finishing binding by hand
 

For the first time ever I am finishing the binding of a quilt by hand. I normally just whizz it through on the sewing machine but it never ends up looking great (I have very little patience when it comes to the binding). This quilt is for a competition and is only 25" x 25" so I thought it wouldn't be too much trouble to hand finish it and hopefully get a nicer look than I usually do! I've got over half of it done and it does look nice, but it's just taken me so long! I'm finding it so fiddly! Any advice to make it a bit easier for me?

It's a pain, but it does make it look better in my opinion. I have no great tips because I hate it, too. Just suck it up and sew is what I keep telling myself.

I enjoy sewing on the binding by hand, well used to, I can't do it anymore so have to machine bind. I would say just go slow and enjoy the experience and be careful in your stitches.

I love to watch the Hallmark movie channel while I do hand sewing or quilting....I have even been known to record movies on dvr just to watch while sewing. Also, you might try to do just 10 to 15 minutes at a time then go do something else, be surprised how much you can get done.

Put on your favorite TV show, movie, radio station book on tape or music and enjoy the sense of accomplishment from finishing your quilt.

Go slow use a thin needle relax and watch a movie or something.

What are you finding fiddly? Can you be more specific, like is your thread hanging up on the pins you are using to hold the binding in place while you sew? Maybe clips would help to hold the binding down while you hand sew. There are the clover wonder clips made especially for this purpose or you can use spring loaded hair clips. Specifics in your issues would help us to offer constructive advice. A 25" square quilt shouldn't take very long to hand bind at all.

I love to sew binding. Could you be more specific about what your problems are so we can pin point ways to erase the fiddly in your binding?

Try creating a different scenario when you are preparing to do the finish. Put on some good music and be in a calm state, you are just doing a simple whip or ladder stitch around the edge of some fabric. It is not a big deal unless you think it is a problem and really can't do a nice job. You know that isn't true!

Just think about the adventure you have with the material and how you feel about, what you like and would miss about the fabric. Enjoy feeling and looking at your almost completed top and what the future for it will be.

Try not to think about how much you don't like to do binding and turn this part of your creation into a nice afternoon on the porch, just sitting and stitching in a peaceful manner.

be sure you have a supply of needles to thread before you begin, if you can.

This is what I do too. I usually finish a quilt in 2-3 evenings in front of the TV.

Thread Heaven. It's a sort of waxy substance that comes in a little blue box. It helps a lot by keeping your thread from tangling. Other than that, just turn on a favorite show (gotta love DVR's) and spend a nice quiet afternoon sitting and sewing. I enjoy doing some handwork. It gives me quiet time.