistent
**If I’m still saying all kinds of bad words, then I’m going to try stitch in the ditch but sometimes that just causes a new array of bad words
**Using a glue stick might work for me, too, which would give me the chance to adjust the fold before committing to sewing it

Thanks so much again!

QuiltNama

I bring the back to the front, or sew onto the back and flip to the front. All by machine and yes they do take some practice to get them to look really nice and neat.

L'il Chickadee

I've always squared the quilt and corners before adding the binding. Also iron the edges flat. Then machine stitch to the front and hand stitch to the back, stitch each corner miter along its fold, both sides.

Mariposa

I do my binding by machine. I use 2.25" strips, straight of grain. Sew to back, then sew on front. sometimes using a decorative stitch.