Rounded corners...
 

If I wanted my quilt to have rounded corners, rather than square corners, do I absolutely need bias binding?

How do you round them off? Just use a compass?

Thanks!

Watson (Just full of questions, lately!)

Straight grain binding won't easily follow the curve and won't lay flat. Bias binding is much easier to use on curves. I use bias binding on all of my quilts.

Cari

A dinner plate, or desert plate will do...for just that gentle curve and only the four corners, I think you will get away with straight binding.....what say all?
questions are good - means you're expanding your base and not staying stagnant.

I definitely would go with a bias binding, just for the ease of following the curve. And for rounding off the corner use a dinner plate, you don't need any fancy tool.

Tartan has an excellent suggestion!!!

It's not that hard to make bias binding. I think it's actually kind of fun. I use the video tutorial on the McCall's quilting website. I think for your curved corners to lay nicely you will need bias binding. It works well on the straight edges, also. I've made it for binding a regular quilt that I wanted to have the "barber shop" effect stripes and also for scallop edge quilts.

I think you will have a much nicer looking binding and much less frustration if you do a bias binding.

The only way I've seen rounded corners done was with a plate or bowl, trace along the edge. I'd do it on a piece of paper first; cut away the paper and lay it on the top to make sure you are getting the look you want.

Not sure why the hesitancy to make bias binding? i use it for most quilts.

The reason I'm trying to stay away from the bias binding is because I was hoping to make the binding out of scraps from the quilt fabrics.

Watson

I would use bias also, you don't want to have to take it out when you don't like the wrinkly binding. I always use a plate or saucer for rounded edges. Good luck, I know you'll do fine. you can use scraps by sewing them all together along the long side, then cutting with 60 degree ruler to the desired width, I do it all the time, looks great.

And if i was machine quilting ....i would mark the corner ....quilt it and then cut it round

I use my china for rounded corners. As mention before, you will then need to make you binding on the bias so that it will go around the curves smoothly.

Love Tartan's suggestion!!! Kinda like "Duh!!"

I use my scraps for binding a lot. Some quilts really pop with a scrappy binding. I don't really have a lot problems with working with the scrappy binding - I would go for it.

I have used a plate as a template for the rounded corners - but I like the idea peaceandjoy had about tracing it onto paper first.

You can just use the bias binding on the curves. It takes a little preparation to peice the bias in the right places but it works beautifully. I have done this and it is worth the prep time. Straight of grain does not really play well on curves and it would be a matter of having to re do it when it doesn't work out the way you like. So time spent in the beginning is better than time spent re doing.

Tartan has the right solution.

Be sure to post pics for us to enjoy.
peace

I also like to use bias binding. It works so well and hand stitching just disappears into the fabric.
peace

You asked about whether to use a compass. I have a locking compass, but the difficulty is that I can still hold it at a slightly different angle each time & produce slightly different results. So now I use my compass to figure out roughly where I want my rounded edge & then I use that to create a plastic template (or you can do a cereal box template) and I use that template. Of course, you need to be smarter than I was the first time & think about where your binding is going to end up. Fortunately there are no pictures to serve as evidence of what I did, but I failed to add my 1/4" binding allowance and ended up having to reattach that sliver of my sandwich back onto my quilt. What a mess! I don't think anyone would ever know -- except maybe a quilt judge & fortunately it was neither a competition nor a client piece -- but it was not fun trying to sew that tiny piece back on.

Use a plate for the corners and bias binding. I use bias binding on all now. It is a lot stronger as well as easy to work with.

Funny, I was just tossing that question around in my head for the last month. I have a queen quilt at the LA, and deciding to make rounded corners or not. Thanks for your suggestions.

I, too, use bias for all my quilt bindings whether curved or straight. It is so much easier to work with than straight of grain or WOF.

I round all of my baby & lap quilts and use binding that I cut across from salvage to salvage. It stretches just fine around the curves as it's a gentle curve. When I do scallops I always use the bias binding. Cut one of your strips the binding width you intend to use, press and pin to the corner, baste and turn over to see if it will work for you. Doing that you won't lose what pieces you have and will be able to tell if it's going to work for you.

I did this also where I had points of stars in the border. Mother of invention for me... lol

That is how I do it. I would never put a straight binding on a curve.

What about shaping the scraps and joining them up. I made an oval quilt for my granddaughter and did the border in this way by making paper templates to form the curves.

Bias binding is my choice. If necessary, introduce a color not used in the quilt for your bias binding.

If you are going to bind the quilt (rather than birth it), you will want a bias binding. If you haven't worked much with curves, it can help to 'prebend' the binding on your steam iron by laying it on a drawn line the same size as your sewn edge. To make the rounded edge without a round ruler or template, use something that size from your kitchen - a plate, a lid, a container. A tip when sewing around a curved edge is to hold a pin at the center of the circle and let the fabric spin around under the presser foot. This will make a cleaner curve than working from the edge and constantly turning it.

Straight grain binding won't work for a curved corner, bias binding is a must.

Dinner plate, saucer, compass Your choice, but bias binding will lay and turn much nicer with easier sewing too. If you hold the Binding up just a bit as you go around any curve it will sew very nicely. Also holding curved pieces up for sewing helps keep it neat too.

Does the rounded corner have to be big? I have just rounded enough to not have to make a corner and not used bias. Seems fine.

I have a ruler by June Taylor called Round the Corners, it has two sizes. Just line up on corner ant cut around it.