Ideas on finishing a binding by machine and not have it look awful :-(

OH, I have a friend that does it, somehow she puts piping or something in the binding and it turns out perfectly everytime, on the machine. If no one else knows what I'm taking about, I'll try to get instructions from her and post them.

Thanks, Rachel.

is it like the cording around a pillow or cushion???

Knowing they're going to experience lots of washings, I bind baby quilts by machine. I suppose it could be considered cheating because I don't use a separate binding at all. The way I do it is to use the backing fabric as binding:

After quilting, I trim the batting even with the edges of the top, but keep the backing about 2" larger all the way around. Then to bind it, I fold the edge of the backing over itself once to enclose the raw edge, then fold it over onto the front of the quilt top. I pin it and zigzag stitch it down (from the top side of the quilt). I miter the corners so they lay well and I find that part a bit tricky simply because I need more practice at that.

I hope I've explained this well enough. I'd post a picture, but I don't have any of the quilts I've done this technique on.

I want to avoid the cording method. I believe there is another that is more like a flange

Thank you Sew Cornie. I will give this method a try.

I've done a couple of baby quilts using a fancy stitch. A couple of things that really help is to press the binding seam nice and flat before you bring it around to the other side. It helps it stay that way while you are working on it. I also pin it a lot! Every couple of inches. You could also try using washable elmer's glue to hold it while you do the stitching. Then wash it to get the glue out.

Oops, almost forgot ~ I use a walking foot on the binding.

The method of doing a fancy stitch around the inside edge of the single fold binding works!! And it is really good looking, too. After sewing it to the front, fold over to the back and pin as you go. Then do a zig-zag or other stitch around.

Here's a great Youtube video on how to do a binding completely by machine:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wprg5vzkuGw

It's very similar to invisible machine applique. It's the closest thing to hand binding I have found.

I would love to see that.

I fold my binding around to the back of the quilt and stitch in the ditch from the front. I NEVER hand sew bindings. By the time I get to the binding, I want that quilt FINISHED and am ready to start something new.

Rose Hall

if you sew flat fold binding on the back first and then bring to the front you have more control, and use a fancy stitch to stitch it down...works really well. I cut my binding 2 1/2" and fold over and iron wrong sides together.

Thank you so much for this YouTube site. When I viewed it, I learned something new! Thank you again!!!

MrsSew66

Hi,

I actually did my first machine applied binding on the two T shirt quilts I just finished. I did like the last poster did and sewed it to the back and then stitched it down on the front with a decorative stitch. It turned out great. I didn't even pin it I just turned it over as I came to it. I have always finished my bindings by hand. This may be turning over a new leaf for me.

I do this with quilts now also. I was a firm believer in hand sewing, but since I have been making ones that will be washed more, I started using the decorative stich on my singer machine. It looks like a vine with leaves on it. after pressing it down, using a touch of elmers to hold it, pinning where it needs, I machine sew it down. I take my time, making sure it stays, but it still goes faster than hand sewing. and the decrative stich is nice.

Thank you all for great suggestions and recommending instructional videos. I have found all these comments well worth while and will start putting them into action. Love doing donation quilts and find hand binding really slows me up.

Oh gosh--I have five quilts right now to hand sew the binding on--BLEH! For all smaller ones I'm following the link Prism showed!! Thanks, Prism!!!

So much info from everyone. :thumbup: Learn something new everyday here. Thanks Magoo for that post.
;-)

This is the way I do it too. I don't use a fancy stitch very often. But I hated binding before I started using this method. Now I actually finish things, sometimes. :)

This just proves there is never one "right" way to do anything! (at least in quilting...).

I do mine the exact opposite. I sew my 2 1/2" strip onto the FRONT, fold over the edge, pin the back and stitch in the ditch from the front, which if folded over enough catches the back.

I may have to try the other way--I love decorative stitching!
Rose