I have been involved in a local quilt guild—the New Hampshire Modern Quilt Guild—for several years now. (I’m a resident of Massachusetts, but the group’s weeknight meetings are a short drive for me.) At times I’ve served on the board, as the events coordinator or president. Even as a rank-and-file member, though, I like to contribute on occasion and head up a make-and-take craft or lead a short tutorial.
Years ago, I gave a little spiel on how I machine-bind my quilts. In my mind, I was simply presenting what I had been doing for years. For some of my guildmates, however, this technique was novel—some of them had always finished their bindings by hand! I kind of love that about quilting—how there are multiple ways to accomplish the same thing, and everyone has a technique that works best for her.
So it’s in that spirit that I thought we could have a little conversation about bindings and have included some of my favorite past bindings here in this post.
I can summarize my binding philosophy as follows:
* I love a fully machine-finished binding. My wrists thank me for it, especially for larger projects.
* If I am going to take the time to hand-finish a binding, I use a chunky visible stitch because I want credit for my handwork!
* I cut width-of-fabric strips, not bias strips, because I can cut them fast and they require less yardage than bias strips. I know that bias strips, by nature, wear better, but I’ve never had an issue with my WOF strips.
* My secret for neat corners on machine-finished bindings is a little Elmer’s glue. Just use a little bit and set with heat before sewing.
For more details, check out the tutorials below. Then share your own binding dos and don’ts in the comments!
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Hi Michelle, I just read your post on machine binding. I mostly follow your process except that the binding is cut at 2.25" width and I've been able to stitch the binding on the back. This quilt was the second time I've done this and except for a couple of small sections, it worked great. I just go back and re-sew the binding in those spots. I also find that ironing the binding really helps. I'll be using your glue tip next time. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it great for quiltmakers that there are many ways to bind a quilt? Of course, we all have our favorites, and for me it's hand sewing. :-) A couple times I tried machine sewing and wasn't satisfied with my less-than-precise finish. I do love a big stitched hand quilted binding too, as seen in the lovely work you do (the first photo). Very nice.
ReplyDeleteI guess I just commented on the wrong page! I love that little X on the corner, in the second photo!!!
ReplyDeleteMy wrists dont like hand binding either! I always sew the binding to the back and then top stitch it in place on the front with my machine.
ReplyDeleteThe glue tip for machine-bound corners is genuinely useful — a small amount of Elmer's set with heat holds the fold in place long enough to stitch without the corner shifting, which is where machine binding usually goes wrong. What's interesting about the post is that it treats binding as a personal philosophy rather than a right answer, which is honest. Hand-finishing produces a cleaner result on the front but takes hours, machine-finishing is faster but shows a stitch line, and bias strips wear better but cost more fabric. The choice depends on what you value, not on which is objectively correct. There's a discussion on https://olympia-casino-aus.com about craft decisions that trade perfection for practicality — the point about technique reflecting priorities was well-made. Which method do you use?
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