When you sew your binding on...
 

do you sew with a 1/4" seam? Or a 3/8" seam? Or something different? I am going to be machine sewing the back first and then machine sewing the front with a decorative stitch but need to know what length to use. Thank you. It's a big quilt and I really don't want to mess it up. And I'm not a binder. I usually pay someone to bind my quilts. It's my least favorite part. But for now on, I am going to try to bind my own, even if it is by machine only.

I always sew the binding on the back of the quilt. Lately I have been using the edge of the walking foot as the seam quite which makes the seam allowance a little more than a 1/4 inch. Then I pull the binding to the front and this leaves a little padding in the binding. I cut my binding strips to 2 1/2 inches.

Yes, I want to cut my binding 2 1/2" also. I have a dual feeding so I don't need a walking foot, but do you think you do 3/8"?

I make a small sample quilt sandwich and 'test' my binding width on that before I cut a lot of it.

I do mine the width of the presser foot, I think it is 3/8". I cut the binding 2 1/2" wide and that gives the binding just the right amount of fill.

I do the same as gramarraine, using a pressure foot as a guide. Unless you're binding with points and no border, it really shouldn't matter what size seam you use. Just use a few threads less than 1/3 the width of your binding and it should be fine. I find it much easier to form neat corners, when my binding starts out as 2-1/2, rather than 2-1/4.

Depending on the size of the quilt I have sewn it on the front with a 1/4" seam then pulled to back. That way if I need to do any fudging at all it is on the back. I either use glue, pins or clips to hold binding in place and then stitch on the top in the ditch.....when done go to back and do some hand work if necessary to catch anything that was not caught....... I would also strongly suggest doing a couple samples on what IS COMFORTABLE for you to handle....
Again there are not any Quilt Police,......1/4" or 3/8" front or back....what ever works for you and this quilt...the next one could be totally different...

I also start with 2 1/2 inch strip and sew the width of my presser foot.

I use 2.5" strips and sew it on with a little less than 3/8". It can depend on the thickness of your batting though, so if I'm using a different batting than usual, I will do a small test strip first.

I cut mine 2 1/2" wide. And sew with a "wide 1/4" seam". That means (to me) that rather than a scant seam, I go about the same distance the other way so I have slightly more than 1/4" seam in the end. probalby almost 3/8, now that I think about my trimming activity (I attach binding, then trim).

I trim my sandwich after the binding has been attached to the sides. Usually, I leave a bit of extra batting past the quilt top so my binding is nice and full. The seam allowance is more than 1/4 - whatever the distance to my walking foot is - I never measured.

I sew my binding to the front and also use the edge of the walking foot. I hand stitch to the back for I cannot sew a straight line :)

This is what I do too, for quilts with cotton tops and bottoms and Warm & Natural batting. I cut the strips 2 1/4". After I sew it to the front wit a 1/4" seam, I press it to set it, then press it so the binding is pressed back, then press it a 3rd time with the binding folded over. Sounds like it would take a lot of time, but it's not that bad. If I do this, I usually don't even pin and don't have any skipped areas.

How wide your ideal seam allowance would be depends on how wide you cut your binding strips and how thick your batting is. As a rule-of-thumb, when I cut 2.5" strips I sew a 3/8" seam on the binding. My typical batting is Hobbs 80/20. If you are using a very thin batting, you might want a larger seam allowance; if using a very thick batting, a narrower seam allowance.

Be aware that the size of the seam allowance affects the look of the finished binding. I would not sew more than a 3/8" wide seam allowance because anything wider than that makes the binding too wide for my taste. For show quilts, narrower bindings are preferred, which typically requires cutting 2-1/4" strips and using a 1/4" seam allowance.

I recently cut mu binding strips 2-1/2" wide, fold in half, press and sew on the front using 3/8" seam and hand stitch to the back. Turns out perfect. I like the hand sewn better. Good luck, some on here machine sew it.

Copy & pasted this from an e-mail I received today (Aboutquilting.com)

While We're Talking About Binding<Q>http://0.tqn.com/d/quilting/1/6/4/0/..._binding_2.jpg</Q><CITE>© Janet Wickell</CITE>


One of my biggest binding pet peeves concerns the binding instructions that many quilting authors have traditionally written. I've cautioned quilters on this since I began writing quilting books in the 1990s, but still see incorrect instructions everywhere.

