dunster

I do it exactly like your teacher says. If you're cutting 2.5 inches, it will make .5 inch wide double binding this way. You need to line the edge of the binding up with the edge of the top, not the edge of the back and batting. Then you do need to sew carefully, and straight.

Esqmommy

Ditto on the sharonschamber...she's amazing and I now love doing bindings!

amandasgramma

Gosh, i'm not an expert but many years ago, in home ec classes, we were taught the batting, front and back were to be the exact same. I always cut mine to match, then put my binding on. I have no trouble with how they look and it's always clean and straight.

Boston1954

I had that same problem on one of my eariler quilts. I had not pinned the binding before sewing it to the quilt. I make sure to pin now, and do not have a problem. Hope this helps.

Quilting Aggi

I have always told my students to cut and square up their batting and backing to match the same size as the quilt top. They cut their binding pieces 2 1/2" wide and make enough for the entire quilt. I usually suggest 8-9 strips 2 1/2" x 45". I show them how to attach the binding so the raw edges of the folded binding are matched with the raw edge of the quilt. Pin the entire binding in place, make their mitered corners and finish off. I have them sew their binding approximately 1/4" from the edge of the quilt (or the width of their quilting foot as it is much easier to sew the binding down with the quilting foot.

I hope this helps. pin pin pin!!!!!!!! that's a big key!

Cheers
Andrea

Cathy M

Okay, here is my awful quilting secret. I too hate binding- but for a huge different reason- my oldest son (who is now 29) almost choked himself to death when he was 2 years old on a blanket binding. He was playing superman and dived off his bunkbed and had the blanket binding that he had pulled off a blanket around his neck. By total divine intervention, I was walking down the hall when it happened. To this day, I have not put another binding on a quilt. And the quilt police have not arrested me yet. So I say that if it's giving you fits, don't do it. Just my two cents :) :) :) :) :)

bearisgray

I baste (long machine stitch or long zigzag stitch) about 1/8 inch from the cut edge of the quilt to hold the three layers together before applying the binding.

I use a wider finished binding (about 1/2 inch) because I like the look of it.
Also, because when I have the presser foot even with the edge and the needle at the left-most position, that's what it ends up to be. I think it's a lot easier to handle than a skinny little binding.

I also cut the binding on the bias - and I baste those edges together (I do pin them first about every six inches or so) - making sure that it's laying smoothly.

I also do a bit of practice binding with scraps to make sure it comes out the way I want it to. My first estimate at width is six times the finished width plus 1/8 inch. I usually have to try a couple of times to get it more precise.

LucyInTheSky

Hmmmm, a little extra work but that definitely sounds like stitching once with big stitches to check will save me trouble... thanks!

LucyInTheSky

After I finished putting on the whole binding, posting, and venting, then I remembered that I didn't do that right... :oops:

LucyInTheSky

Thank you all for your helpful thoughts and links and ideas. I'm feeling much better about the next quilt I try binding on, lol. This one, I'll just glare at it and make it work.

I'm thinking I'm going to cut my batting/backing to the quilt top size, no excess. What size binding strips do you cut? When I did 2.5" and did this, it gave me waaaaaaaay too much on the back. I'm thinking 2" should be enough (1/4 sewed down, 1/4 showing on top, 1/4 on side 1/4 on back, x 2 strips = 2")??