binding question
 

do you sew into the corner on a miter...or just sew around the binding? Thanks

This is hard to answer with words....you might want to search for some binding videos on Utube.

I recently saw someone on PBS showing that he angled off at 45 degrees at the corners when attaching binding. I happened to have a quilt ready for binding at the time and tried it. I think it made a nicer flat corner when flipping the binding up and then back again.

I sew straight through and off the edge of the fabric on the first side. Then raise the pressure foot and pull the quilt and binding toward me on the bed of the machine. Rotate the quilt 90 degrees. Pull the loose bindind strip straight up and fold back down so the fold is even with the raw edge of the quilt. Then start sewing down the second side of the quilt. So each of my seams are straight and don't curve around the corner. Hope that makes sense, it is hard to describe!

When I am hand sewing the binding to the quilt back, I take some stitches in the mitered corner so there's not a gap there.

A 45 degree angle at the corners is the way I attach my bindings. I agree that it makes a nicer flat corner.

carrieg, that is how I do mine also when I hand stitch the binding down. :)

franc36, I will try that next time. :)

Most of the time I sew a 45 degree angle at the corners. It just make a nicer looking mitered corner to me.

I machine sew my binding to the front and then fold over and hand sew to the back. When machine sewing on binding, I stop 1/4" from the edge; fold to get the 45 degree then start machine sewing 1/4" from that edge as well. Follow that same process for all 4 corners. Depending on the day and/or the quilt while hand sewing to the back, I might take a stitch or two in the 45 degree fold to hold things together better but usually not necessary.

thanks so much for all of your advice ....I try and find a binding video, most times if I can see it done it helps me understand how to do it, Thank you all

I have always just sewn to the corner, folded and restarted at 90*, but recently watched Patrick Lose on Fons and Porter demo his binding technique. He sews off the corner on and angle and trims excess fabric from the seam. Makes for a nice flat corner- I will try this way next time. It sure looks easy enough.

I, too, like the 45 degree mitered corner. I don't think I've ever done any other type.

That was Patrick Lose on F&P, but here is the link to his YouTube. Video a bit long, but really so easy to do and very effective.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?f...n&v=MMsmEtonhoA&NR=1

I alway make a 45 angle at the corners of the binding.

Deb Karasik has a great pictoral tutorial: http://www.debkarasik.com/store.php?cat=5

When she demonstrated it to us in class, she has added another step - at page 11, where she is showing the marked line for the miter, she now stitches that line down, which further secures the mitered corner (I have not tried that yet so I don't have a comparison as my current method is very similar to her tutorial).

I always do a little blind stitching to sew the corners so that they don't gap.

Cheers, K

I watch a lot of PBS and don't remember seeing that. I will have to try it on my next binding. THANKS

I do not sew to the end when I'm sewing on my binding. I stop at the seam distance. I usually use my walking foot to attach a binding which has a 3/8" wide presser foot so I stop 3/8" from the end and sometimes I angle my sewing off the corner at that point and sometimes I just stop. I don't notice any difference between the two. I then fold my binding at a 45 degree angle and then down again and start stitching. Many people say to stop 1/4" from the end but that only works if you are using 1/4" seam allowance. Why they don't make a walking foot with a 1/4" wide presser foot is beyond me. I have an older machine so my needle only has one position (so I can't move the needle to change the seam allowance) and I use an after market universal walking foot.

I found your question interesting, as until recently, it never occurred to me to sew into that fold. Then, while reviewing a tutorial (one on the sew-off method mentioned previously), I saw stitches made into the fold when hand sewing the binding to the back. It made me wonder if I'd been doing it wrong all these years.

If I've been doing it wrong, it still works for me, as I've never had a roblem. I do now take a couple of stitches when doing baby quilts, as it does seem possible that a tiny finger could get into that space.

Ditto, NJ Quilter.

Jenny Doan has an excellent tutorial on bindings.

I stop 1/4" from the end and then pivot and sew diagonally into the corner, this sews the miter in.
Sharon

I just caught this episode of F&P show 2312. Patrick Lose was the guest star (Moda Marbles fame). He showed techniques on machine applique with a zigzag stitch but the binding information was what I found very fascinating. He showed how you can take just a bit of the bulk of the binding out with the sewing to the corner technique. It sure must be a lot easier if you have a DSM with the thread cutter. :)

I use a method that marks the precise spot to stop stitching to make a perfect miter corner on both sides. It involves folding and creasing, and then precisely lining up the edge.

That little wedge is there even with traditional binding technique. And if you're like me and don't sew in the corner at all, you don't even have to pull out the stitches.

So my technique:

1. Sew to seam allowance's <seam allowance=""> distance from the end of a side.
2. Pull the quilt out, fold binding 45 degrees, fold down.
3. Start sewing new side at <seam allowance=""> seam allowance's distance from the edge of the previous side.
4. Finish all.
5. Clip off wedgie, per Patrick.

Gonna experiment with clipping before I try it on a "real" quilt.</seam></seam>