Preparing for binding
 

OK I've got my first ever quilt squared up as best I can and am ready to put the binding on. Should I sew the edge of the quilt down before putting the binding on or leave it loose and sew it with the binding stitch?

You just put the raw edges of the folded binding even with the raw edge of the quilt & sew on with a straight stitch & 1/4 inch seam before turning.

Thank you.

And take care to keep all of the edges together, so you catch them all. Good luck.

I do my binding totally different. I don't use folded binding. I sew a strip 2.5 inch onto the quilt with a 1/2 inch seam. then I fold over and under and bind by hand. Its a little old fashioned. But, it is the way I learned and it works for me.

This is how I do it also!

Be sure and use your walking foot for even feeding of all those layers. :)

I like to baste stitch, just outside to the right of the 1/4" seam, around my quilt before adding the binding. It is so much easier to keep everything in place and not have to worry about it pleating on the back.

Also,When I trim the extra bat and backing off I leave about two inches of bat and backing around the edge. It is an extra step but I think it is worth it. Leaving that little bit extra around the edge gives the feed dogs something to grip while sewing the binding on and helps prevent the fabric from wondering. I go back and trim it after the binding is sewn on. Just a little tip to try.
peace

I actually never had any training so I just guessed that 1 1/2 inches would do it for me. I machine sew on the front, and hand sew the back.

I like to square up my quilt and trim the layers to a nice uniform size, then I stitch all the way around the perimeter with a long and wide zig zag stitch and a walking foot to encase all 3 layers and keep things neat. I find my bindings go together very quickly and without annoying puckers or misalignments when I take this step, so the time is well spent.

I , too, sew a large stitch around the perimeter with a walking foot before applying the binding. After doing that, I take another look at the "squareness" situation, especially at the corners.

Thanks everyone. I think I will follow the majority and stitch around the outside before sewing the binding on. Maybe when I get better at this I will get a bit braver.

That is what is wonderful about this hobby and this board-- you can gather information and then do what works for you!

Hear- hear!. Most of the tips I pass along are things I learned right here on the QB. Wonderful:D
peace

I use the same technique as Ube Quilting. I trim after I sew the binding on the right side. I've never had a problem with the backing puckering. I also use my walking foot.
Sue

[QUOTE=ube quilting;6484528]I like to baste stitch, just outside to the right of the 1/4" seam, around my quilt before adding the binding. It is so much easier to keep everything in place and not have to worry about it pleating on the back.

This is the way I do it. it helps the backing or the top lay smooth so there are no puckers. Also I have had the backing really fold up. this may seem like more work but I think it is well worth the effort!!!

Wondering if you have learned the technique to miter the corners of your binding? google how to miter binding and it will explain a lot how to do it! good luck with your first quilt! hope you make many more!

If you feel more comfortable doing it, I would suggest that you do baste the edges of your quilt. Everyone here has done binding quite a few times. Hopefully, you have read some info about various techniques. There are so many ways of doing it. You really need to get the fold that is made in the corners as straight and accurate as possible. I have always done 2.25" cut strip double folded and hand stitched to the back. Good Luck !!

This is what I'm using as my guide, hopefully I can make the teacher proud of my attempt.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2hWQ5-ZccE

I always baste too. Inside the 1/4" seam allowance although I probably use a bigger seam than 1/4" anyway.

I have been basting around the edge of my quilts before I bind, with all fabric and batting layers I think it gives a more stable base to sew your binding on without the chance of puckers. I machine sew my bindings on the front of my quilts and hand sew after turning on the back. I always use 2 1/2 inch strips folded over for my bindings, again, I think the width of the binding makes it easy to turn and the bulk of the binding helps prevent movement and puckering. Isn't it fun finding out how different everyone is - to me that's what makes everyone's quilts so unique, we all have our favorite ways.

Now why didn't I know that? Totally makes sense, but have not heard of this in the recent two years I have been making quilts. I will have to try my walking foot on my next project. Thanks for sharing.

