Friday, March 14, 2014

Binding

I have a big binding job to do and that means I have a quilt that's about to be finished.  Yeah!




It seems like binding is one of those tasks that quilters either love or hate.  I enjoy it; I find the hand sewing part relaxing, but there is also the satisfaction of having reached the finish line on a project, because the binding is the last step in making a quilt. 

This binding is going on one of my Fig Tree projects.  The fabric is a tiny check in pale pink and ivory.  I like checks, small plaids, and stripes for binding but often use other prints too.

I usually cut my binding on the bias, in strips 2.25 inches wide.  I go a little narrower on smaller quilts, like wall hangings.  I sew the binding to the front of the quilt on my sewing machine, then turn it to the back and hand sew in place.  I recently found that using a walking foot is a big help; it makes the application a little smoother, especially on a big quilt.  This was a tip I picked up on another blog.  There are a lot of tutorials for making and attaching binding on blogs and on YouTube so take a look around if you've been struggling with this step. 

6 comments:

  1. I'm a binding lover. Small quilts I do on the machine, but the big ones I do by hand. It gives me time to catch up on recorded TV shows. The little checks/gingham make the best bindings!

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  2. I LOVE doing bindings -- it might even be my favorite part of quilt making for all the reasons you cited. I use the same methods as you with 2 exceptions -- I only do bias if there are curves involved (just because I'm lazy) and my machine has even feed so I don't need a walking foot. I love that cute little gingham fabric you've selected for your next binding!

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  3. I actually enjoy binding . It feels good to complete a quilt . Looking forward to seeing your completed quilt

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  4. I'm a binding lover too. You and I do it the same way. And using those checks will be as cute as can be.

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  5. I love to do binding, too. Especially stripes and checks/plaids. I recently began wearing my machine quilting gloves while sewing on the binding at the machine. They really help to move the heavy quilt.

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  6. Me too! I agree on everything! Enjoy!

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