Binding & Edges

After finishing quilting a quilt, I serge the outside edge.  This evens up all 3 layers,  and keeps them together. Then when I put on the binding, I don't have to worry about puckers, or keeping the edges smooth.

Don't we all hate to pin that binding on!!!!!!??? Well, I've figured out how to get around the pinning...After you have stitched the binding on the quilt, lay it on the ironing board backing side up. Press the binding out flat so you can see it flat from the backing side. Now comes the fun part...take your fusible thread and lie it on the seam line where you attached the binding. Now turn your binding over on top as you would if you were pinning and press with steam. It takes a few seconds but it will hold your binding in place as if it were pinned. I leave the corners or pin them as I go so my miters are correct but you can get quite close. Now, just sit back and watch t.v. and do the hand sewing or if you like, use your blind hem stitch and finish it off real quick. Works like a charm!!!!

After I have finished my quilt, before I put on the binding, I like to machine stitch around the edge then cut to within a 1/4 ".  One day while basting my sandwich together with water soluble thread, I asked myself why not put this thread in the machine to sew around my edges.  When washed all the threads come out even if some were showing after you put the binding on.

Basting the sandwich together with this thread saves times after the quilt is completed.  No bastings to take out.

When I have machine sewn on my binding I then turn it to the back to hand finish.  I use a #10 straw needle and thread that matches the binding fabric.  The straw needle lets me take discreet aplique stitch every time and the thread becomes invisible! 

Use fusible thread in your bobbin while sewing the binding on your quilt. Then fold it over and iron it.  The fusible thread will secure the binding in place while you hand stitch it in place.  No more moving clips or using pins!

As the holidays approach, many of us have tons of not quite finished quilts.  For a special gift for a quilting friend, you could offer to help finish the binding with them or for them.

^{Once I have finished a top , I press it really well then hang it on a hanger until I finish the back. that way I get less wrinkles and do not have to repress to finish layering it.}

This is a two part tip:  When you are sewing (especially chain sewing) use a "bunny tail" to keep your machine from sucking your edges into the machine.  You simply take two small scrap pieces of fabric place them together and sew them as you would any other pieces you were joining for you quilt top, then (without removing the "bunny tail") continue to chain sew all your needed pieces one after the next until finished with the chain.  Simply remove the "bunny tail" from the beginning of the chain and sew it through the machine again, and it's all ready for your next round of sewing.  (Some of you probably know all about "bunny tails"  and might have some cute other names for them too, send them to me via the "comment on this tip" feature I would love to hear all the varieties.  Okay here is the second part of the tip--When I am making various quilt tops I use Thangles as my "bunny tails".  I keep a basket full of scraps and two sizes of Thangles, I prefer 1/2" and 3/4" because I have a lot of batik fabric scraps which are quite small and I hate to waste even an inch of a beautiful fabric.  When you have enough Thangles, sew them all together in a row and you have created a fabulous border, and hopefully a smaller scrap pile.  They make Thangles in a variety of sizes, so you can create many "how'd they do that" borders!  *Remember* your Thangle fabric does not have to match the fabric of your current project--because it's not actually part of the quilt.

This is a two-sided tip:  When I am sewing a quilt top and I have decided which binding I want to finish off the project, I cut, sew and press the amount of binding needed--before I quilt the quilt.  So that if I am quilting on my short-arm I don't have to stop and change feet to make the binding,  just to turn around and put the walking foot back on to sew the binding to the edge.  Here comes the taming part of the tip: Most of our machines come with a second thread holder attachment--since I never seemed to use that feature on my machine I decided to put it to work--I take an empty thread spool--I prefer a 1000m Gutermann--it nicely holds enough binding for a Queen size Quilt--then I roll the binding onto the spool and secure the end with a flat head flower pin (any long, thin pin would work too).  When it its time to sew the binding on I get out my second thread spool holder and attach it to the top of my machine, place the "spool of binding" on the holder, un-pin and sew the binding to the quilt.  This has put an end to the binding snake that used to crawl all over my sewing room floor--as everything is now nice, tidy and up off the floor!   *I would be happy to provide you with a few how-to photos*

When hand sewing your binding to your quilt, match the thread to the quilt backing.  It will blend and stitches will not show.