I just did two flannel lap quilts and have four more to do (the tops are already pieced). I am using wool batting and it has been a challenge to keep the edges enclosed inside the binding. With that in mind, I've decided to serge down the edges before attaching the binding.

I like to stitch around the outside of me quilt about an eighth of an inch in just of keep the layers together. I like to leave some extra batting and backing on for stability. I rough cut some of it away just to reduce the volume of stuff to be dealt with. Then I sew on the binding with a 3/8 inch seam. I use a ruler to trim the excess so the binding turn is straight and full all the way around. I think a well done binding just adds to the beauty of a finished project-it is no place to try a short cut.

I always stitch around the edge of my quilt before I put the binding on. This way I don't have to worry about the different layers shifting when I am stitching the binding on. It also helps prevent stretching of the quilt. I do this before I trim the bat and backing.

My bindings improved a lot when I started using the walking foot. :)

I put a long basting stitch around the quilt edge before sewing on the binding. It is less likely to get the backing fabric kinked up when sewing the binding on. I learned this the hard way. I always use the walking foot when making straight stitches through more than two layers of fabric.

This is a good tute to watch. But I have learned that you do not need to take the quilt out of the machine at the corners. Sew on a diagonal into the corner and leave the needle down at the last stitch. Turn the quilt to sew down the next side. Pinch the binding to put the binding in a position to come down the next side. Lay this pinch down so the binding is in the right position. Now lift the needle and move the quilt over that 1/4 or 3/8 in. to the next seam line, and start sewing right at the very top. No need to cut that short thread.

I have also found a tute that shows how to sew the ends of binding together the way I do it. I'll try to find it.

Here it is:http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/blog.php/blog_id/5489
At about 15 minutes into the tute, she shows how to sew the beginning and end together.
Another thing that I do is: I press a triangle into the beginning of the binding strip. This is now the measurement of where to cut the tail of the binding, and also the stitching line for sewing the beginning and tail after it has been well pinned.

Me, too. I think that step is definitely worth the effort.

I do it the way Tartan does.

After I sewed my binding on and discovered some of the backing didn't catch and/or bunched up, I always stitch around with basting stitch first. I have one machine in a cabinet that I leave my walking foot on all the time and use it any time I sew long strips of fabric.

I've don't it different ways, stay stitching around the edge of the quilt, or sewing the binding on, then trimming to finish the binding on the other side, usually by hand, but I just did a quilt for our DGD by finishing the binding by sewing it down on the front by machine.

Sharon does a fantastic job on this video

Sharon's video is fantastic!!

Even though I was using Sharon's video as a guide I still had problems when it came to the joining of the ends. I sewed them wrong 3 times before I went to chat and got some more help. This is the video I was directed to, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUEy9NXOK5c It shows clear and concise up close instructions that I followed easily. Picking out those itty bitty stitches was a pain and I'm glad to report that the binding is on and all that's left is to hand stitch the binding to the back. I've had a lot of fun making this quilt and have learned a huge amount from this board of awesome quilters.

If you will press the binding after you get it sewed on, you will be able to tell if you have missed an edge somewhere. It will be easy to correct if you have. Then, press the binding over the edge of your quilt. If you do this pressing, you may not have to use pins or clips while you are doing the hand work. froggyintexas

Thank you. I did notice I had 1 spot on 3 sides that didn't catch. They've been fixed now and I've learned I couldn't sew a 1/4" seam if my life depended on it. In pressing the binding over the edge I'm using the glue on method as Sharon showed in the video. I think this will help me keep things straight as I get the binding sewed down.

This is a good practice. Not something I always do but something I aspire to each time, anyway. :rolleyes:. Doesn't take long and keeps the quilt edge in place for binding.

I do sew around the edge of my quilted quilt about 3/8" from the edge, trim, then put the binding on. There is no wrong way to do it if you are happy with the results. I like the 'insurance' of getting all the layers held together, then adding the binding, but that is just me. You are doing a great job so far.