[h=3]The Real Deal[/h]When preparing to miter binding at the corner of a quilt, the point where you should stop and backstitch must be a distance equal to the finished width of the binding.

Nearly all patterns tell you to stop 1/4" away from the quilt's edge. That's correct if you are sewing a 1/4" finished width binding, and that width is a must if quilt blocks surround the outer edges of the quilt, since they have a built-in 1/4" seam. What if you have a border, where the width of binding is arbitrary? I've made lots of miniature quilts with 1/8" bindings, and larger quilts with 1/2" bindings. Try stopping 1/4" from the edge of those quilts and you'll end up with a messy (if not impossible to construct) mitered corner. Stop sewing at the point that matches your finished binding width and the miter will create itself, almost automatically.

I believe Sharon Schamber demonstrates how to glue-baste binding in her Youtube tutorials:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PE0Yq9iGlc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3vHI7rgZpw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W--xgi4nux8

Trick question! I sew a scant 1/2" in from the edge of the batting, but 1/4" in from the edge of the binding. That gives me a nice full 1/2" binding, using 2.5" double fold. Confused yet?

Machine sewing to th front and then hand stitching to the back is the easiest method for me. On a big quilt, it takes about 45 minutes per side of the quilt to complete and looks really nice when done. I can watch television and bind and I find it very relaxing and one of my favorite parts of quilting.

This is how I do it also, don't like the look of machine sewed binding, decorative stitch or not...and if you ever want to enter a quit in a show that's the way it has to be...hand sewed after the binding was first machine sewed on to the back. I also hate to hand sew and the arthritis in my hands hate me to do it, but it's part of quilting.

I only use Sharon Schamber's Elmer's School glue method. If binding has not been your thing, then you need an expert's advise (hers not mine). This is the easiest, most precise way to do binding. Once you learn this method, you won't send your quilt out for binding. Here is the link to her youtube video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2hWQ5-ZccE I personally use 2 1/2" strips, glue, press, stitch to the front 3/8", press from the front (setting the seam), press from the back (making sure everything is laying flat), trim the corners, fold to the back, glue, and stitch it down from the back using monofilament thread in the top and bobbin (depending on who the quilt is for). I don't use monofilament for baby or soldier's quilts. Those I use a decorative stitch with whatever thread that I used for quilting the top. I really like variegated, so it is usually that. The first pics binding is just using a decorative stitch from my old Viking. The second quilt is using a star stitch from my embroidery machine. And sometimes, I hand sew them.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]355401[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]355403[/ATTACH]

I have always stitched binding to front and hand stitched back but I do enjoy hand stitching - however I do like pictures of decorative stitches samples and may give it a try on a baby quilt - am always trying to use those stitches I paid so much for.

I agree - just bound 4 quilts exactly same way and enjoyed the Olympics! Turns out nice every time.

I cut my binding strips at 2-1/4"; machine-stitch to the front with a 1/4" seam allowance; hand-stitch to the back. If you use more than a 1/4" seam allowance, wouldn't that make the blocks on the outer perimeter a wee bit smaller than the other blocks? I have a Janome 6600, and I use the AccuFeed to sew on the binding, and move the needle to make the seam 1/4".

I use my walking foot to stitch my binding on the front of my quilts. I use the edge of the foot , which is a little more than 1/4 inch. I then hand stitch at the back of the quilt. Even if I want to add a decorative stitch to the front, I still
hand stitch the back.

ME TOO!!! It works for me!

This is exactly what I do and I've never had trouble with it not being caught on the back. Of course now that I've said this I will next time.:) I cut my strips 2 1/4 and sew with 1/4 in. seam.

Before you bind your quilt watch this Sharon Shambers video
http://quiltinggallery.com/2008/05/1...s-school-glue/
I started using this method and it makes the bindings beautiful!!! It is fast and easy and will never pay to have someone bind your quilt again!

Your binding should have the quilt sandwich in it so that it doesn't lay flat. I off set my binding 1/4 inch and leave a 1/4 inch of batt and backing extending so that when the binding is rolled, the entire binding is filled with batt and backing.

