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.

I've never had an issue with putting the binding on -- that is a process I enjoy -- it gives me a little time to study the quilt one last time. It is the last time work on that project and I like to think about the whole process. Hope you have finished your binding by now and can just stand back and admire your good work.

I got it done eventually! I find it quite hard to describe exactly what I was finding fiddly! I think it was trying to get my stitches even when they're underneath the binding and I couldn't really see them to be sure they are even. I'm not sure I did a great job, but as it was my first attempt at it I'm still pretty pleased with it!
I find it a bit odd that I didn't really enjoy doing it by hand, because I love hand quilting and I'm currently hand sewing a hexie quilt and really enjoying that. I don't think I would like to do a large quilt this way, but I might find that I want to on my hexie quilt, as I intend to hand quilt it for continuity so who knows!
Thanks for all your comments, and sorry I wasn't more specific about the fiddly!

I think the clue here is when Sisty88 says she normally "whizz" it through... Sewing by hand is slower than sewing by machine. I enjoy the peace I feel when I sit quietly and hand sew. If one is used to getting things done quickly then I can see why it would drive them crazy to slow down and do some hand sewing. I love the feel of the fabric, making my stitches small and even. It is one place where I can get away from the hectic pace the world around me is much of the time. If you have to have something done fast then hand work isn't for you.















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I also enjoy watching movies while sewing the binding. I really enjoy doing it. I find hand sewing relaxing.

I could in my younger days do 5' in an hour. Just look at how much nicer and more professionally your quilt will look. I would always watch TV. It is nothing simpler that a whip stitch that is buried. Come up and take a tiny bite of the binding and go back down the same place you came up and rock the needle and come up again for another bite of the binding down about a 1/4" from your previous stitch.

I enjoy sewing the binding by hand. I can understand that some people don't like to sew by hand but I never could understand why so many people find the process difficult or challenging. I don't use glue or binding clips. I don't even iron the binding to the back. I simply turn the binding to the back where I want to start, put one pin in a little ways down, and start stitching. When I get to the pin, I simply move it down a little further and continue. I like to use silk thread because it practically disappears into the fabric. I use the same thread for hand applique.
Works for me.

I machine sew the binding to the front, turn it to the back, pin it down for about a foot or so, then BASTE it, removing the pins as I reach them. Continue along until I get it all basted, THEN, I start blind stitching it together. Once I finish the binding, I remove the basting stitches. This way, I don't get stabbed by pins as I sew the back.

I tried the clip things, but I kept knocking them off. I figured that if I can baste it together to quilt it, then I could baste it together to put the binding on. Works for me.

I don't love hand sewing the binding, but I really like the look so I do it. I tend to try to do it a bit at a time. When I sit down I decide to sew just one threaded needle with about 24" of thread in it. Sometimes it goes so well that I decide to do a second. Since I'm only planning a small amount at at time it doesn't seem too bad. Also, if I leave it where I walk past it, then I'll often stop and sew a bit between doing other things.

I really enjoy doing hand binding now that I learned to do it with the ladder stitch.....no clips needed. I either sit on my porch or inside watching a movie when I hand bind and I do find it relaxing.

I prefer hand stitching the binding, because I don't like the little bit of the binding on the back that doesn't get caught in the machine stitch. ( I call it the ledge). I, too, use the ladder stitch, binding clips, thread heaven, anchor the thread around the eye of the needle, and one more thing: I thread several needles on the spool just as I do for hand quilting. Seems to help speed up the process a bit. But then when machine stitching it down, I've been known to miss entire inches of the binding in the back and it takes as long to correct that mess as it does to put it down by hand.:D

I use a short needle it is a quilting needle and matching thread small stitches and it usually looks good.

It takes me several hours with a throw size quilt, but I feel it is well worth it, since I love the way it turns out.

I hand sew all my biding, even on potholders. I can do a king size quilt in about hours. I use the zip clip to keep everything in place and just do a short running stitch.

Its been easier since I learned the ladder stitch. Looks better also. Is the Thread Heaven beeswax or something different?

I actually like to sew the binding by hand. I like the look better and it just feels good to work with needle, thread and a thimble.

That Thread Heaven is a miracle worker!! I hand quilt and the person that i'm quilting for now bought a spool of thread that isn't glazed cotton. I bought some and it has been wonderful!!

Gotta second the sewing while watching TV.

I like to use a quilting needle, size 10 at the moment, and hand quilting thread. Hand quilting thread seems to be stronger. I use to use regular cotton thread and sometimes it would break (I probably was pulling too hard). Keep trying and you will find out what works for you. :)

Practice. Practice. Practice. I love hand sewing, but it takes practice. I sit in front of the TV and find it is done in no time.

Just to know how wonderful it will look when it's done is enough to keep me going on the hand sewn binding. I do use clips instead of pins. That definitely helps.

I always finish my binding by hand. True it takes a long time but I do it while watching TV. I just did a queen size quilt that took me about 9 hours total

Somehow I always find it easier to work from top to bottom instead of bottom to top. Maybe it doesn't make much sense, but it seems to put less strain on my wrist.

I love to sew the binding by hand. I'm doing first quilts for all 6 grandkids. When I presented the first one, I told my DGS that it's not binding. It's SWAK...Stitched With A Kiss...

When I am piecing or cutting, the first time my mind wanders off (as it tends to do), I make an error! However, when I'm hand-stitching binding, my mind can go anywhere it likes and I make no mistakes. It's very relaxing. Ditto the seam ripping job I'm doing now. I am almost finished removing a wide border (one I thought would be right for the quilt, but is definitely not) and a narrow one (same huge quilt); I was NOT looking forward to this task, but I can really 'zone out' while I remove 1000's of stitches.

Binding is my TV watching thing since I can't just sit and watch TV.
Make sure your needle is a nice sharp one that hasn't been used for years, like mine!
When you pull thread from the spool, place that end on your shoulder. That is the end to knot. That way your thread won't twist as you sew. It all has to do with the twist of the thread when it is being manufactured.

I always sew my bindings by hand. I have never done it by machine.

To me, sewing a binding down by hand is the only way to go. I have a friend who sews them down by machine and they just do not do justice to a quilt that she has put time and money in to finish this way. Yes it does take time but to me, well worth the effort.

I really enjoy binding by hand, I think it adds so much to the quilt and it also lowers your blood Pressure when you sew and relax!
Have a good day!

It is hard but the rewards are great. just can't like those done on machine.

I know it takes a tad longer, but for a finished look there just isn't any substitute for hand sewing your binding. There have been times when I've been in a hurry to finish a project, waited too long to start, and I've used the machine to add the binding. While it turns out okay, it just doesn't look as nice. Thread Heaven is a great product, I used it when I was seed bead weaving and have now found it to be useful in hand sewing as well. Get a cup of coffee, a nice comfortable chair, a good old movie and sew away.