My friend who is teaching me to quilt has gone on vacation. Can you believe she chose vacation over helping me finish my first quilt? Well, she DID let me drive her longarm so I guess I can forgive her.

Here's my question:
I've got the binding on and am about to start hand stitching it to the back. Should I press (crease) it before I start? It seems to me lik it has a better chance of being straight if I do.

Thanks for any and all help!

The nerve of your friend. Hmph!! LOL!! :lol:

I sometimes iron my binding over before I hand sew it. It tends to lay better when I do. When I am short on time, I don't iron it..

I have only ironed it once, probably won't again.

I've ironed it a time or two. I really like it better when I don't.

Some friend! How dare she take a vacation when you're so close to being done!

I don't iron it but someone taught me to use the hair clips little girls use to hold the binding down while I stitch it. You could pin it too, but they can stick you!

I wouldn't iron either. But You might find it helpful to clip the binding in place along one side at a time. Or if you don't have or want to get the clips, you could pin.

http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog/p...RODID=prd34209

here's a really cool way to hand sew the binding that doesn't require clips or pins to secure the binding. You don't need to iron it, either.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-40083-1.htm

How could she leave you now. I usually don't iron my binding. It lays fine for me.

I say she owes you big time LOL or she better be having a VERY good time on her vacation :wink: :D:D:D

I've never considered ironing it. The idea just hasn't ever occured to me LOL.

What I do, especially when it's a larger quilt, is pin the binding down with safety pins. That way they won't stick me but it's still pinned down.