And don't just stitch from one end to the other. Measure the center, both width and length, to get the proper edge measurements for binding. For example, if the center length measures 95", but your border edge is 97", cut the binding 95 + extra for turning the corners. Mark the half way points of both the binding strip and quilt, then the mark quarter points of both. Pin the binding to the quilt edge, matching the markings. Fit the quilt's longer edge to the shorter binding and pin in place. When stitching have the binding on top. The extra length of the quilt's edge will be worked in and the edge of the quilt will not be wavy, but square after the binding is rolled to the other side and stitched in place.
SandyQuilter

I usually leave enough batting along the edge to fit "under" the binding. In other words, I cut the edges of the quilt leaving about 3/4" of batting around the edges....then sew the binding...2 1/2" folded in half, to the back. Then, when I fold the binding to the front, none is left to show on the back, I have an easy 1/4" or a bit more, to fold over the quilt edge and then I sew a decorative or straight stitch. Sometimes I stitch two rows of straight stitches if it's a kid's quilt that will be washed a lot. I hope I made that clear. It's such a great finish that I use it most of the time.

I never ever sew my binding to the back, always to the front. I cut my binding 1 7/8 and fold in half and sew a .5 to the right on my Pfaff. Which is just a fraction smaller than a 1/4 inch. My binding is full of quilt not binding. Turns out to be a perfect 1/4 inch binding finish. And I do what I have developed and call a "Hidden Binding Stitch", when I am finished you cannot see my thread and always by hand.

Whatever method you do, I recommend basting (by machine) the first 3 or 4 inches of the binding. Remove it from your machine, fold it to the front, or back, and see how it looks. If you need to adjust the seam narrower, or wider, it's easy to remove the basting threads. Every quilt is different.....based on the fabrics and batting in it. This works for me!

I make a 2-inch bias strip, folded in half.
I stitch a scant 1/4-inch seam on the front, fold to the back and do hand stitching on the back side. The front has a more finished look. Never even considered sewing to the back and folding to the front!

Obviously, if you do a 3/8-inch seam you'd need wider bias strips, but then if the fabric is cool, sounds like a good idea!

Whatever method you do, I recommend basting (by machine) the first 3 or 4 inches of the binding. Remove it from your machine, fold it to the front, or back, and see how it looks. If you need to adjust the seam narrower, or wider, it's easy to remove the basting threads. Every quilt is different.....based on the fabrics and batting in it. This works for me!

Good idea.
Sometimes I find I cannot get the binding all the way around to the back...or worse, it is loose and so the binding would wear more quickly than where it is tight.

That was the most interesting video on binding. I am going to use her method and try binding my quilts (only machine bind instead of hand bind). Thank you for sharing.

I cut my binding strips 2.5" wide and my S.A. is the width of my presser foot. I am sewing with an old Pfaff 1222E that has the IDT(built in walking foot). I sew the binding to the back first and then turn over to the front, stitch down with either a decorative stitch or a straight stitch 1/8" from the folded edge. I use the method that Kaye Wood shows in her video on bindings, it works nicely and the miter is sewn in. I have to sew my bindings entirely by machine as I have repetitive motion injuries; lots of hand sewing causes days of pain...not worth it. I make many charity quilts for both a local organization and Quilts of Valor. The quilt pictured is one of the charity baby quilts I made, this one is all flannels. Its a Bonnie Hunter pattern, "Crayon Box".
Sharon

I cut 2 1/4 or 2 1/2 inches, bias or straight stitch them together and then start at the bottom right, which is the last place a person sees usually (at least according to the 'experts'!) I sew the usual 1/4 inch, or sometimes more, depending on the thickness of the quilt. I like to have the binding 'filled', rather than 'empty' when flipped and finished, so it is a guess-timation. The trick is to be consistent and to fill the binding and to have enough to cover the machine stitching when the handwork is done on the back. IMHO!

Another tip: When doing the hand sewing, I use the thinner thread (not cheaper, just thinner! like is found not the pre wound bobbins) because I find that my stitches 'sink' into the seam, and never show.

i cut it 2 1/2 inches wide....fold in half.....put cut edges together on right side. fold over and hand stitich. I guess you could start with the back side and flip to front and fancy stitch. I don't care for a wide binding. What I get this way is just right for me. Had to learn on my own, so please don't let the quilt police see this. LOL....

oh and I use 1/4 inch foot when I do it. works for me...........