Baby Quilt Revisited & Fearproof, Foolproof binding

The baby quilt that I embarked upon as my maiden quilt was going to be relegated to some alternative purpose. The binding was so #$%^!$%& horrible. I put it on wonky, sewed it wonky.  Corners are secure but...welll...wonky.  And when I stitched around, I managed to miss a list one section of binding on the obverse side.  When turned over, giant yawns in my lazy seams attested to my being a quilt hack.

I folded it up.  Put it aside.  Lamented its fate.  I then picked it up.  No, I didn't pick up the seam ripper.  I simply restitched the yawning gaps closed.  Is it elegant?  No.  Is it pretty?  Mostly. Is it useful? #QE$^!$% Yeah!

So I washed it.  Starched it.  Pressed it.  It will live its new life as a companion piece to the changing pad this is elegant, pretty and oh-so-useful.  (I still remember the changing pad that I had from years ago....a plastic thing).

I didn't put any waterproofed fabric in or on my changing pad.  But mine can just go in the washer.


After much lamenting, audible (@#$^%^^& ) and otherwise, over binding my items, I ran across the Sharon Schamber's video.

Elmer's School Glue is my new best friend.  While Sharon is discussing binding, I was intrigued about glue in general in quilting.  Accordingly I deep dived on YouTube. Sharon's daughter is also a quilter Cristy Fincher is also a quilter and an advocate for glue basting. You can see an interview with her here.

While my first project (baby quilt) was a disaster in the cutting, piecing and binding departments, I was motivated to improve.  I set about working on binding.  I used Sharon's method, and it worked wondrously.  Here are a few of my key takeaways:

1. Size of your seam allowance. I've never seen any state this (but I'm still new), but the the seam allowance is dictated by your binding width:  1/3 of the width of your binding is your seam allowance.  Not a 1/2 inch.  Not a scant 1/4 inch.  1/3 the width.   Makes sense.   You need 3  parts: (1)  the seam allowance, (2) front binding and (3) back binding.  So using 1/3 for the seam allowance ensures equal distribution.  (Doh! that I would have not come up with on my own).
2. Starch!  I've always made my own starch (prior to @#%#%^% quilting).  You can search on your own for methods and amounts.  Most methods I see call for heating the starch in boiling water to distribute the starch.  I'm unclear as to why this is done. Heating starch makes it gelatinous (in cooking you dissolve starch in cold water and then heat to provide body to sauces).  I used this method, and I did not find that I had any less separation than other methods--but did have goop.  I digress.
• For quilting fabric, starching liberally gives stability.  It makes handling the fabric so much easier.  It does not flop.  
• For the binding, Sharon recommends starching the wrong side of the fabric, liberally, before you fold it.  It gives the binding great body and stuff does not move.  Immediately after doind so, I felt very confident that I might be able to bind the @#$#%^ project.
3. Glue!  I have a body of glue and no fancy glue tip.  I did manage to regulate the application of the product onto my project by moving the speed of the application.  I followed Sharon's glue method and my binding was perfectish.  The glue ensured no shifting.  The starch ensured no separating.  However, I didn't pick up on the 1/3 of binding width as seam allowance.  My distribution between front and back was a little offish.

Using this method took me from fearful to fearless on binding. I felt like I was in control--not the project substrates.  Further, when I was making the Daisy Baby Quilt, which was attaching 1" strips to 5" strips, had I known about glue basting, I would have had greater success.  My 1" strips had NO room for error in cutting, piecing or sewing.  My binding would have been perfectish, and there would be no curse words stuck to my walls.

I will never enter a quilt in a show. While I don't want to be competitive, I want to be competent.  Glue basting seems to be fairly low profile.  I'm glad that I found it.