Binding Question
 

I have always ironed the binding prior to stitching it onto the quilt. I don’t pin the binding on. I have read that some of you don’t iron it . I’d like to know the advantage of not ironing. I’m thinking it would be fiddly to get the raw edges even as you stitch the binding on. Also with no fold wouldn’t it be more difficult to do the ladder stitch?

I like to try new things so for those of you who don’t iron your binding please explain why that’s your preference..

I used to press the binding in half too, but after reading a recommendation on this board I tried not pressing it. And once I tried it, I liked it! When the binding isn't pressed, the fold falls naturally. It isn't hard at all to keep the raw edges even. I don't use anything to hold the binding while machine sewing to the front. I sometimes use wonder clips to hold the binding as I hand sew it to the back, and sometimes I don't.

I usually use bias binding and I have baste the raw edges together with a narrow longish zigzag stitc. Length set at 3 ansd width set at 1 about 1/ 8 inch from the raw edges.

I do not press the binding in half either - because the outer layer has to " go further" than the inner layer.

Think about how the wheels track when making tight turns. The wheel on the outside of the turn has to cover more distance than the wheel on the inside of the turn.

I bind quilts professionally, and I never press binding in half.

Bear stated what I was going to say, but to further illustrate what we mean:

If you think about a track, as in running sports, Olympics, etc, the inside lane is shorter than the outside lane. Convert that image to the fold of binding fabric that you curve around the raw edge of a quilt. The inner layer of fabric will be shorter than the outer layer of fabric, and if you press the fold first, the inner layer will bunch up on the inside. However, if you *don't* press the fold, the fabric is then allowed to adjust naturally and will sit neater at the edge of the quilt, and you will get a nice, even, full binding. It may be only 2 or 3 threads-width worth, but believe me, it DOES make a difference.

Side benefit - you save the time and labor of skipping a step. 😁

p.s. I don't use the ladder stitch. Personal preference.

Much better illustration for what I was trying to say .

I also sew the edges of the quilt together before binding it - that way I only have to keep keep "two" edges lined up.

It probably is "more" work than most are willing to do, but I missed the bottom layer of the quilt a couple of times, and was more annoyed at that, than to sew the edges together first.

I trim the quilt sandwich before binding.

Some good visuals, Ladies!!

That being said, I haven't been convinced yet that it makes a huge difference. Maybe? my quilt sandwiches are not thick enough that there is a difference there?

Here's what I do ...
Cut binding. "Clump" it on the ironing board, spraying the clump with Best Press. Then fold and press along the length. Depending on how long the cut binding is, then every once in awhile I respray the clump. IOW not every inch of the binding gets the benefit, but mostly it does.

Like you JanieW, I do not pin the binding to the quilt, as I machine sew it onto the front. One more step before I do the hand stitching. JanieW you will remember I lost you on this one before! I do a long machine basting stitch around the quilt, stitching the raw edge of the binding to the quilt edge, to hold all in place. This stitching will be hidden, once the binding is flipped over and sewn in place. (Better explanation this time??)

Then I flip the binding to the back and hand sew. I use those hair barrette type clips to hold in place and only pin at the corners. I keep it pulled around the sandwich edge, so I have a good tight/filled binding and watch the corners are squared up nicely before hand stitching. Ladder stitch all the way, for me!!

I don't have any problems with any bulk making the fold to not want to lay where the pressed fold is. Like I said at the start, maybe I don't have a thick enough sandwich to distort it? I do use standard battings of assorted types/content.

The important thing ... do what works for YOU!!

Umm, I will have to try not pressing in half, I don't think it would save that much time though as I still have to press all those joining seams when making the binding. I will try it on a smallish project to see how much difference it does make.

Tried not pressing because I am always open to new things. Results not any different and I don’t mind pressing the binding. Binding is one of the things I am good at.

While I can see that — in theory— not ironing the fold could make a slight difference, I would want to baste the edges of the binding if I didn't iron the fold, especially if I’m going to attach it to a pieced border where I need to exactly match the quarter inch seam allowance. For me, there is not enough downside to ironing the fold to make me want to substitute in a basting step. It might be enough of an advantage on thicker battings. And probably there is a whole lot of personal preference here, just like some quilters pin everything and some don’t. I always have a nice full binding because I trim the backing and batting just about 1/4 larger than than the front.

Thanks for all the replies. The only way I’m going to know if it makes a difference is to try it. I’m making a small preemie quilt for donation so will see how I like it.

I really don’t mind the ironing step and my bindings lie flat (I think ).. I will try it and then I’ll know.

Yes QuiltE,you made sense. I don’t use any clips at all when using the ladder stitch. The binding keeps folding along as I go. Hopefully the picture shows how you don’t need clips. I hated them as the thread was always catching in them.

I do press, because I do a flanged binding 100% of the time and want to make sure the width of the accent flange is consistent.

I used to press all the time, but on my most recent finish, I decided to try not to press, as I had also read the previous suggestions on this board. I did not struggle at all to keep the edges together. I saw no difference in the end result. the biggest advantage then, is eliminating a step in the process and saving time.

ha! ... you probably only understood it this time, as it was the 2nd time round! :)
I've never had problems with the thread catching into the barrette type clips.
As for pins .... huge issues with catching! But have never mastered "clean" corners without pinning, so I persevere for that short time!!!

Cute back to your quilt ...look forward to seeing the front view!

