Monday, October 20, 2014

How You Bind :: The Nitty Gritty Results

Thanks to all of you who took the time to take the binding survey last week. If you don't have time to chat, feel free to click right on over to the results, where you can see the pie charts (also shown below) and all the added comments. I do have just a few comments of my own after you glance at the stats here.


Surprised where you fit in? Surprised at anything?? I was kind of surprised at how many folks secure their binding before they hand-stitch it down. I have never ever done that, so really had no idea it was such a thing. hmm

There were just a few comments that require some further action. First, someone asked, "Any chance you could research or do a tutorial on binding a quilt with the facing technique?" I know immediately what to suggest here: OPQuilt's tutorial, which I've used several times myself with great success.

Now here's where I need your help. Rather than do another survey right away, can you respond to one or more of the questions below in the comments? Hopefully those who asked will see this post and our responses.
  1. How about a question about how gals like to do the miters, top on top or side on top? 
  2. I'm curious, do people press their binding before sewing? After I machine sew it on, I press it away from the quilt top and then hand-wrap it around to the back to sew it on. I wonder what others do. 
  3. I'd like to see you do a survey about HOW to sew binding to a quilt. I bet most quilters don't know that there's another way to attach binding than with folded mitered corners.
My answers: #1: I miter my corners going clockwise on the front, with the side I'm sewing into 'on top.' I'm pretty sure I'm traveling counter-clockwise when I'm stitching on the back. If there's a 'right' and 'wrong' way here, I'm clueless. Please enlighten me. #2: I didn't know till recently that this was a thing either, but now I do do it. #3: I know how to do a faced binding as mentioned above. Please do tell if you're thinking about a different method than that.

So there you go! I'd love to hear what you think about all this in the comments!

23 comments:

  1. Yes, I do press before slip stitching to the back with thread that matches the binding. But recently, on scrap quilts, I have been machine stitching the binding to the back, pressing and zigzaging to the front. I use 2 1/4" double fold binding

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  2. I press my binding in half (usually 2.25" or 2.5"), machine sew it onto the front and then ladder stitch it down to the back without pressing or pinning/clipping. I stitch the binding right up to the edge of the quilt at the corners, then fold the mitre over and put a few stitches in where the folds meet. I have no idea if this is right or not!

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  3. I use a 2 1/2" binding, pressed in half. I stitch it on then turn it and hold with wonder clips. I don't press again.I like them stitched by hand on the back. I use a stitch a lady taught me for invisible applique. I don't know what it is called but you really can't see the stitching.

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  4. Practiced binding this summer. Assorted kinds. Some with more success than others. I found sewing binding down with machine to be somewhat difficult, but would like to find a way that does it really nicely. What's the secret. Is it folding over to the front and securing? I tried it the other way and didn't love it. Also, I find a 2.5" binding to be a little too wide. How wide is the binding supposed to be when finished?

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    1. I use a 2.5" binding but sew it with a 3/8 seam, not a 1/4 - my walking foot edge is perfect to line up with. It folds over perfectly and I get a binding that finishes at a whisker over 3/8 wide front and back.

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    2. Just adding, this is perfect for hand stitching! I don't machine bind as I can't get it neatly finished!

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  5. Interesting results. I do my corners the same as your description. I stopped pressing because I didn't like the flattened feel of it. I also stopped trimming down from the stitch line after machine attaching the binding - either out of laziness or I've gotten more accurate and don't feel the need. I've gone from a 2.5 to 2.25 cut and purposely pull a bit more to the back. Probably should give a 2" cut a go. Really need to try the faced method, thanks for the link to OPQuilt's tutorial.

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  6. yup I press like you do. I hand sew my final round clockwise but I'm left handed. Thinking left vs right handed is probably the deciding factor for most of us on which way to go! Thanks for all the time & effort you put into the survey!

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  7. Interesting results. When mitering corners, I miter them so the bulk on the front is opposite of where the bulk is on the back. That means I usually fold it so the "side" is under the "top." (I go clockwise on front and back.)

