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.

This is what I do. Those little hairclips are really handy and no poking!!!!

I don't iron it to crease it, but I do iron it as though I was pressing a seam. Usually I sew the binding to the front and hand sew to the back. So what I do is put the quilt face down on the ironing board and gently pull the binding out straight while ironing. After I press, I use the binding clips to hold the side I'm working on. It seems easier to keep the binding from turning back away from me that way.

I always press the binding in half before attaching to the quilt. It lays flatter for me. Also if there are bobbles cut in the binding they can be straightened up in the sewing process or trimmed if necessary. it is also easier in doing corners and joining the binding.
After the binding is attached by the machine, I then irong it from the front. This creases the sewing line and makes it lay flatter.I press from the top and into the corners which also make it easier to do the mitre.
Everyone has their opinion but this works better for me.

Thanks for all of the input. I went ahead without pressing this one, but I think for a larger one I would press a bit. Anyways, got my first quilt done!

Good for you--stepping out on your own! I'm sure that your friend will say "I KNEW you could do it, or I wouldn't have left you alone to finish!!"

How about a picture?

Sue

Where's the picture????? We want to see!!!!!

I iron but I also use the Elmer's school glue to hold it down as I sew it. If you search glue at the top, it should give you other topics on this. Basically, you put a very thin line down and use the iron to set it and then I stitch away! Washes right out!I load up on teh stuff every fall just for this use!

I don't crease it first. If it's cut straight, sewn on straight with a correct, consistent seam allowance, it should go on straight without pressing it before you handstitch.

Here's the finished product! It's my first try at both quilting and photostitch embroidery. Hope my sister likes it.

Ugh, I posted the wrong picture. I'll try again.

I have never heard of binding not being ironed. I cut my 2-1/2" strips, sew them together, press them in half, lengthwise, roll it up and then when I bind, I pin it to the edge of the quilt, machine sew it down, then I fold the folded edge over the edge of the quilt,pin it and hand sew it down (blind stitch). The binding is double and will last twice as long - that's how I do it. Edie

Here's a tutorial by Sharon Schamber, whose quilts win at Houston regularly:). The part about pressing from the top once the binding's on, really helped for me. (I don't always do it, though. :)) rusty

http://www.sharonschamber.com/free%2...ng%20Class.pdf

Oh, that's so funny. I am looking at the photo thinking I am missing something. :lol: :lol: :lol:

I do not iron my binding. Never even considered doing that! I just pin one whole side (I make large throw size quilts) to make sure that my foldover is consistent and blind stitch it.

I do not iron a crease. I really see no reason for binding to have a crease.

I use bobby pins to hold down the binding - it stays straight and I don't poke myself with pins - I think I read about doing it this way on this site.

I press my 2-1/4" strip in half before I machine stitch it to the front of the quilt, but I do not iron/press after that.
On the back while handstitching the 2nd half of the binding down, I Use 2 or 3 hairclips as I go along to stabilize the binding right where I'm sewing, and I have always used the ladder, or blind, stitch. It is very secure, and I don't much care for the whip-stitch look.

I don't iron, but I do use lots of pins. They don't stick me too much.

Congratulations on your first quilt!

show us a pic please!!

Okay...time for my confession.
When I first made quilts, self-taught, I didn't know you could use boarders first... then make your own binding.
I just used wide bias tape. Guess I cheated. :(

This board makes learning fun!!!! :)

Hope she thinks about you while she is on vacation.
What a neat surprise when she gets back home...YOU DID IT!

Ok, the first picture I accidentally posted is from the "Angleplay" class I took with Margaret Miller. I was going to use just straight strips for my sister's quilt, but instead came home after the class and made this border intead.

You know something. I don't think you are ugly at all. And I bet you cook like everything. Edie

Haha, thank you, but the name is from when I attempted to sell cooking ware through home parties. I inevitably dropped something or made a mess and my dishes came out tasty but ugly!

please post a picture of your quilt,
sorry to hear your quilting friend left you while you were learning to bind your quilt

Yes, yes, yes, do iron, it will cause you less work in the long run. Lays better and is easier to work with. Enjoy

Do not iron. I like the binding to look full and rounded. Look luck!!

I always press from the back, pressing the seam towards the binding. But I don't press the binding in half b4 hand sewing to the back, it just rolls over naturally. I don't think I would like a crease.

I use the snap clips for hair (the ones girls use to keep the fly-a-ways up with they wear a ponytail) - usually 3 of them, and just keep moving them along the binding as I go.

Never tried ironing it first. Do make sure that your binding is "full" - quilt judges really harp on bindings that are baggy and empty!

Have fun stitching those tiny stitches!