binding quilts - uuggghhh!
 

I usually bring my backing fabric around to the front to self-bind, because I get a perfect miter on each corner every time. Recently, I've started doing separate binding. Is it a case of practice-practice-practice? I've bound three quilts in the last week. On each quilt, ONE corner mitered correctly, the other three, not so much. I'm measuring at each corner. I've watched numerous videos on how to do this. Does anyone have some helpful hints?

Since you've already watched the videos, I think you answered your own question. (practice-practice-practice)

I'm just trying to get my quilt to that step! Have to quilt the border and the machine is acting up. I usually don't have problems with the mitered corners on the binding. Good luck, I do think it is a matter of practice. Are you putting the binding on all by machine? I've never had good luck with that. If you are sewing the last round by hand and are right handed is your stitch direction to the left?

When you sew the binding on..sew to the corner. That will give you a nice mitered corner. Also elmers glue it AWESOME. I did not use it today since I was rushing...it really makes a difference...also iron...once sew on then once you turn the faric to the other side. glue it down and sew. Good luck. You will get it.

dunster - I was hoping that you wouldn't say that!!!
nammie - I do it all by machine - hand sewing and I don't get along.
carolaug - do you mean go all the way to the corner and DON'T stop 1/4 inch from the end?

Measure your actual seam allowance before you mark the corner. In other words, use your actual seam allowance and not the seam allowance you think you are sewing. Stop just one small stitch short of the mark; *never* sew one short stitch past the mark. When you fold the corner, make sure to finger press the fold down very well so the folds are *exactly* on the cut edge and not just a tiny bit bigger or tiny bit smaller.

I have found that not ironing the fold into the binding (before applying the binding) helps a lot with the entire binding, including the corners. Not ironing allows the outer layer of binding fabric be just a little bit bigger than the inner layer of binding fabric when you turn the binding.

After sewing the binding to the first side of the quilt, it helps to take the quilt to the ironing board and iron the binding away from the body of the quilt. This makes turning easier. (Again, do *not* iron in the fold at the binding's edge.)

At this time, it also helps me to see if I can get a good miter on each corner. When I am satisfied with the fold, I iron that corner into place. It helps to add a dot of glue on the part of the miter that your sewing machine will reach first. You can either leave the flap free or add a dot of glue to hold your ironed miter in place. I often find it helps to nip off just the tip of the batting at the corner (not any of the binding fabric! If you do it wrong, you can cut a hole in your binding!).

One other thing I do which most quilters would probably not want to do is this. I use a permanent Sharpie to mark "virtual" cutting lines on the edge of my quilt and use that to line up the raw edges of my binding. In other words, I do not trim the quilt to size before adding binding. I mark the cutting lines, sew the binding on using the mark as my virtual cutting edge, then trim the quilt to match the binding. This does not really help with the corners, as far as I can tell, but it helps me control the edge of the quilt.

Wished we all lived closer .... I like hand sewing the binding! I don't like the sandwiching part .... seems I always have wrinkles.

I hate mitering corners so I do almost all of my quilts with rounded corners and use bias binding. If i do have to miter I still use bias binding because I find it easier to get a good miter with it.

It sounds like your seam allowance is not being consistent to the corner where you stop. I found that when the corners were not mitering well, I ripped out the corner section to see what was wrong. Usually it was the seam allowance the last inch before the corner. Another point was made above about making sure your folds were aligned correctly.

There is a trick to doing this well, (and it is easy) marking the spot where the 45 degree angle hits and sewing the second part from the corner. I cannot post a link to the pictures that show this, pm me if you want to see them.