Many vintage quilts use the knife edge technique, and many others use the "foldover" binding, turning either the top to back or back to top.

For me, the knife edge is tedious and difficult to get straight.

roguequilter::
Thanks for that last statement: I was wondering about the strength of the edge holding up to wear. I had learned that the reason to do double fold binding is to keep it strong over the ages.[/QUOTE]

through my 'how-to reading' while learning to quilt, i learned the same info ..double fold binding is the only way to finish quilt edges to ensure long life of edge. the quilt i'm making now is my attempt to recreat a quilt from one of my books on history of quiltmaking in America. the quilt i'm copying was made with fabrics dating 1825-1840. in the book, the photo of the full sized quilt i have examined with magnifying glass to try & discern the quilting motif used by maker. my inspection with the magnifying glass also showed that this over 150 year old quilt shows no wear on the knife edge finish quilt edges. i'd say that shows a bit of sturdy longevity to this type of quilt edge finishing.

the fold over from the back is another technique i've used, especially with grand childrens quilts backed with faux fur or minky. this style of quilt edge finishing is also indicative of antique quilts made in pennsylvania in the 1800's. the one that that i am making now is copy of one made in new england for four poster bed and uses knife edge finishing, but my version will not be for four poster and i will utilize the foldover style of finishing. sort of my little add to this quilt to represent the three wonderful years i spent living in bucks county pennsylvania.

i am doing a web image search for Durham quilts and came across an entry from one of my favorite historical blogs called Welsh Quilts. i thought about this discussion thread re: knife edge finishes. i know that many of you decided that this style wasn't to your liking or too tedious for your liking. but i do use this technique often and love hand sewing and find it not tedious at all. it was also used in american quilts from early 1800's & i will be using it to finish the quilt i am making now - a replica of 1825-40 quilt from one of my books. if anyone would like more information re: knife edge finishes here's, an excellent tutorial from welsh quilts with lots of photos on how to do this interesting, historical & attractive style of finishing a quilt.

http://welshquilts.blogspot.com/2011...nife-edge.html

hmmm, the stitches show a lot but look neat. Interesting. i hate it when I hand sew binding and my stitches show. but then i'm not great at hand stitching anything.

i agree ..i don't like stitches showing on any of my hand stitched work. when my grandmother was teaching me, she had me remove all the stitching from many sleeve & skirt hems ..no stitches were to show, even from the inside. she taught me what she called "hidden stitch". it's also called ladder stitch now. the images in this tute, that i posted link to, show the stitches being made. when finished, and my stitches are much smaller than those shown, the stitches are not seen at all. i use hidden stitch on my applique instead of whip stitch, and i use it on all my bindings. front stitched by machine and then finished on backside w hidden stitch.

Couldn't resist and ordered on Amazon

[ATTACH=CONFIG]601885[/ATTACH]Hi ladies, new here and new at quilts and sewing...this thread is just what I have been searching for endlessly. I also have the book mentioned here too, just got it......along with a late 1800"s french quilt! HERE IS THE PROBLEM: That quilt "knife edge" just like the one in the picture that is in this thread has indeed not held up the quilt is very frayed and severely damaged along that edge, the rest of the quilt looks great (except a 2" hole that I will deal with later) anyway, Now what do I do???? How do I repair this or have it repaired, any and all suggestions would be great! The quilt is all hand sewing and the edges were folded over and whipstitched. should I serge and then add binding (my least favorite option, but if it will save it!) Thanks again! L

welcome to the board. i apologise in advance, but that doesn't look like damage due to wear. it looks more like it was chewed on by rodent, or family pet. it's also coarse weave like drapery fabric ...which would not have been uncommon in past decades, and would be prone to fraying with any damage. do you know the history of the quilt? it's age, region of origin? i also would abhore the idea of stitching on binding ...and i especially wouldn't serge it. if you can visit a museum near you with a knowledgeable staff member that is familiar with the care & repair of vintage linens ..that's what i would do. i don't live near a textile or any type of museum that i could get help from. i have also collected vintage & antique lovelies for many years thru our travels around the united states. i am aware that my only child doesn't share my love of these items ..and looking at the 'sold' prices on places like ebay ...i am also aware that the value of collectables/antiques changes frequently according to the latest trends.
therefore ..i've become sorta rogue in my thinking about my treasures. if your quilt were mine, i would do one of several things. my first idea is that i would unstitch all the way around, trim the top back to edge of damage, then turn under and restitch. and yes ...since it was done by hand, i would repair it by hand. you could just do the side where damage, but that might leave it 'unbalanced'. i, personally, would love to see a pic of the full quilt!! it looks like a beautiful vintage print. good luck with your treasure.

additional note: looking at your pic on zoom, i am wondering if perhaps there was i adequate turn under for the knife edge style binding? ..what is the backing?

I would tend to disagree with that assessment. In the case of antique quilts, they were not exposed to the rigors of constant machine washing which is probably more of a reason of lack of wear and tear on both the edge of the quilt and the quilt itself. Most antique quilts were rarely washed but aired out and rotated. Many antique quilts that have survived were probably not everyday quilts but ones made for a brides dowry chest and only laid out on special occasions. As a result the quilt was not subject to the wear and tear of an every day quilt. Additionally, most dyes used back in the 1800's were highly caustic to cotton fibers, which is why many antiques we see the fabric has just disintegrated from simple normal use combined with the nature of the dyes and the chemical reaction they have being exposed to cleaning (and remember soap back in the day was lye based). The curators of Bennington Museum strongly believe the Jane Stickle quilt (aka Dear Jane quilt) spent many, many decades stored away in a hope chest which is why it has survived.

A knife edge finish does work for many quilts and in some cases the only finish that would look good (or facing) but I agree, it is better suited to smaller items that won't see a lot of laundering and handling. I also find it much more tedious to do and it definitely requires pre-planning so you leave enough unquilted space around the edge to turn in.

There are so many factors that can lead to excessive wear on a quilt edge. Quality of fabric, is the fabric 100% cotton or a cotton poly blend (the blend would definitely wear longer and better), how often the quilt is laundered, hardness of water, type of detergent, type of washing machine, line drying as opposed to machine drying, and believe it or not, density of quilting. More dense will aid in a quilts longevity due to less stress and shifting on the fabric.

All things being equal, bias cut binding is definitely sturdier than other finishing techniques because the edge of the quilt, which by nature gets more wear and tear, is being protected by a cross hatch of threads (the warp and the weft are now on a diagonal, criss crossing the entire edge) as opposed to just the one or two threads that a straight of grain binding or knife edge produces. The exception would be if the entire quilt edge was irregular, like a hexie quilt where the hexies were left intact.