Hi everyone

I am ready to Hand Quilt/hand sew my binding - a friend of mine has it sew on but I need to finish the binding and I have a few questions:

Do I Iron the Binding down first?

Can I use T Pins to hold down my Binding til I get it Hand Quilted? or should I use Binding Clips?

I never did this before and I want to make sure that I am doing this right

Thanks for your help in this....

Most quilters wait until the quilting is finished to sew the binding on.

Congratulations on being a new quilter. It sounds like you have some of your quilting terms mixed up. I am assuming that you already have the quilt made and quilted except for the binding. If it is already sewn down on the face side of the quilt all you have to do is fold it to the back and whip stitch it down so that as little of your stitches show as possible. You should fold it tight enough that the stitches that secured it to the front are hidden. I have done it so many times that I just fold it over as I go but it might help you to secure it ahead of time with either pins or clips. Then remove them as you complete the sewing.

I am done with my Hand Quilting...I need to know should I iron the binding down first before I sew it completely down or what?

Can I use T Pins to hold down the Binding?

Thanks

In my Quilting group most of them sew the whole binding down by hand....I'm just saying what I've seen done in the last few weeks.

I don't iron it to the back as it just seems to turn under nicely. You might stretch it if you iron it, maybe.

I always iron mine down first and then pin or glue-baste it down before stitching. It helps me to maintain a more even binding width on the front and a straighter fold. I don't have any problems with stretching, but it's something to watch for...

As you can see, quilters have different methods that work well for them, so feel free to experiment a little and see what works best for you.

Congrats on getting ready to finish up your quilt!

Thanks for your help....

Can I use T Pins to hold down the binding while I am stitching it down?

I love to glue baste my binding. Here are Sharon Schamber's tutorial videos for her method (the back of the binding starts probably halfway through the second video...)

http://quiltinggallery.com/2008/05/1...s-school-glue/

For an alternative without glue, I've seen people iron the binding and pinning a small length of it to the quilt with hair clips. Then sew it down, then pin a bit more. The good thing about hair clips is, you don't accidentally poke yourself while holding the quilt (as with pins).

Example of the kind of hairclips people use (you can buy special ones in quilt shops but apparently more expensive, and they do the same):

http://www.kaboose.com/imageLibrary/hairclips.jpg

Good luck!!! And be sure to post pictures of your work here when you are done, we all love seeing them. :thumbup:

You can use the T-pins but I find that saftey pins work better because they don't poke me all the time and there is no chance of them slipping out. I also iron my binding as I fold it over to the back. It helps me keep it from getting pulled out of shape as I do the hand binding. You must be beside yourself with excitement at finishing the quilt.

You can use T Pins, but the thread may continually get caught on them. I use regular pins. Tried the clips and they seem awkward. Use what works best for you...experimenting is OK! :-)

I always iron it down before I sew it. Makes it easier to get a nice even edge. Do whatever works best for you. I have been using Roxanne's basting glue to hold it in place. There is another thread about this subject; don't know where it would be, but it was about using Elmer's school glue to glue baste. Good luck with your undertaking.

Thanks for all of your help....I sure love all of the tips, suggestions and so forth from this Board. You all have wonderful tips and they are very helpful.

Thanks so very much.

the binding is attached to the quilt after the quilt is quilted and squared. quilting itself can change the size/shape of the quilt. just like applique.
you need to quilt it, then trim the backing/batting to match the top (at the same time ensuring everything is square) then attach the binding; usually machine stitched to the front then folded over to the back for hand stitching down. some people do press the binding to give it a more (crisp) edge. i think that is your choice. i have pressed when i felt it was needed, but other times did not bother.

I do not use T-pins in fabric, ever, because the ones I have seen are not sharp enough and might break threads. I just hold the binding with my fingers as I sew it down. The binding should be completely full, which to me means that it would not have a crisp ironed edge but would be slightly rounded.

Oh okay...

I'm going to wait til next Wednesday when I go to my Church for Triple F and I go to my Quilt Group and than I'm going have them show me how to do the final stitching on the binding.

My Quilt is already done with the Hand Quilting...I just have to finish off the Binding...

My Binding is already sewed on...I just have to sew the front edge down and that is it.