From your photo of the unstitched part, you can see that the fold does not lie quite flat. But once you stitch it down, it looks perfect. I noticed as I was sewing a pressed binding that I was essentially finger pressing the fold to lie flat as I stitched it down.

I do press the binding in half before stitching, and I press the binding away from the quilt all the way around before turning it to the back or front (depending on which I am doing). I saw a video from Donna Jordan where she did that and it made a great difference in how the binding folded over, she uses her finger, but the iron works better for me. I also fold the corners and give a press during this step.
Here is a link to her video and if you want the entire binding segment starts about 23.51 and the finger pressing technique at 29.07. This entire video is filled with great ideas and hints.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE5CqpWaReA&t=1178s

I stopped using double fold binding a long time ago. I use single fold non bias. I join with straight seams. Most all the old antique quilts have single binding and have held up fine. I don't know when double fold became the normal. I machine sew my binding. I have never understood if the quilt is all machine pieced and quilted why hand sew the binding.

The last quilt I made I honestly thought about not pressing the binding. But then i stopped and thought about what works for me and that has always been pressing. Mainly becasue I apply the binding to the back and then machine stitch it on the front side close to the fold. For my charity quilt this works for me.

First of all, I had to Google "flanged binding" and "ladder stitch", so I already learned two new things! I have never bound a quilt with separate binding. I fold back the top piece 1 1/4" to trim the batting and back, so that the front becomes the binding. Super easy! I am wanting to try the flanged binding now!

I stopped pressing my binding a long time ago, and never use pins. I machine sew my binding on front and back, and found not pressing made a huge difference for me.

I don't press my binding - I used to, years ago, but tried it without and find my binding lies flatter and is easier to do (for me, anyway - I used to find ironing the binding in half very fiddly, but then I'm not a fan of ironing)

I tend to use one pin to pin at the start (so that I remember to leave extra for the final join) and then use one pin about 10-15 inches down as I machine on the binding, moving the pin another 10-15 inches as needed.

I machine the binding on one side, and then hand sew to finish it - I enjoy hand sewing, but do not have the time/patience to do the whole binding by hand, so this seems a good way to do it. I machine on the back and hand sew to the front, so I can see the finished quilt emerging as I sew round, which is very satisfying!!

For me, I like to hand sew the binding for a couple of reasons. One, I enjoy hand sewing; it’s my zen time. The other reason is I really really like how it looks. I don’t like the look of a machine sewn binding. Most of the quilts I make are donated and I want them to look the best I can.

I hope to find some time today to try an unironed binding to see what I think. Thanks for all the input everyone.

Aashley - I also needed to look those two words up! Glad to know I wasn't the only one confused/intrigued. :-)

Such a great conversation here and so many good thoughts on both sides. I'm a presser, personally, especially useful when I've pieced my bindings and I also machine my binding on the top then wrap around and hand sew on the back. Probably one of my favourite parts of making a quilt - not only does it mean it's almost finished, but I find it calming and extremely satisfying to watch it all come together in slow motion. :-) I think if I was going to use a thicker batting I'd be more inclined to try not pressing to see how it changes the fold.

I also had to look up “ladder stitch”. That made me realize that I use a different stitch when hand sewing my binding to the back; I use a “blind stitch”. This is the same stitch as I use for hand appliqué, although I use a larger needle and my stitches are larger.

The ladder stitch is great for hand-piecing, especially for EPP such as hexies. :D

Ditto- I never seem to be able to have both sides look good with the machine. I don't mind hand sewing one side at all.
I'm currently hand quilting an old quilt top I got years ago. It's so relaxing for me. I had forgotten how much I enjoy it.

I machine sew the binding to front and back at the same time. I use wide binding. I use a wider border or use a hidden border for the wide binding to have an anchor and not cover up any details. I am always asked how did you do that? I say make a placemat and try it. Binding does not have to look like regular run of the mill bindings. Most of prized show quilts have really out of the box thinking bindings. I don't make show quilts but like to have fun with binding and I stopped hand sewing binding years ago. The grands panel play quilts with single fold bindings have lasted for years of almost weekly washings and rough handling.

Another convert here. I used to iron the biinding in half and then apply it years ago. Honestly, I really like the no-iron method better, like so many of the other gals here. I found it to look neater and it falls effortlessly into place, filling the whole inside. I used to have to struggle to get the corners just right, but not now. Whether or not I hand or machine bind is dependent on the quilt. The top of the line fabrics and extensive piecing are deserving of hand work. I also love the hand work still, so , why not take the time?
This was a fun thread to read. So many techniques and so many opinions about one thing.

Onebyone, do you have a picture to show us an example of your wide binding and/or hidden border? I'd love to see it!

What stitch do you use?

Probably pretty close to a blind stitch.

I finally had a chance to try the unironed binding. I did a small preemie quilt and ironed half the binding and left the other half not ironed. Other than I found doing the mitre a bit tricky with the unironed section, I really didn’t find the machine stitching part difficult. When I started the hand sewing I don’t see any difference. This was a fun experiment and I found all the comments and info quite interesting. Going forward I probably won’t iron my binding anymore. I think the mitre will get easier with practice and ironing is not my favourite activity.

I don't press the binding. What I do is use Elmers Washable School Glue. Just a few dots along the edge, fold, and just press the edge so the glue dries. Then glue it to the quilt instead of using pins or clips. Keep the glue inside the seam allowance and sew it on just like any binding.