Currently Stitching: Binding Again

For everyone out there who loves picking up their quilts from the longarm and puts them in a stack of projects that need binding, this episode is for you. #sigh

Here I have a stack of 10 quilts plus two runners that need to be finished. And I'm pretty sure I'm still missing some. They've all be quilted; they're ready to be loved, and yet here they sit waiting. I do wonder sometimes if it's because I do bindings for other people that I don't always find joy in doing them for myself.

I really didn't use to mind them! I think hand binding is extremely relaxing! Especially if I'm watching a movie, or sometimes on a long car drive. It's not really fair to say that binding isn't fun - it should be full of anticipation! The quilt is almost ready to be snuggled under. And yet, it can feel a bit monotonous. However that might also be because I leave so many of them to be done at once.

I know I've written about this before, but it comes up so often in the quilting world I think it can be covered more than once. I feel like every time I talk to someone about how they do binding I learn something.

In this episode I'll be sharing with you how I get through a backlog like this. I'll also share some thoughts, tricks, questions and things I've learned about binding. I've just started to do more machine binding and I still have mixed feelings about it. But we'll get back to that later.

As per usual, I started by getting my strip sets cut and pressed. Once the binding fabric has been selected, I gut them into 2 1/4 inch strips. Some people prefer to do 2 1/2, and some of the ladies I work with cut them at 2! I need enough that it's not hard for the fabric to wrap around the edge of the quilt, but not so much that there's extra fabric sticking out beyond the final seams.

Once cut, I sew the strips together, trim the seams to a quarter inch, and head over to the iron to press them in half. I take my time, getting them to lie flat so they're easier to sew on. 

Next, I'll choose a side to start sewing on, usually a longer side. I'll do a back stitch and then start clipping the binding to the edge of the quilt. It helps to keep the binding from warping while it's being installed. It also helps keep the whole process more in control.

I do like to take a few extra minutes to wind up the binding before I start the process. I am not a knitter or crocheter, but I've seen them put yard in one of those special bowls that controls how it flows.

The winding and storing of the fabric has become a steadfast trick for me. Some of my biggest struggles when binding are because I can't maintain control of the guilt or fabric. Taking the time to do these small steps helps quilt finishing go much smoother.

I also pulled my table out from the wall so the quilt wouldn't bunch up against the wall/ window. Sometimes I'll put a second table or the ironing board behind it so I have more surface area for the quilt fabric. 

You can see the difference between the two photos. There's more bunching and it makes it harder to navigate through the machine. When I took the lamp off the table and gave myself more space, I had way better luck getting these bindings on!

You've probably notice I use quite a lot of stripes for binding. I think it's a sweet finish to any quilt or table runner. I take my time when I'm piecing the strip sets to get the stripes to line up. It's always work it! It's particularly one of my favorites while working on a nautical themed project. 

This was one of the runners I was working on. Once I got the first side of the binding on by machine I started working on hand sewing the back. Again I'd like to highlight these clips. They make a huge difference in the process. It holds the fabric in place so I can focus my hands on the actual sewing. They also help to keep the fabric at the same fold all the way around.

Here we come up to the corner. I clip on both sides, several inches either way. This way I can focus on hiding the stitch up the mitered corner instead of trying to hold the fabric.

I've got 9 of the 11 bindings on one side. I'm going to try machine binding the last two. Check back in to see the finished works!