I machine stitch mine on the front, then flip it over and hand sew the back. But the join (where the start meets the end) always looks bulky and never looks neat. What am I doing wrong? :-(

are you just sewing it straight accross or are you doing it on the angle? straight across gives you bulk where the ends meet, to make all of your joins it should be on the 45 degree angle to lessen the bulk there. It is a bit harder but once you get a hang of it there is nothing to it.

When I join the strips to make the binding, I sew them on the 45 degree angle, and they sit nice and flat and barely visible. The bit I'm having trouble with is where I start sewing the binding to the quilt, and then go all the way around and end up back where I started, it's that join that I'm having trouble with.

do you sew that on the 45 as well?

Here's my problem..... this is taken from looking at the front of the quilt (the triangle of paper is just so you can see properly, black binding on black fabric is hard to photograph.)

I fold the binding down on the 45 and sew straight across the 1/4inch seam.

But when I fold the binding over to the back, it's very bulky and the join is raised and very visible. I've just seen a close up in another thread of a quilt and I can't even see where the binding is joined at all. :-(

you can attach both ends like the joins in the rest of the binding. It is hard to expain without pictures, I have a quilt that I have to bind, I will try and do it tomorrow, it has to be done for Thurs anyway, and I will take pictures of it and post them for you to follow. Bacially you sew most of the binding on, leaving the two ends free, mark and join them on the 45 and then finish sewing them down, then you won't be able to just look and figure out where you started and ended as it will look like all the other joins.

Ahhhh... I think I get what you mean.

If you do have time to take photos, I'd appreciate it. My skills are getting much better and it's one of those finishing things that is bugging me because it never looks right.

there are others that finish of the binding like this, you are not the only one. some days you need to do what works, lets hope that the pictures help you learn a different way, especially since you are not totally happy with that you are doing. Taking pictures along the way is easy, I tend to do it a lot anyway. I am getting good at it and it is good practice for me. I have a mystery quilt coming up on Sat that I need practice for. Though all the instructions are set for them. I am just proofing them at this point.

The hardest part is getting it the right length so it doesn't have a buckle or have to stretch to far over the space left for joining.

Yeah... the buckling bit is why I wouldn't have thought of doing it that way.

But I'm definitely not happy with how I have been doing it!

Thank you :-)

not a problem, I am on my way to bed, but I will get on it tomorrow.

When I started doing it, I would pull it out at least once to get it in the right spot and sewn the right way. now I have it down pat and rarely have to do it a second time

This is only a small wall hanging, so the bulk is really bothering me. I may have a fiddle with it tonight, see if I can wing it, seeing as I haven't hand sewn any down yet. Check back tomorrow for either the finished item or me crying in the corner! LOL ;-)

This is how cutebuns does her bindings, minus using the elmers glue like Sharon Schamber does.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PE0Yq9iGlc This is part one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3vHI7rgZpw Part two

Mine have looked so much better since I watched Sharon Schamber's demo. I don't use glue thru the whole process, just when attaching the strips end to end. It holds them together while you sew the 45 angle. They come out so perfect! And if you leave several inches at either end, you can end the same way.

Here's Sharon's video link. http://sharonschambernetwork.com/fre...gel/index.html

Thank you for the links, they're awesome.

I haven't had a chance to try anything, had a last minute visitor arrive, and now it's bed time. So will have to wait till tomorrow *sigh*

Will let you know how it goes. :-)

http://www.quiltingboard.com/search....binding+videos

There's the list of binding videos that have been posted here on this site. My goodness didn't realize there were so many but hey.......you can finish bindings to your hearts content now.....lol! Great search engine there Admin!

Wow! I have never binded anything before (always so scared) and after seeing that video, Sharon makes it look so easy. I might actually try it. How long does it usually take to hand sew it shut though? Probably a few hours, right?!

I'm not at my normal computer so I don't have the link, but Sharon Shamber (SP????) has a great free tute on bindings *using glue* and it's the only way I'll do a binding now. You don't get the bulk at the end because of her technique. It's fab-u-lous!!!

I haven't seen 8) you in a while - How's life BC??

I sew the binding on as you do, machine stitch the front and hand sew the back. When I get to the end I make another 45 degree angle cut (the width of the binding larger) and sew together with the beginning.