Thanks for all of your help

I fold my binding strip in 1/2 prior to sewing and then roll the whole thing up into a coil. I leave enough room in the center of the binding roll to put over my wrist so it feeds off that way as I stitch it down to the back.
I sew the binding to the back first and then turn it over to the front and stitch it down by machine. I do as much as possible by machine, have repetitive motion injuries & too much hand sewing causes pain.
Sharon

Okay thanks

I am going to sew the front edge of my Binding down by Hand

As you can see from reading these posts, there are many ways to attach binding, and you can do whatever works for you. The most common way (I think) is to machine sew the binding to the front of the quilt, and then sew it to the back by hand. I think this is because the machine's stitch is more even than hand stitching and so will not show as much from the front.

I also dont pin,or clue or use clips.I just turn it as I go along and it works very well for me. I do almost all my bindings by hand.

I just use regular pins, but I pin on the right side of the quilt so the pins are underneath when I sew. I pin so the ball comes at me first, not the point :-D ...less poking and thread tangling issues. The pins are on the opposite side from where you're sewing.

I glue mine down too.. I use Roxannes or just plain school glue. whichever is closer/on hand..

I use big bobby pins to hold the binding in place as I go. Tried the clips but they open up and fly all over the room. I usually do about 36 inches ahead of where I am, and as I take one off I add it to the other end.

Oh okay...Thanks

I don't iron it down, but pins are real handy when doing this!

thank you....

You just gave me a tada moment here. I have been using straight pins. I'm switching too safety pins. No more pokes. Thanks.

I was told that ironing my binding in half may skew when sewing it on by machine. So, I don't iron. When turning the binding over, it should have a nice roll to it. This I sew by hand. It's always looked nice.

I basically do it just like you would a hem in a skirt, only really tiny stitches. That is of course after the binding is sewn onto the front. I use a few regular pins to hold it in place. the one thing I do that I have not seen mentioned is that I thread a bunch of needles ahead. I don't know why, it just made sense to me. I hate to have to stop and thread a needle. The only problem I have had is that my hands hurt really bad afterward and it does take a long time. But it is what I like to call tv work so the time is not really a problem. But the pain is not fun. I really want to learn how to do a good job putting the binding on completely with my sewing machine.

I iron it and use clips-they look like hair clips (what we always called "clippies") to hold it down. I got into the habit of using clips when I did stockings with bias bindings.

I don't use and clips or pins. I just hold it down with my left had and sew it down with my right hand. Never had a problem with it being straight. I watched one quilter at a retreat that put clips all the way around a queen size quilt. It wasted about 1/2 hour and then they kept catching as she was sewing. I prefer the simple way!

I don't think you would want to use T-pins as they have a rather thick shank and might cause holes. Besides, pins will "bite!" If you need to hold the binding in place while you sew, small binder clips would work nicely. Personally, I don't anchor the binding down except with my thumb as I go.

I always enjoy this step as it's the sign that this quilt is nearly finished.

Enjoy each step of the quilts journey.

Thanks everyone for your help on this...this helps me out alot.

Next project try sewingyour binding to the front of the quilt first, then fold it over and stitch it to the back. You can machine stitch in the ditch of your original seam line to attach it to the back, but I have had spotty luck with that. I am usually much happier with the binding if I hand sew it in the back. Sewing it to the front first gives a smoother binding on the front of the quilt. If you are going to have an off area in your binding you want it hidden on the back of your quilt, not staring at you from the front. Just my HO. Good luck.

My Sewing Machine is a really good Sewing Machine - Singer and I need to get a Walking Foot for my Sewing Machine before I can sew through layers of material.

Just fold the binding to the back of the quilt. Pin in place and hand stitch. Make your stitches snug and do not let your stitches show. Now your quilt is finished. :thumbup:

I get the type of small paper clips from Office Max or Staples or Office Depot that open like jaws and have handles on them. Hope you can figure out what they are from my description! Can't post pictures or I would. Then I use only 3 or 4, moving them as I go. I don't get poked by pins and it works great for me! Good luck with finishing your quilt. All that hand work. W0w! Congratulations!

T-pins are really too heavy and thick. They leave a larger hole than regular pins. When I first took classes, we were advised to use flat flower head pins. The are a narrower, longer pin and the flat head sets down better so they don't catch or pull out accidentally. A bit more expensive, but well worth the extra.

Congrats on being this far with your quilt! I iron my binding flat out from the edge of the quilt first to make a nice sharp crease, then I fold it over and either glue baste it down or use clips. I recently bought a product called "quick clips"..these little clip things shoot out from a dispenser like a Pez dispencer...works fantastically!

Good luck, most of all relax, have fun and enjoy finishing your quilt!

I don't iron the binding down because it is easier to stitch in
the tunnel of the fold when your doing your invisible stitch.