I usually stitch the binding to the front and hand sew it to the back. I've read a couple of times now about people who machine stitch their binding on using the stitch-in-the-ditch foot.

Questions for those that do this: I was wondering ~ how are the corners done? Also, what do you do to be sure the back actually catches in the thread?

Thanks :)

I too will be interested to read how people do this. I have always done what you have K. Machine the binding on the front and hand stitch on the back. I miter my corners.

Yes, I miter mine too, but can't visualize how it's done if you're stitching in the ditch.

I have stitched the binding on and I stitch to the back first then do a decorative stitch on the front, mitered corners and all.

Stitching by machine NEVER looks as pretty as hand-sewn - I don't care what anyone says... :D

I like the look of hand sewing the binding, but if the quilt will be dragged around and washed often, it last longer with machine sewn binding. When I do that, I too sew fron the back fold it to the front, and add a decorative stitch.

I make my mittered bindings with the Mittered Binding Tool. I used to fold them mittered, but since I found the tool I would not do it any other way.

Here is a link to it:

http://www.softexpressions.com/softw...indMtrTool.php

Maria

Here's a link to a Youtube video that shows how to attach binding completely by machine "invisibly". (Think Harriet Hargrave's invisible machine applique.) She shows how to miter the corners.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wprg5vzkuGw

In order to have machine binding look nice, I think you have to use either the invisible method above or use a decorative stitch. Basically you attach the binding to the back first, then turn to the front and finish with either invisible machine applique or a decorative stitch.

i do this all the time.

i attach my binding to the front the normal way to have mitered corners.

then i fold it over to the back and use elmers school glue to tack it in place on the back (sharon schamber method).

then i stitch in the ditch on the front. i don't use a stitch in the ditch foot. i do a much better job with an open toe foot because i can see everything.

i've tried the sewing to the back and doing the decorative stitch on the front and i don't care for that look at all.

I have been reluctant to finish quilts because I don't want to do the hand stitching of the binding. Lucky me, I found the Ricky Tims method on his video: Grand Finale. I just completed a UFO, my Fox wall hanging with this method yesterday, and I really enjoyed it.

On his video, Ricky demonstrates a step by step technique to create a binding, complete with a small piping, which is put onto the quilt completely by machine. The binding strips are sewn onto the quilt's BACK, one side at a time, and the corners are mitered. The binding is then rolled around to the front of the quilt, and stitch-in-the-ditch of the piping on the front of the quilt. NO hand stitching at all! It was fairly easy, but I could not have done it for the first time without the video.

This is a very general idea of how he does this, I recommend getting copy of his video, check out your library, or it is available for sale on the internet if you are interested in binding by machine.

I've done some bindings completely by machine. i pin, pin, pin the corners though. and watch where I'm going. usually works.

Maybe is doesn't look as nice, but I for one do because i have carpal tunnel and it hurts my wrist and fingers to hand stitch.

I had to laugh a little...my handstitching is AWFUL, and I seem to prick every finger on both hands, so I do AVOID picking up a needle in my hand to do anything! :D


Thanks! It is actually my FIRST binding. :)

I do like the look of the binding with the piping. I'll have to check at the library to see if I can get that DVD to view.

I did check the You-Tube videos. I don't think I'd like the look of the buttonhole or decorative stitchs on the binding. Maybe I'll try it out on a scrap or doll quilt to see how it looks.

I do use Sharon Schamber's glue method to assemble the strips, but I don't glue the binding to the quilt. I will try that method of gluing to the back and stitching from the front to see how that looks.

Well, I beg to differ with you on this point. I'm sure you meant no offense by your comment, but I would like to toss in another perspective here. There are many of us out here, that, for whatever health reason may not be physically able to whip stitch our bindings by hand, myself included. To me, our quilts are quite beautiful because we have found a way to pursue our love for quilting and giving to others despite our various handicaps.

When I give someone a quilt or other project that I made for them, they look not at the binding and the perfection of the workmanship, but rather, they look at me and smile appreciatively, grateful for the time and effort that I gave to their gift knowing that it was more difficult for me to do than someone without health issues.

I machine stitched a mini quilt recently after basting it. It went on pretty easily. I am now doing the corners by turning under and tacking.

Pam,

You keep up the great work anyway you can. I too, have health issues that prevent me from whip stitching most of my quilts, too. No one has ever told me that something I quilted for them was any less beautiful than anyone else who hand stitched theirs. Kudos to those of us who find alternate ways to keep doing what we love.

I also use the elmers glue to hold the back binding in place then use the ditch foot on the front.
Hand sewing is not for me to much work.

Sorry - no answer here, but that's the same question that keeps me from trying it.

One thing to keep in mind: If you are going to enter your quilt in a fair or competition, the judges like hand sewn binding, small stitches, equal amounts of binding in the front and back and full bindings. The only red ribbons that our guild got at the fair were on the quilts where one of the girls uses a machine instead of hand stitching, all the rest were blues.

yes, all bets are off when its related to show quality quilts.

And I don't quilt for judges.

I do what you do, start in the front, roll it over, pin like crazy making sure it covers just a bit more than the front part of the binding, then stitch in the ditch from the front.

You don't want to see my hand stitching.

tim in san jose

well, if its like your feet its not that bad :wink:

I too stitch my binding to the back first and fold to the front.

Also, sometimes is it's a quilt that's going to get lots of wear---for a child---after quilting I trim the batting, as usual, and then trim the backing 1 inch all around. I fold that to the edge of the quilt top and batting and then fold once again over the top. Do this and stitch each of the 2 sides and then the top and bottom. Top stitch with a walking foot or use a decorative stitch. Corners aren't mitered this way but if you're in a hurry and it's a quilt that's going to get lots of wear it works great.

