Binding
 

How long does it take you to sew on the binding by hand? 45" x 45" size lap quilt .

I took everyone's suggestions and purchased fabric for my bindings. Woke up early this morning and decided to hand sew the binding on the back. I was surprised it took 2 hours. I thought it would be less as usually I do the bindings by hand but in short spells.

Is mine a quick time, very slow( my opinion) or normal. ?

The more of them you do the faster you become. When I started it would take me 8-10 hours to do a queen sized quilt, now ( after years of practice) I can hand stitch the binding on a queen size in about the time it takes to watch a good movie. Actually about 2-3 hours

Guess I am slow as it takes me 3-4 hours to hand sew the binding on a lap quilt. I think your 2 hour timing is pretty speedy!!

It depends on how much time you spend watching the movie. :) I worked on a queen size quilt while watching the Iowa State Volleyball tournament and still isn't done.

Takes me 3 movies and a couple of glasses of wine to bind a twin to queen size quilt. I love binding day ;-)

sounds good to me :thumbup:

I've never tracked total time, but usually get one that size done in 3 sessions. Probably 40 minutes or more each session. So that's about right.

My kind of day too!

I'm retired,have lotsa time to just play,so the time doesn't matter( unless I run out of chocolate)

I just did my 50x60 quilt in one day. I did take breaks though, that's for sure.

I average an hour a side. I don't feel that it's slow, in fact I sometimes can go a bit faster. It feels wonderful to sew while watching television, because then I do not have to think of the time.

I'd say "quick" if you hand sewed both top and bottom (front and back)

I use to in my younger days get about 5 feet sewn in an hour.

I guess I'm lazy. I prefer to machine sew to the back, then machine sew the front. I have gotten pretty good so that they look nice - an even 1/16" from the edge all around. (Carpal tunnel may have contributed to this.) Takes me about 2 hours start to finish. (after the binding is made). :o) Ann

I'd say that was quick. It took me 3 movies, 1 episode of Love of Quilting, and three glasses of wine to do a 60x72.

Maybe I'd have been quicker had I reduced the amount of wine, but it's part of my ritual and helps explain why I enjoy hand binding. :o

I think that time sounds good in my experience. I love to sew binding on and I am not that fast but for me, nothing is about speed. I truly love to handle and pet the fabric, like spending the last few hours with and old friend before they go home from vacation.
peace

Well if I didn't fall asleep under it, I'd probably get it done faster. Last one was a crib size and took me 2 days. Just got too comfy!

I love hand sewing the binding! Since I watch football or basketball, etc. depending on the season, it probably takes me longer than most as I am often watching the game instead of sewing. That's OK. I'm having fun.

You all sound likemy kind of people chocolate, wine tv on and begin to sew. I also love the open fire as well. I hate hand sewing in the summer it's tooooo hot under the quilt. I am glad I'm still working at a good speed.
Thank you for all your replies it was very interesting.

Ohhhh, you're good!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It generally takes me about five-six days to bind a quilt - size doesn't matter. I do one side a day and when I get tired, I quit. But the wine sure tastes good - Say, have you tried the chocolate wine? Talk about heaven. Bind a quilt and have a Choco-Vin!!!!!! Can't find it up here too much anymore - But it sure is good! I am partial to Chardonnay (ice cold) and Tawny Port (room temp - before bed - after I get through sewing in the evening.) Love Mogen David and Manischewitz too. Oh, heck, give me some fabric, a pattern and a glass of wine and I'll follow you anywhere!!!!! Really good in icy cold weather too.. Right now we have like +7 degrees outside. And I am going out for lunch with my special quilting buddy - Guess what we are going to talk about and over a glass of guess what?????? Have a great day! Edie

Two hours doesn't surprise me. Sewing binding is my time to reflect on the fact that I actually finished and also time to just relax.

I must be really slow. I am binding an x large king size and been at it for days. I knot every three stitches - does everyone do that? I had to repair a few places in that time also.

It takes me about a good 6 hours (2 hours a night) to hand sew the binding on a 72 x 72 quilt size. Guess I am slow.

Yea! This is my theory too! Love to do binding while I watch the Packers or Brewers!

Would say two hours is just a little long, but not much. I know that once I sew the binding on to the body of the quilt by machine on the front side I can whiz a long pretty quickly turning and sewing it to the back but I have never done a timed test. I will soon though. :) I have a little holiday quilted wall hanging that will be about 40 x 40.

When I do my bindings by hand, I settle myself down in my recliner, cup of hot whatever and watch TV while I'm doing it. I decide how many days I want to spend on the hand sewing, divide the area up and start sewing. Seems to just fly for me instead of trying to do it all at one time. I have arthritis in both my hands so trying to work at it for long periods of time just isn't in the cards for me. I usually just work on it for about an hour or so if I'm close to the stopping point.

Your time sounds quick to me. A lot does depend on distractions, as well as the fabric, thread, and needle used. In any case, the result is always worth it to me.

I did a much larger one yesterday. I was sewing on dark green fabric with dark green thread and wanted to get it done before dark. I was surprised to get it done so fast. I didn't time myself.

I can sew a binding on a king size quilt in 6 hours listening to a book on tape. The same size quilt takes over 9 hours when I am watching tv as I sew on the binding.

Just finished hand sewing a binding on the back of a 60 x 60 throw but did it in the evenings while watching TV so don't really know how long it took. I know it was a lot longer than 2 hours but I just took my time over a number of evenings.

I would love binding day too. Maybe I would be able to get some of my UFO's out of the way. LOL!

I machine all my bindings front & back so I know it's a good sturdy sewing, don't trust my hand sewing unless it's cross stitch (which I don't do anymore) and the binding gets done so much faster by machine. When I'm so close to being done I can taste it I wont stop to hand sew. I guess it's a beginners thing, I want it done so I can start something new.
Jeri

I'm in the the slow class - it takes me a couple of days. Mind you, because I HATE hand sewing so much, half the time is probably me gritting my teeth ;)

It's interesting how many of use have a treat as we sew. Chocolate wine sounds good.

I like DebraK's strategy.

For a bed-sized quilt, I'd say about four hours. I don't enjoy it, so I do it in four sessions!

I have no idea. :shock: haha I use my machine for sewing the whole binding.

I hand bind, and find it surprising that it goes so quickly. I don't usually do it in one spell, because my back gets to hurting, or my kitty wants to play, or my husband is starving :), but probably spend an hour or so each time. Couple of hours to do a lap quilt.

I like your method - I don't mind hand binding, it's kind of meditational, but think I'll add chocolate&wine too!!!