Wednesday, July 25, 2012

binding, finally


I've finally figured out binding!  Not that I was completely incompetent before, I've just always been a hand binder and I've realized that with making more quilts and more charity quilts, I don't want to hand stitch all those bindings.  Or spend hot summer nights sitting under a quilt while I stitch binding!


But this is my fourth quilt using a machine finished binding and I've finally got it right.  Not perfect (there were a few skipped areas and a few ugly areas) but, finally, right.  See, I like a really tight binding, a binding that finished up a little over ¼"* thick and uses 2" strips.  It's partly that I like the look, but also I'm cheap and 2" strips are cheaper than 2½" strips.  Those thin strips don't give you much wiggle room, though.


I kept having problems with the back just looking like crap.  I was skipping areas while others had too much binding folded over.  The real issue?  Hand finishing binding is too forgiving.  You don't have to trim the quilt too exactly since hand stitching gives you so much control.  So when I was machine finishing my binding I was going too fast and being sloppy.  Yesterday I learned to slow down, use my walking foot, trim accurately to a scant ¼" and press slowly, and yes, accurately.  It paid off in a binding that looks much better and while it probably took twice as long as my previous slap dash machine finished bindings, still took about one tenth the time of a hand stitched binding.


If I ever start pinning these things they'll be naming mountains after me.

xox,
c

* know how to get an accurate ¼ on your pc?  It's alt0188    ½ is alt0189    ¾ is alt0190   Sadly that ends fun with fractions.

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11 comments:

  1. This looks great! And thanks for the keystroke shortcuts too! I'm still trying to figure out how to get it to work on the truncated keyboard on my laptop!

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  2. That looks so amazing, and can I say I LOVE LOVE LOVE that quilting design. Is that the one you were telling me about the other day? Hooked spiral, or something like that??

    And the keystroke shortcuts (thank Jenelle, didn't know that's what they were!! hehe), thanks for those. I tried it and it worked! ¼ ½ ¾

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  3. Oh I love hand-finishing the binding - it'll take more to convince me - but yours does look lovely xxx

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  4. Thanks for this. I usually hand-bind, but when I'm trying to make a quick quilt for family I prefer to machine bind, and I hand't thought of any of these things! Cheers to gorgeous machine binding!

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  5. Loving all those fabrics, the binding fabric is a perfect choice!

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  6. That's one beautiful quilt! I'm still practicing with machine sewn binding...it will be awhile if I ever get it perfect!

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  7. As they say, practice makes better - not perfect, but better, and that's good enough for me. That quilt/binding looks wonderful! Would love to see a full photo - fabulous fabrics, including the binding fabric. I think I will try my next binding with 2" strips!

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  8. this is a gorgeous binding...not sure what the fabric is, but ill just refer to it as amazing!

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  9. It looks super nice! Clarification... Are you saying that you trim the quilt after attaching the binding and before folding around the edge? That seems smart and I'd never seen/thought of it before!

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  10. first, i love that binding fabric, it is gorgeous! second, i really want to see more of what that quilt looks like! third, i love your new profile pic! it is awesome and you are beautiful! fourth, i honestly have no idea what you are talking about here.... ¼ on your pc? It's alt0188 ½ is alt0189 ¾ is alt0190

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