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  8. I'm the one who suggested #3, and no, it isn't a faced binding. It's a way to MACHINE SEW (not yelling, just emphasizing) each of the four mitered corners. It's the best method (IMHO) and many quilters don't know about it. There's no need to hand-sewing closed those miters... or ignore that miters need to be hand-sewn closed.

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  9. I am too stupid to know how to answer #1!!! I did see recently how to reduce bulk in the corner miters and have started doing that. #2 I do NOT press my binding. As a clothing sewer I learned that you let binding fold where it needs to fold. If you press it, it creases where you pressed it. If you don't, it will lay better because the inside curve is shorter than the outside curve. Meaning, inside of the binding (where it is folded over the quilt batting) is a shorter distance than the outside of the binding. (Does that make sense?) #3 I have never used another method to finish the sides of a quilt, but I have seen other methods. Sorry for the long comment!

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  10. #1 I don't really get the question, but I like nicely mitered corners. #2 I never press my binding after it is machine sewn to the front. #3 I'd like the learn more about this "big stitch" embroidery way of binding that I've seen glances of on Instagram.

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  11. Really interesting...love reading the comments! Thanks!! xoxo

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  12. I miter my corners to my right going clockwise around the quilt. I do press my binding away from the body of the quilt before machine or hand sewing it down. I'm pretty happy with the method I follow to bind quilts. Can't think of any other way then with a single fold 2 1/4" strip of fabric.

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  13. I miter my corners clockwise. I don't press after sewing it on. Ironing is my least favorite part, so less is better. I used to hand sew my binding before I learnt how to machine bind. Now I only hand bind quilts that I think will hang on walls.

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  14. Interesting. I would like to see what the "other" answers were in each question. I answered other in a couple of questions.

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  15. I'm wondering if the position you hold the quilt (away from or next to) is determined by the type of stitch you use. It seems pretty evenly split in both categories. Which also makes me wonder why people coordinate the thread to the binding if they are using the ladder stitch - since no thread will be showing. It would be interesting to know if the folks who coordinate the binding thread also coordinate the piecing thread.

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  16. 1) I do the same as Karen - fold the corners in opposite directions from the top of the quilt to reduce bulk. 2) I don't press my binding after stitching it to the top, because I'm lazy and like to skip as many steps as possible. ;) 3) I know about faced binding, envelope style finishing (for small things!), piped binding, flange binding, machine binding everything, hand stitching the back...so yeah, I guess I know about options!

    Thanks for the interesting survey!

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  17. I blind hem stitch my bindings from the back of the quilt, using the folding "mitered" corners technique Debbie described, traveling clock-wise. I don't press my bindings. I've used other binding techniques, but that is the exception and dependent totally on what I need when the quilt is ready to be bound.

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  18. Google the words 'no snouts allowed' and you will get a short youtube that demonstrates how to fold the binding to the other side of your quilt so the miters don't form 'nostrils'. It's easier than remembering top/side, clockwise/counterclockwise.

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  19. I always finish the binding by machine, in part because I don't like to hand sew and in part because it hurts my hands after a few minutes. Also, I feel like I do stitches much smaller than is necessary when I do hand sew.

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  20. I don't even iron my binding strips in half before I attach them! I always used to because I was taught to, but then I heard another teacher explain that you don't need to. When you turn the binding over the edge of the quilt, a little more than half of the width of the binding remains on the outer of the binding, and less than half is enclosed inside the binding. Therefore pressing in half is not necessary. This made sense to me! I machine stitch bindings down these days too, using a stitch in the ditch foot, so I do press the bending away from the quilt front, and over to the quilt back to make sure maximum chance of catching it as I machine stitch it down on the back but sewing from the front.

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  21. I saw your binding tutorials on sew mama sew and found them helpful for interesting bindings! I always machine sew mine. Hand sewing isn't for me.

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