Chaney Ranch

Y'all all have more knowledge and expertise than me, and you provide countless ideas for us. So...here's another very basic question: When attaching your binding to your project, what's your favorite method - pinning it to the quilt edge before stitching it, using clips (Wonder Clips on sale at 45% off at QIAD), clamping with clothespins, not securing at all...just stitching on the 1/4" line, or what? Thanks in advance for your responses and ideas! I have previously paid someone to do my quilting and binding, but now that I am retired I am DETERMINED to do it all myself!

quiltsRfun

I don't pin or clip but just stitch being careful to line up the edges. Saves time, pin pricks and works for me. However, I do a rough layout to make sure the seams in the binding don't come on the corners.

Gladmaker

I dislike pinning and avoid it when possible. I have found that binding does need to be secured before sewing it. I now use Wonder Clips and am very happy with them and I do not get stuck with pins. I do not do any hand stitching. I will clip the binding along one side of the quilt and then machine stitch very close to the edge of the binding fabric with a matching thread on both sides. When I reach the end of one side, I will then clip the next side and proceed. I would prefer Wonder Clips over clothespins because they are flat on the bottom and smaller.
I too am retired. I retired nearly 1 1/2 years ago and have been quilting for over a year. I also do all of the quilt myself.

Gladmaker

If you want to do your own quilting, there is a very good video on Craftsy.com on quilting on a small machine. That is how I do my quilting. There are also videos for free motion quilting using a home sewing machine.

Prism99

I do not pin when sewing binding to quilt edge. One thing I do that is a little unusual is that I do not cut the quilt edge before sewing on binding; I simply mark the cut edge with a black Sharpie and use that as my "virtual edge" when sewing on the binding. I find that this method ensures that the quilt edge remains flat and undistorted while I am sewing. I am *very* careful to trim the quilt edge after the binding is sewn on; the one thing you do not want to do is trim any of the binding at the corners (you will have a hole in your binding when you turn it!).

I need to backtrack and mention that I do a very rough pinning of binding to quilt before I start sewing. This is to make sure that any binding seams do not fall right at a corner. This gives me a good starting point for the binding. An alternative to doing this is simply to stop and adjust the binding join when you see it is going to fall at a corner; just undo the join, cut off a few inches, and re-join.

After getting the binding on and trimming the quilt edge to match, I iron the binding away from the quilt. This step helps me to get an even turn on the binding.

Another extra step I do (not necessary if your last step is hand sewing the binding on) is take the quilt to the ironing board and use Elmer's white washable school glue to turn the binding and glue it in place with my iron. This helps me get the binding to completely cover the original stitching line without going over too much. I then use a decorative stitch on my sewing machine for the final sewing.

feline fanatic

When I first attach my binding to the quilt, if I am going to finish by hand I simply sew my binding to the quilt top side, matching up raw edges and using a 1/4 allowance stopping 1/4" from each corner so I can miter my corners. I don't use pins or anything at this stage. When I go to hand sew it to the back I use hair clips to hold it in place.

If I am machine stitching my binding 100%, I stitch my binding to the quilt back side, again matching up raw edges and using a 1/4 allowance, mitering corners and I don't pin. Then I bring it around to the front and stitch as close as possible to the folded edge. I don't use clips or anything for that either.

However, when I was a newb, I did pin my binding when machine stitching the first pass. Up until recently all my bindings were finished by hand. I just didn't like the look of machine stitched binding. I am still not crazy about it and have tried various techniques like SITD from the front, glueing, etc. I am usually never pleased with the result so I will stick to hand stitching it with few exceptions.

Holice

One should use whatever method to get accurate seam allowances.
Most everyone writes about sewing a 1/4 inch seam. Does anyone sew other widths.
How do you assure sewing to the 1/4 inch point at the corner. Does anyone stop before getting to the 1/4 point.
Do you trim any of the point.

carslo

I do not pin nor clip nor iron my bindings in half! I cut the required 2.5 inch strips attach them together and then sew the binding to the back and then flip it to the front. I use clear thread in the bobbin and a matching top thread. I use a 1/4 seam to sew the binding on with. Good luck!

Neesie

The best/easiest binding method I've found is shown here.

Sharon Schamber Network - Binding the Angel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2hWQ5-ZccE

Daylesewblessed

I use 3/8" seams with 2 and 3/4 cut width of binding. The only pinning I do is the first couple of inches, helpful to me when positioning the quilt under the needle. I sew about 6" and then stop to test that the binding folds over exactly right. Different thicknesses of fabric and batting can make a difference. When I get close to a corner, I use a seam gauge to find 3/8" up and stick a pin only in the quilt at that point perpendicular to the seam. I sew slowly to the pin and stop when I get to it and backstitch. I only trim out the corners when there is too much bulk. Normally there is no need.