Alot of opinions on this one! I machine stitch my bindings to the front, hand stitch to the back and miter the corners. I do not always have perfectly mitered corners but I try to do the best I can. I have a friend who always has her quilting on display for others in her home (UFO's, WIP's, etc.) Her quilting is very very very even and neat - almost perfect one might say... mine, on the other hand, is not so much... BUT I have fun and I enjoy my quilting and no matter if I get compliments or not I will continue to try to improve and do what I love doing - no matter if it's perfect(ly displayed) or not... :) I LOVE to hand stitch the binding on - if I LOVED to machine stitch it I would - we need to do what we love and do it how we are able to - - - my quilts may never make it to a show, but they are all loved.

I don't think anyone could have said it better. Most of us quilt because we love doing it. We aren't entering it in a show. We give them to people we know will appreciate them, perfect or not. I honestly like the binding hand done, but because of arthritis, I know that in the future, that will probably not be an option for me and I will be perfectly ok with it.

How do you use this tool to miter?

Fortunately, it isn't always the case. As an example, Fire Dragon Rhapsody by Ricky Tims won the award for Best Machine Workmanship at the 2006 AQS Show and is now part of the permanent collection at the quilt museum in Paducah. He does all bindings completely by machine.

I was just at an event where he was asked about doing machine bindings on his competition quilts. He commented that judges want to see that whatever technique is used, that it is executed well. Apparently it is working out okay for him, he was recently selected as one of "The Thirty Most Distinguished Quilters in the World."

If you'd like a look at his quilt: http://www.rickytims.com/images/Fire_Dragon72.jpg

I machine both sides of my bindings. I do mitered corners, but instead of hand stitching, I machine it. I usually (if I remember), maching stitch to the BACK of the quilt first, and then bring to the front and stitch with my edge stitcher (not technical name!) foot to the front. I am able to stitch right on the edge of the binding with this foot. It works wonderfully, and has a nice clean finish that will last!

I have machine stitched the binding on all my quilts. I attach to the front of quilt 1st with a straight stitch & miter the corners. Then I turn over to back & use ULI invisible thread & a stitch on my Viking Rose machine that goes a couple stitches forward; a nip to the right; forward; nip to left, etc. It actually come out looking like the binding was hand stitched.

Does the elmers glue ever mess up your machine?

I've only ever put real bindings on two quilts (others were either pillowcase type or turn back to front types), and they were both this year. The first was one I made in a class, and I did the whole thing on the machine, and was not happy with it. The stitching wasn't that even and was very obvious. The second quilt is a baby quilt, made out of 20 white fabric squares decorated with fabric markers, crayons, etc (from ladies at church). After not liking the binding on the first quilt, I decided I'd have to do this one by hand, and was dreading it, because my hand stitching isn't neat and even. I watched the Schamber (?) binding video, and while I didn't do the glue, etc., I was very intrigued by the ladder stitch she used. So I decided to give that go, and LOVED it! It was very easy and is truly invisible. This still wouldn't work for those who have physical problems with handstitching, but for those who can handstitch and are concerned about their ability to make tiny, even, neat stitches, this is a lifesaver.

But...now that I've read everyone's comments, I'm concerned that it won't hold up under use and washing. I plan to try some of the machine binding tips that are given here for future quilts.

I machine the binding to the front and hand stitch the back. Works great for me.

I ususally hand stitch the binding on the back. However, for quick projects that I am not too particular about, I machine stitch the binding on the back side. That way I make sure there are no missed stitches. Another binding tip I find very useful is to press the binding in place before stitching. By pressing first, it is much quicker to stitch and to make sure the corners look good.

On a utility quilt, I stitch the binding to the back using a modified Sharon Schamber's method (no glue). I pull the binding to the front and secure a section using the metal hair clips. Then I pick a decorative stitch like a blanket stitch or a arched satin stitch and simply stitch it down from the front. I generally use a thread color to show and the fancy stitch adds a layer of decoration. I sew the miters down by hand.

On more elegant quilts, I sew the binding down by hand on the back.

That's most likely true at the 'big' shows. This was a small county fair and the judge did not like machine topstitched binding. It was her 'thing', and bindings in general seemed to be the thing that determined blue from red. They all have their pet peeves!!

One more thing. For those of you that 1) use a longarmer and 2) don't want to deal with attaching the binding to the front, check with your longarmer to see if she can do it with the longarm. There is a technique were we can attach the binding to the front of the quilt with the longarm. No wrestling with the quilt under the home machine. I've done it on about a dozen quilts now, and it's pretty slick. More and more of us are learning how to do this. It's worth an 'ask', especially if you have trouble with wrestling with an entire quilt.

All of the bindings that I've done on quilts have been by machine and I use is called Double French Fold technique. Once I stitch the binding to the front, I fold it over to the back and stitch-in-the-ditch along the front edge of the binding so that the needle just catches the edge of the binding on the back. I don't have the patience for hand-sewing, so machine stitch everything.

I am gong to agree with this one!!!
Kirsten

AQS is always ahead of the game in this area, they were the first to award best in show to a Machine Quilted Quilt and boy did that cause a fight in the quilting community.

I like sitting at night watching tv and doing the hand stitching on the binding. I have also used the sewing from the back and top stitching on the front. I think the main thing to think about is how the quilt is used and what look you want. I made a quilt for my mother in law(who was sick) and she picked out the hand sewn binding. I was so surprised, because I take great care in my work. So again the use of the quilt comes to play in your decision.