I like a little wider binding so cut mine at 2-3/4 and use a 3/8 inch seam. This works for me since I finish by machine rather than hand sewing. I used to trim the point but recently saw a video that suggested not trimming since this is what makes the square to fill the binding.

Thank you ALL for the excellent tips! The video was extremely informative...do y'all use glue??? And what type of tip did she have on the end of the glue bottle? Looks like a trip to Wally World for school glue! Thanks again!!!

I have 20 of the wonder clips and after I sew the binding on, I use them to fold over the binding after I have it sewed on to the quilt. I do use pins but I pin them running parallel (and put the sticky ends in the quilt) to the side and remove them as i sew the binding on to the quilt. As I am hand sewing the binding on, I just keep moving the clips to the part that there aren't enough of them to do the whole quilt.

I took a great binding class when I worked with a quilting group. Now there are lots of YouTubes available.

When I am machine finishing the binding I sew the binding to the back of the quilt, iron out the binding away from the body of the quilt, turn the quilt over and iron the binding back into the quilt. At this point I can use school glue or glue stick if I want. Then I stitch. Due to the preironing there is no stretching required to make it all fit. I sew with one fo my 'fancy' stitches.

When I am going to hand bind then I sew the binding to the front of the quilt, iron away from the body of the quilt, turn it over, iron back to the body of the quilt on the back. Again I can use school glue or glue stick if i want. I find I only use 1-2 of the small wonder clips as I hand sew because I can easily remove and replace them. The joke is buy a pack of 10 and share them with 5 of your best friends.

The ironing seems like a lot of time but it makes everything else go so much easier and faster.

I use the Elmer's School Glue and LOVE it! Many people get the smaller bottle tips but I just use the one on the bottle, with it opened just enough, to allow a thin line of glue through. Just recently, I read a thread (on QB), which suggested adding a small amount of water to the glue, to thin it and make it flow more easily. I haven't tried that but am thinking it'd be especially good, for basting. Yes, basting! Many of us use the Elmer's School Glue for basting, with wonderful results! It all washes out, with detergent and warm water, after the quilt is finished.

I used to dread the sandwiching and binding but since learning about the Elmer's School Glue and Sharon Schamber, it's the easiest part! Gee, I really do sound like a commercial, don't I? :D

Note: only use the glue if you can wash the finished quilt. :)

Ditto for me.

I don't pin either. Just make sure a seam doesn't end up in a corner. When hand stitching which is NOT that difficult, I use those aluminum hair clips instead of pins. Just bring your thread up, take a bit into the binding and go back down close to where you came up and get you needle to come up somewhere a little closer than 1/4" and come back up and take another bit..... Just keep repeating. I use to be able to sew at least 5 feet in an hour.

My new favorite method is to use bobby pins. Cheap and easy, plus it works.


I only machine bind, 2.5" strips sewn together, then bobby-pinned to the back side. I sew 1.4" from quilt edge all around - with the exception of corners.

Then I turn the quilt over and fold the rest of the binding over the front quilt edge, and bobby-pin in place. I am not a nut case about the thread from attaching the binding to the top showing on the back of the quilt. I use a thread color that matches the binding on the top, and use a bobbin thread that matches/blends with the back.

It works for me, and no one who has received one of my quilts has complained. Then again, I'm the kind of person people are more likely to complain about, but not to! (LOL)

Ditto quiltRfun. This is what I do, also.

I just fold over a few inches at a time as I sew, no pinning or clips. I don't press a seam in my bindings either. I find it much easier to just fold it as I go. It does mean stopping every six or seven inches to re align the binding to the edge of the quilt but it insures that I take my time and get the binding to lay properly.
peace