I usually stitch around the quilt as I long arm it. I do square it up before I add the binding because there is too much backing and batting. I try to trim !/4 inch away from the quilt.

I don't stich around the edge of quilts before sewing bindings on, but I also don't sew the binding on with a 1/4 inch seam. Instead, I take the 1/4 foot off and put the regular presser foot on. I just measured, and that means I am getting a 5/16 seam....slightly larger than 1/4 inch.

I also cut my binding at 2 1/2 inches, double fold, machine stitch on top and fold over to hand stitch the binding on the back.

This is the way the learn-to-quilt class I took 7 years ago taught me to do it. It works quite well.

Dina

I have not been zigzagging the edges. Never really thought about it.

I do it the way Dina said. It was not in my beginning class, but over time, just picking up hints from reading or here, that's how I've ended up doing binding.

I just square up the quilt, then sew on the binding. I don't use any stay stitching.

I recently saw a blog post ( i think it was a blog) where the person serged the edges of her quilt before binding. Pretty good idea I thought. I however don't do anything, just square then attach binding.

I like my bindings to be full... (fat)... so I would not compress the edge of the quilt with any zig zagging or serging. If I'm working with unruly puffy batting, I might sew a basting stitch 1/4" from the edge. But most often I'm using 80/20 which is a well behaved flat batting, or a thin polyester that I can deal with.

Normally I don't but if I have lots of seams I do. Just finished one with no border and 2.0 finished squares around the outer edge. Just 3/8" seamed around it to keep any seam from coming undone.

I sew a 3/8" seam for binding and normally don't do anything prior to sewing on my binding. Although, my quilt w/ wool binding, which is puffier than cotton binding, I did find sewing 1/4" and then sew my binding on was helpful.

This is a magnetic seam guide that i use and it helps me keep a straight(er) 1/4" seam. I got mine at JoAnn's.

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Yes, I do stitch the edges around the quilt before binding. The only time I don't is when I do edge to edge quilting so the edges are already stitched down. I use a 2.5" binding.