kymawmaw

use jenny doans method at missouri quilt company...the is a you tube that is flawless

letawellman

I think it's a matter of *practice*,**practice**, ***PRACTICE***.
The binding is the one part of quilting that I dislike. But, again, with *practice*,**practice**, ***PRACTICE***, I am getting much better at it, and it's not as much of a chore.

There are so many tutorials out there, you just have to find what works best for you. And it's not just how you're stitching the binding, but also the BINDING ITSELF that you have to figure out. Some people say to use 1.75" strips (folded to .875") others recommend even narrower. Personally, I use 2" (folded to 1"). It took me awhile to find what worked for me... and it may be the same for you.
Have patience with yourself - you will get it eventually.

lindaschipper

I always sew to the front and then turn to the back side to hand stitch. All my corners turn out great. Maybe the only thing I've mastered!!

wildyard

I have also found that when sewing down the second side, my corners miter much neater and sharper if I make the fold from the bottom edge into the corner before making the turn. I'm not saying that well. Let me try to be clearer.

After sewing the binding onto the first side of the quilt (the back for me), I turn it over and sew it by machine to the front. I also use the no iron method with my binding.

As I am approaching the corner, I fold the BOTTOM edge up and into the corner and lap the SIDE I am sewing over that. This allows me more ability to adjust the miter before sewing it down, and when I sew the side into that corner, I can stop and turn with exactly the same distance from the edge as I had on the side.

I used to fold the bottom over the side and my miters were much less satisfactory to me.

michelleoc

Thank you so much, everyone, but the ideas. I'm going to go watch some more videos now!

gale

I think Patrick Lose has a good tutorial on youtube for binding.

citruscountyquilter

It is important to have a consistent seam allowance and stop sewing at the corner the distance of your seam allowance. So many people say stop 1/4" from the corner. That only works if you are using 1/4" seam allowance to sew your binding on. I use 3/8" seam allowance because I use my walking foot and the width of my waking foot is 3/8" and so I use the edge of the foot as my seam guide. If I stopped 1/4" from the corner my miters wouldn't work either.

Secondly, I don't press my bindings before I put them on. I feel that they just handle more easily if they are not pressed. I also hand stitch my bindings on the back so like the looser fold to hide my stitches in.

Thirdly, when I am mitering the back I make sure to lay the binding flat all the way up as far as I can. It needs to be flat at the edge of the quilt that will be eventually underneath once you bring your mitered corner down. I hold it in place with my thumb nail and then pin. Sometimes I have to massage the miter a little but not much.

To prepare my quilt for the binding I stitch around the edge very closely before I trim the excess backing and batting off. This stitching works much like stay stitching in garment construction in that it not only holds the layers together but also keeps them from stretching.

The challenge I have in sewing the binding on once it is turned (rather than hand stitching it) is getting the stitching to appear even along the edge of the binding. I think if I carefully turned my binding and glued it down evenly then when I turned the quilt over to stitch in the ditch on the front it would evenly catch the binding in the back. I'm sure I couldn't accomplish that with just pins.

Sharon Schamburg has a video about bindings where she glues the binding on first and then sews, then turns and glues again. You might want to try this technique to get your corners better.

Jakers1

I press the binding in half and trim the backing and batting to 1/4 inch before sewing it on the front of the quilt. After sewing the binding on, I trim the back and binding to the edge of the quilt. Then I turn the binding over to hand stitch it. To turn a corner, I sew the binding 1/4 inch from the edge of the corner, then turn the binding up, making a triangle. I use a one inch ruler to turn the binding down, and have gotten crisp corners that way. This is how I was taught by a quilting teacher and it works for me. Oh yes, I do not clip the thread when turning the corner, just raise the presser foot, then make the turn. Then trim the edge before turning the binding to the back. One other tip. I wrap the binding tightly around a core from TP and put a long string or yarn through the core I tie a knot and slip it over my head, keeping the binding from laying all over the place. Winding it tighty is the key.

oldtisme

Maviskw...any chance of posting pictures of this process?

maviskw

I would love to be able to figure out how to do that. Maybe some grandchild can help me.