Decorative Stich With Machine Binding
 

I've read about and have seen quilts with decorative stitching on the binding. I know how my stitching looks on the back sometimes! So how do people get their decorative stitching to look nice on both the front and the back?

What I have found is that any stitch that has a straight line to it needs to be done very slowly and carefully so that you are stitching just a thread or two to the left of the first stitching line. I have found with this kind of stitch that it helps a lot to glue-baste the binding first. Using an open-toe foot and sewing very slowly helps keep the stitching looking good on both sides. The one I like best for this makes a forward stitch, then a stitch to the right, then a stitch back into the same hold on the left, and repeats.

Using a decorative stitch that doesn't have a straight line to it makes it much easier to achieve a good look on both sides. The serpentine stitch is the one I use. (Sews a big S over and over.)

I sew my binding to the back, then sew the serpentine stitch to the binding on the front. I do a test first so I get the width exactly right, then I eye up where the foot needs to be on the binding, sew slow, and keep my eye ahead of the foot. Doing this, I have the stitch edge just hitting the edge of the binding on the back, and it looks the same on the front, just to the inside edge of the binding. I create an actual mock up of a quilt edge with the binding sewn on. I do not like taking out stitches so I make sure I have what I want before I do the actual binding. I also lift the quilt edge up every so often and double check the sewing on the bottom-with the needle down. Since every binding doesn't always end up with the same width on each quilt, I need to do these tests first as the width may not always the same for the serpentine stitch I am sewing. Changing the length and width of the serpentine stitch gives different looks.

I have tried the fancy stitches, I like how they look, while they might not look perfect, but it works for me. The thing I find with the fancy stitches, they take a little longer to sew. By the time I get to the binding I am ready to use just a straight stitch. One thing does help is pressing the binding after I have sewn it to the front, it sits much nicer and is easier to finish off.

This is what my LQS owner did for me while she was ringing people up.
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Are we missing a pic here?

Lol no, your quote clearly shows a picture. ;)

Thats the one I use also.