How Do You Bind?
07-13-2019, 12:45 PM
#1
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Join Date: May 2019
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 110
How Do You Bind?
Personally, I think whoever came up with the concept of binding had a sick mind. I know there are other ways of finishing a quilt and those work OK for smaller projects but not the bigger ones.
How do you bind your quilt? Do you machine bind it or hand bind it? After cross-stitching for over 20 years, I swore I’d never hand sew again but after yet another less-than-perfect quilt binding by machine, I’m giving serious consideration to doing it by hand. Yeecht.
How do you bind your quilt? Do you machine bind it or hand bind it? After cross-stitching for over 20 years, I swore I’d never hand sew again but after yet another less-than-perfect quilt binding by machine, I’m giving serious consideration to doing it by hand. Yeecht.
07-13-2019, 12:49 PM
#3
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Location: NY
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Depends on the quilt. If I need to finish in a hurry I bind with the "faux flange" method. I machine sew it to the back then flip it to the front, glue in place with elmers washable school glue then SITD along the faux flange. But if I am not in a hurry I machine stitch to the front flip the binding to the back and hand sew it. I like both methods and I don't mind the hand sewing at all.
Here is a tute to the faux flange method.Quick Machine Binding with Flange The only thing I do different is cut my strips at 1.25 and 1.5 to end up with 2.25 wide binding strip. I also press it to the "flange" fabric to fill it up so it give the appearance of piping rather than a flange. I also use monofilament thread when doing the top stitch so it doesn't show at all. Here is a close up pic on this thread: Scrappy log cabin clam shell setting
Here is a tute to the faux flange method.Quick Machine Binding with Flange The only thing I do different is cut my strips at 1.25 and 1.5 to end up with 2.25 wide binding strip. I also press it to the "flange" fabric to fill it up so it give the appearance of piping rather than a flange. I also use monofilament thread when doing the top stitch so it doesn't show at all. Here is a close up pic on this thread: Scrappy log cabin clam shell setting
Last edited by QuiltnNan; 07-13-2019 at 01:13 PM. Reason: activate links
07-13-2019, 01:19 PM
#4
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Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Greater Peoria, IL -- just moved!
Posts: 6,126
I am not the best at my hand skills and it takes me forever, but I hand sew the binding on the back. I put it on the front by machine. I use pins, no glue. Mitered corners, "invisible" final seam.
I almost always make French fold continuous loop bias binding. I typically cut a bit wider than most people, at 3". For the last few months I've been trying not folding and pressing my binding first as recommended in a thread here. I don't really see any difference in the fold or not, but as I said, my binding tends to be a little wider and I often use a puffier batt than many people.
I tried putting on the binding with the machine both sides and just didn't like the finish and/or just never learned to do it well.
I almost always make French fold continuous loop bias binding. I typically cut a bit wider than most people, at 3". For the last few months I've been trying not folding and pressing my binding first as recommended in a thread here. I don't really see any difference in the fold or not, but as I said, my binding tends to be a little wider and I often use a puffier batt than many people.
I tried putting on the binding with the machine both sides and just didn't like the finish and/or just never learned to do it well.
07-13-2019, 01:45 PM
#6
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Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2019
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 110
Depends on the quilt. If I need to finish in a hurry I bind with the "faux flange" method. I machine sew it to the back then flip it to the front, glue in place with elmers washable school glue then SITD along the faux flange. But if I am not in a hurry I machine stitch to the front flip the binding to the back and hand sew it. I like both methods and I don't mind the hand sewing at all.
Here is a tute to the faux flange method.Quick Machine Binding with Flange The only thing I do different is cut my strips at 1.25 and 1.5 to end up with 2.25 wide binding strip. I also press it to the "flange" fabric to fill it up so it give the appearance of piping rather than a flange. I also use monofilament thread when doing the top stitch so it doesn't show at all. Here is a close up pic on this thread: Scrappy log cabin clam shell setting
Here is a tute to the faux flange method.Quick Machine Binding with Flange The only thing I do different is cut my strips at 1.25 and 1.5 to end up with 2.25 wide binding strip. I also press it to the "flange" fabric to fill it up so it give the appearance of piping rather than a flange. I also use monofilament thread when doing the top stitch so it doesn't show at all. Here is a close up pic on this thread: Scrappy log cabin clam shell setting
07-13-2019, 01:52 PM
#7
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Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2019
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 110
I am not the best at my hand skills and it takes me forever, but I hand sew the binding on the back. I put it on the front by machine. I use pins, no glue. Mitered corners, "invisible" final seam.
I almost always make French fold continuous loop bias binding. I typically cut a bit wider than most people, at 3". For the last few months I've been trying not folding and pressing my binding first as recommended in a thread here. I don't really see any difference in the fold or not, but as I said, my binding tends to be a little wider and I often use a puffier batt than many people.
I tried putting on the binding with the machine both sides and just didn't like the finish and/or just never learned to do it well.
I almost always make French fold continuous loop bias binding. I typically cut a bit wider than most people, at 3". For the last few months I've been trying not folding and pressing my binding first as recommended in a thread here. I don't really see any difference in the fold or not, but as I said, my binding tends to be a little wider and I often use a puffier batt than many people.
I tried putting on the binding with the machine both sides and just didn't like the finish and/or just never learned to do it well.
Last edited by QuiltnNan; 07-13-2019 at 02:06 PM. Reason: shouting/all caps
07-13-2019, 01:55 PM
#8
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Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Mableton, GA
Posts: 11,227
I do it both ways. I don't mind hand sewing the binding if the quilt calls for it. I usually sew onto the back by machine, flip over and sew the binding down on the front. Comes out pretty good. I saw a tutorial with Donna Jordan of Jordan fabrics and she cuts her strips 2.5 inches, sews on the front with a 1/4 inch seam, flips over, sews from the front in the ditch formed by the binding, and says it is wide enough to catch on the back. I'm going to try it. It's just for me, a table topper, so if it doesn't work, I'll know for next time.
07-13-2019, 01:56 PM
#9
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 3,526
I do all three--baby and charity quilts binding is machine sewn to the back and machine stitched down on the front. Some quilts just look better with a flange style binding and I will stitch it down using a thread matching the flange. I have actually started cutting some of my bindings at 2 inches wide. I noticed that my Pfaff seems to sew quite a scant 1/4 inch seam and the 2 inch binding looks very neat when hand stitched to the back.
It really comes down to what you are most comfortable doing. Quilting is supposed to be fun. Having said that--I have a king sized quilt that needs the hand sewing finished but it is dark on dark with dark thread and I am having trouble seeing it except in natural light in the late afternoon. It is taking forever but it will look right!
It really comes down to what you are most comfortable doing. Quilting is supposed to be fun. Having said that--I have a king sized quilt that needs the hand sewing finished but it is dark on dark with dark thread and I am having trouble seeing it except in natural light in the late afternoon. It is taking forever but it will look right!
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