Binding & Edges

Instead of using pins to keep your binding in place as you sew it on, use those new bobbypin style barrets.  They fit tight and hold the binding in place perfectly with no holes.  No more getting poked with needles as you pack up your quilt for travelling, or getting your legs, etc poked as you sew! 

Select a backing for your wallhanging quilt that you would also use as binding.  Cut the backing with a decorative rotary cutter (pinking balde or wave blade) and wrap it around the front of your quilt. Stitch the wavy backing to the front of the quilt, ensuring the measurements are the same on all 4 sides.  This gives the quilt the appearance of having a wavy binding which is really nice for wallhangings and art quilts.  It also adds a nice touch if a decorative or verigated thread is used.  This provides beautiful contrast and detail around the whole quilt.

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.