Late Evening Binding

Hey ya'll.  Taking a break tonight from binding the challenge quilt, I've titled "God's Meeting Place".  Bindings, either you love em or you hate em.  I tend to love them.
 When I first started quilting, bindings were my least favorite part (which is probably why my first ever quilt still doesn't have the binding finished), but as I've learned more about quilting over the years, and I've learned how to correctly bind a quilt, I've come to love the finishing touch on a quilt.

There are so many ways to apply a binding to a quilt.  You can use the binding and turn it to the front to finish.  There's straight grain binding, bias binding, french fold binding.  You can machine apply the binding to the front and hand stitch to the back, machine apply to the front and machine to the back, machine to the back and machine to the front.  The possibilities are seemingly endless.

When I bind, I typically apply a straight grain binding by machine applying it to the front and hand stitching to the back.  I love the look of a hand stitched binding.  Many worry over the strength of a hand-stitched binding, but I've never had a problem yet.  Hand stitching the binding is much more forgiving, and it lets me hang on to the quilt just a few moments longer while I hand stitch the binding down.  I also find it soothing to sit in front of the TV, by a campfire, by the lake, or simply on the porch hand-stitching.  Tonight, I'm sitting in the living room in front of the TV binding the challenge quilt.  Oh how I would love to be by a fire or on the porch, but 39 degrees and a strong wind are surely keeping me from that.

Now, I've tried machine stitching both sides down, and I cannot get the front and back even.  I have stitched a few bindings by machine for the speed, but I'm never completely satisfied when I finish.  I guess I'm simply a creature of habit when it comes to bindings.

My picture at the first of the post is of my ironing board as I was pressing the stitched binding.  A few tips on making your bindings.

• Always stitch your strips together on the diagonal.  This creates a much stronger seam in your binding strips.  The only exception I have used is on small projects that have a scrappy binding and your strips are short (12" or less).
• I tend to press my seams open on a binding to reduce bulk in the finished binding.
• If you tend to stretch your binding as you press, use a pressing mat that has a grid to help you keep it straight.

I am not a "pinner" when it comes to sewing.  I only pin when I absolutely have to to make sure I keep a distance or match a tough point.  I don't typically pin my binding down before I stitch.  Many of you may, but it's just my preference.  I do however make sure that my binding is loose as I attach it.  By loose I mean that I make sure my foot or the chair wheel isn't on the binding as I'm stitching and that it's not stretched anywhere.  I've got a cup hook on the underside of my table and I often roll my binding up and hang it from the cup hook so that it rolls of as I attach it.  One idea I've had that I may try is to buy a cheap toilet paper holder that is made to attach to the wall and attach it to the underside of the table, then roll the binding to the holder and wallah! an easy way for the binding to roll off.  I will post pictures when I get this done.

Many people also struggle with getting the ends of the binding attached.  I use one of two methods.  My preferred method is to use the Fons and Porter Binding Tool.  The Fons and Porter tool has full color directions that make binding easy.  I have also used a method that has you leave a decent tail on both ends when you stitch down, then overlap the pieces.  In the center of your overlap lay a strip of fabric the original width of your binding strip down and cut the top strip on the right and the bottom strip on the left, then sew them together on the diagonal and finish.  As I said, my preferred method is to use the Fons and Porter tool, because it tends to leave a little less fabric in the binding and makes it very taught.  Not puckering tight, but tight enough that it is very crisp.  The other method is a little quicker and doesn't require a tool.  Both methods work very well however.

When I first learned how to hand stitch a binding down, my friend Jackie was showing me how.  She said to try to get 8 or so stitches to the inch.  The next week I worked diligently to finish the binding and when I saw her the next week, I had finished and she looked at my work.  She was surprised because I had between 12 and 16 stitches to the inch.  I may have been a bit of an overachiever that first time, but it definitely come loose.  I have relaxed a bit and don't put quite as many stitches in, but I do try to stay between 8 and 10 to the inch.

Whether you stitch by machine completely, turn the backing to the front, or hand finish the binding, remember that the binding is your final stitches so make them count!  Chime in.  Quilting is best learned by friends and we are all friends here.  How do you bind your quilts?  Do you have any special tips you would like to share on binding.  I would love to hear from you.  Leave your ideas and tips in the comments below!

Until next time, quilt on!