Okay, now I read all the posts and see that someone already directed you to her site. Great!!!! I use her method start to finish and am so pleased with the results. I now actually enjoy doing the binding, whereas before it was a scary, ugly ending for me!!

Probably 2-3 hours. I usually put on a dvd and am usually pretty much done when the movie is. Since binding is my least favorite aspect of quilting, it seems like less of a chore that way. :)

I use a variation of the Sharon Schamber's method (no glue) and I must admit that it takes me FOREVER - but I am usually happy with the result. Until I learned it, I did the same thing you did Blue - overlapping and bulking.

Now I leave a rather long strip at the beginning and the end unsewn so I have plenty of room to maneuever the binding and the quilt top to fold, mark, pin, and sew the binding strip. When it is sewn at a 45 (and the 45 angle should go in the SAME direction as the other 45s - guess why I mention that!) the binding lays nice and flat. It is like a perfect picture frame.

Here's how I do it

http://pir8.freeservers.com/quilting...-fold-binding/

Sew binding on most of the way around, leaving ends on both sides.

match where the two pieces should meet, I then take out 1/8 to 1/4 inch(depending on how much space I left)

At that spot, swing the top piece down 90 degrees, and sew on the 45. (where the fabric edges meet in a corner)

Check to make sure it is the length that it should be and sewn the way it should be.

trim your ends up and finger press the seam open

CB, I have tried and tried to do the binding this way. Had instructions all printed out that I was following and still couldn't do it -- I feel so stupid!! My problem is knowing where to join them so it comes out even....I just don't get it! :oops: :oops: :oops:

But your pictures make it look so easy so will print out your pictures to use next time :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops:

fold over and line up with the quilt and then sew in place. and you are ready to fold it over and stitch the other side down.

At that spot, swing the top piece down 90 degrees, and sew on the 45. (where the fabric edges meet in a corner)

Sometimes it is also easier to have someone there showing you in person, don't worry, a lot of people have issues with the binding. there are a lot of different ways, some days I still whimp out and sew it straight across and hope no one notices it.

Thanks CB!!! I've never actually seen it done in person. But your pictures make it look so easy -- if you hear me scream your name, you know it didn't work :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

And THANKS for the BIG offer to help me further :!: :D :D

I will keep an ear open for your yell. It took once or twice for me to figure it out, I knew how in my mind, just hadn't done it. now it is a piece of cake. Good luck and hope to hear how it went no matter, good or bad.

You are welcome, I enjoy helping others, sometimes it give me a refresher on how I am doing things, I tend to have a lot of bad habits from my sewing.

You may or may not be able to tell, that is the back side of the quilt I was working on, I then turn it over and machine sew it down. I generally don't hand sew unless I have to.

It means a lot to me that you're so willing (and able) to help. I'll let you know how it goes but won't be for a few days yet. Still have to do the machine quilting on a baby quilt and if THAT doesn't go well, will have to unsew and then hand quilt :roll:

Sounds like you just need to pack up and head here. You can toss the quilt on the big table and away you can go, then I can supervise as you put the binding on. Piece of cake!

yikes, I finally watched the videos that everyone had been talking about with glueing the binding, and if I ever do that to one of my quilts and take that long, kick me in the seat of the pants. I wouldn't be doing the binding if I had to do all of that. If I ever were to enter a quilt in a show, (never going to happen in the next 20 years) slight possibility. If I was doing one like Jacquemoe did on the curve I would put some thought into it, (then probably wing it anyway)

I am not trying to knock those that do it that way by no means, it just isn't for me. :shock:

That is how I make my binding match, but I never thought to leave the length. I always cut mine to fit (plus the width of the binding) prior to sewing the 45.

I would cut it except if you have it measured just off then you could be in trouble, I sew and verify it fits and then cut it off, that way if I have to adjust it if I had a brain fart when I did it (and I have, I even sewed the wrong angle one day) I just pull it out and redo it.

I used this video to help me:
www.quiltwithus.connectingthreads.com
Just click on the tab "learn" and scroll down to the video you want. The one on binding a quilt..
Hope this helps,
Kat

you are most Welcome!