Binding
 

How many quilts/projects do you attach a binding to before it actually turns out how you'd like it too? ;)

I've bound 4 different projects, different sizes. I've used different techniques. But, they never look good enough to gift or share with anyone.

practice, practice, practice - I feel I do a really good job on my bindings and have gotten compliments on them. What is it about your binding that you don't like? Do you use a double fold binding? Do you cut across the width of fabric, or length? Or are you putting on bias binding? How wide do you typically cut? I use a 2.5 inch cut, folded in half, sewn on the front by machine and the back by hand. I occasionally cut at 2.25 if the batting is thin, or 2.75 if I am working on flannel. give us more info or photos and I bet we can help!

OK, I'm confused -- but I'm easily confused - lol. If you are working on projects that you aren't happy with, why bind them? I would continue to do, redo, add more, change something, etc. before I added batting and backing. Does that help at all? Sometimes, many times, I walk away from a project that isn't turning out like I want, and then go back to it later. That helps me a lot. I usually get some inspiration.

See, I was confused! It's the binding you don't like. I would master the easiest way first which is probably to sew on the side pieces to the front by machine, and finish backs by hand. Then do top and bottom, taking care to turn under the corners and line them up well. Does that help?

How about some pictures? Honestly the binding is usually the thing I dislike the least - I can always notice a crooked seam, mismatched corners, over abundant stippling, but the binding always looks so nice and clean.

Maybe your last cut of your quilt is not clean so there is no hope for the binding. Some folks must square their quilts up nicely before doing that last cut before binding.

What is it about your binding that you don't like?

I agree - lots of practice! I'm glad I saw your comment - I didn't know to allow more for flannel. I have one that I'll soon be ready to bind. I've gotten a lot better, but there still may be a quilt where I like 3 out of my 4 corners.:o

Have you seen this binding tutorial? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PE0Yq9iGlc It makes binding downright easy! :)

Binding is my favorite part of the quilting process. Part of it maybe because the quilt is finally done but the other part is because I enjoy hand sewing. Keep your stitches small and match thread with your binding.

Here is my own binding tute. I'm sending this in Microsoft Office doc. format, but a pdf. one may come tomorrow for those that need it.

Jan in VA

Jan, I've always like this tutorial. :)

Is there more? More about sewing the binding down to the other side? Finishing it up?

I agree! I love putting on the binding for the reasons listed above.

Here are some pictures of the binding on my last little project. Plus, a picture of the back. You can see the puckers in this picture. :) I'm just not happy with the binding. This is machine binding. I'd need a 1-1 lesson to learn to hand sew it.

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If I want my quilt binding to look good, I always sew it down by machine on the front and then flip it over and sew it down by hand on the back side. If the quilt is going to be dragged through the mud(aka used a lot) then I will machine sew it to the back, flip it and machine sew it to the top...carefully. Been know to rip and repeat the process in places. I just have to keep telling myself to sew slowly. And yes, it takes lots of practice. Hang in there, it will get better.:thumbup:

OH! Machine binding! Well that explains it.
Yeah, I don't think I could do it all by machine. I machine-attach the binding to one side and then turn it over and hand sew the other side. If you can't go somewhere that can you a quick hand-sew lesson you can practice on your own after reading instructions (books, here, etc).

It's only about 1-3 hours of hand sewing and it goes quickly and is very satisfying! Love that last step.

Good luck, keep working at it! This is the one area that us st

Aaaah - thanks for posting the photos. If you are planning on machine-sewing both sides of the binding to the quilt, you should attach the binding to the back of the quilt first, and then fold it over to the front so that you can lay it right on top of the 1/4" seam and sew along it. If you're planning on hand-sewing (my favorite part of all), then you should sew the binding onto the front of the quilt and fold it over to the back. It helps if after you do the initial machine sewing and before folding the binding, you take some very sharp scissors and snip away the extra batting between the two layers and take a diagonal snip from each corner.

Thanks for the pics they show the problem clearly. The solution is the purchase of Clover Wonder Clips.

Begin by following the link above suggested in an earlier post using 2 1/2" binding. Do not skip the pressing step.

Sit down with your quilt in your lap right side fold the binding to the back (quilt still right side up). Take a Wonder Clip red side facing right side of quilt and clip it on. Make sure the very first ridge of the Wonder Clip is just off the binding but snugged right up to it.

Look on the back side. Just a little bit of the binding should extend past the end of the clip (1/16 - 1/8 inch). When you stitch in the ditch from the right side you will catch the binding on the back side. I only place my clips about
3 inches apart so I do a lot of starting and stopping NEEDLE DOWN to remove clips. I arrange the corner folds and put the clip on at a 45 degree angle to hold it. When I have to remove the clip I press down gently with a tailors awl to hold everything in place. Sorry your having problems :(. I always hand stitched mine until I found this method

The pictures help a lot, but I have one more question - is the diagonal seam in photo # 1 where you join the ends of your binding? If so, it looks like you need some help there getting a tighter fit. Start with about 10 inches of binding left loose (don't sew it down) about a third of the way down a long edge of the quilt. Sew around the rest of the quilt and before you get to where you started, stop sewing with excess binding left loose. Take the quilt out of the machine and lay it on a table with the quilt away from you and the binding edge near. Pin the binding coming from the left to the edge of the quilt so it's as tight as it would be if you had sewn it. Take the right binding and lay it on top of the left one. Locate a point where they overlap (you need to be about 3-4 inches away from where it has been sewn) and mark both pieces. Trim the left one off at that mark and trim the right one PAST the point marked at a measurement that equals the size of your original cut for the binding. So, if you cut binding at 2.5 inches, then cut the binding off 2.5 inches past your mark. Now, move the quilt into your lap so the binding is at the top. Join the two binding strips at right angles to each other, right over left and sew a diagonal seam from the top left corner to the bottom right. Check to make sure it is tight enough and sewn in the right direction before you cut off the excess binding beyond your diagonal seam. Then finish your binding.

As to the sewing by machine front and back - I have NEVER mastered that and find that sewing by hand is sew much easier. I think it's called a ladder stitch, but not sure. Run a thread along the stitiching line that is from sewing the binding on the front by machine, and run it about a quarter of an inch. Where the thread comes out of the quilt, put it in directly across into the binding and run the thread in the fold of the binding about a quarter inch. Where it comes out, put it directly across into the quilt at the seam line and repeat till done! Corners? Well you just have to practice!