Binding Your Quilt: Observations

 There are lots of videos about binding your quilt.  As with most "quilty" (and any other) hings, there are practices and best practices and preferences.  I'm still a "newbie".  I began my first quilt two years ago.  Oh, and I finished it...but it was an eye opening experience.  Though not so disastrous that I could not fix it and gift it, I realized that I had a long way to go.

Quilting is a manual skill.  Like any manual skill, one has to practice, and put in the work and time to build mastery.  I've come a long way in my skills.  And along the way I have learned that there are several different ways to accomplish the same thing--some ways are better than others.

Sharon Schamber has perhaps the best video on binding.  I'm not here to give binding lessons, but rather some binding observations:

• Binding Strips:  
• Size:  Many say 2.5" others say 2.25".  If you do not have a border (that is sewn at 1/4" on your blocks thus preserving the points) using 2.5" will cause you to lose your points.
• Kimberly Jolly puts a little more of the batting into her binding by cutting about 1/4 inch beyond the quilt top.
  
• Application:  Many say attach to front an hand sew to back.  No question that method provides the neatest finish.  Some do same and stitch in the ditch on the front hoping to catch to back.  Others attach to the back and bring to the front and bind the edge down. I use this method.  I like to know that it is stitched securely, and I'm never going to hand bind.
• The real skill is having the binding be even all the way around.  I'm still working on that.
• Sewing the binding strips together:  Get a Folded Corner Ruler. Krista Moser has a great demonstration that solidifies the concept that I'm outlining here.   It is compact and helps with initial joins by removing the unused bulk.  Stack your strips right sides up and cut.  The Folded Corner ruler is designed to have the 1/4 inch seam allowance run through your diagonal (e.g. it is the stitch line).  You can use your other rulers, just ensure the 1/4 line is running through the corner.  Because the folded corner ruler is smaller than regular rulers, it really helps with the final join.  Putting strips perpendicular and futzing about with alignment interferes with your enjoyment, productivity, and outcomes.
  
• Final Join:  I recommend that you practice this on a test piece.  Once you get it, this method will always stick in your mind. You don't want to make a mistake and have no more binding or have to re-piece something in.

💣💣💣 I'm embarrassed to say how the final join was nearly impossible for me to see in my head. jI was new.  I watched videos where every instructor was showing a different way from a different angle, and I'm going HuH?

 

If you follow these 3 steps, you will never have another final-failed join issues, and your joins will be professional looking.  ( I will inserted some pictures below at some point). The folded pocket join is not a good look in my view.  It takes no more work or fuss to do it the right way.

• Leave enough tail on the beginning and end to have a 10 inch overlap to give you some breathing room.  
• Ensure that both ends are squared off (e.g. no miter).  That will help you when you measure the overlap.
  
• Do not be afraid to cut your strips.  The length of of your cut is simple
• It is ESSENTIAL that one end of your binding overlaps the other end by the opened width of your binding strip.  If you have a 2.5" strip the overlap (over a straight cut end of the other side) is 2.5".  Accordingly a 2.25" strip has an overlap of 2.25".  Yes, it is that easy.
• Tip:  Cut a wee bit on the inside, so that your cut is a wee bit shorter.  That means that the join will be a little shorter than the exact measure and your biding will lie flatter as it will have a WEE bit more tension.  
• Emphasis on "WEE".  IF your binding is longer, you may end up with flaccid binding and a tuck/pucker (these sound like bad health conditions).  You want it smooth and taught.  Wee taught. Not real taught. 
• 💡💡 If you have trouble cooking with scant, and pinch and such, your wee bit should less than 1/4". Because you are using the folded corner, your seam line should be exactly 1/4".  
  
• Use your folded corner tool to miter the cut ends JUST AS YOU WOULD when you are connecting your binding strips. However, it can be disorienting at this point.  Here are some tips to stay oriented correctly for the spatially/directionally challenged (me!)
  
• Quilt should be closest to you, and binding edge furthest away from you. 
• orienting this way ensures that left and right mean only ONE thing.
  
• Open up the left and the right binding strips  that you have expertly measured and cut.  Iron them out to remove the binding crease. Ironing helps you get a perfect miter.
  
• For the right side, make the binding do a hard right turn.  If you grab it with your right hand, you would turn your hand to the right (clockwise). Lay it flat. The cut end of that strip needs to be right side up and facing right.  There should be a goosenecked bend in it. If you twist it here (wrong way, wrong side), you will be very sorry!
  
•  The left strip is easy.  It has no turns, and is sitting there face up and pointing right.
  
• Stack the left strip, right side up on top of the right strip (hard right turned, and right side up).  Line your ends perfectly because you have perfectly measured and wee bit trimmed further.
• Cut your miter with your Folded Corner Ruler. The miter should be going from bottom right to top left. If it is going any other way...tears will follow.
  
• Join your strips by putting the right strip on top of the left strip (right sides together) and sewing just as you would when joining binding strips.  
• Make sure that you don't have anything twisted. (I have experience with this caution!). If you grab the right end and flip it directly over (rotate your wrist to the left and lay it right side atop the left). You might want to use a basting stitch  or glue baste until you perfect your muscle and eye memory on this technique.
• Re-press the crease in your binding and make sure that it lies flat and taught (not tight) on your quilt.
• if not, you will get a pleat in your binding.
  
• Complete your stitching.
• ADMIRE YOUR BEAUTIFUL FINISH!!!

 I promise you that once you do this a couple of times, the ending will be demystified, your joins will be beautiful. I am a binding snob.  I pay NO mind to the folded edge finish.  All the time that you've spent on your quilting...learning all of the intricacies of each step and you are going to fold the edge over.  NOPE!

Stitching to the other side.  Once you have made your first pass on attaching the binding to whichever side of the quilt you want to start with, you need to stitch it down.  Here are some considerations:

• If you are hand stitching, you will never have an edge that does not get sewn down.  God Bless You.  I believe this is the BEST finish, but I'm NEVER going to do it.
  
• If you are machine stitching:
• Binding attached to front, stitched to back through stitch in the ditch on the front
  
• For this to be successful, the back edge must cover the original stitch line.  You can use binder clips, glue, or fusible web to secure that coverage.  Any wobble in your stitching will cause a missed edge.  I've not seen any finishes that I would find acceptable (and I'm not that picky).
  
• My preferred method: Binding attached to the back, brought forward to the front.  I feel this method offers the greatest accuracy.  I use a mirrored ladder stitch with matching thread to the binding or use the seamguide foot sole plate on my walking foot. If the stitched line lines up well with the edge, your back will look fine. Again, if you cannot see it, you cannot manage it. Make sure that you use discrete bobbin thread for the back of your quilt.

 

💡Tip--If you have a centerline guide sole for your walking foot, use it!  It is a great guide--not only for perfect edge stitching on your binding but also for stitch in the ditch on your quilt top.You may have one for your sewing machine.  I don't have an even feed system, so I need my walking foot. With an even feed, I don't think it matters and regular machine foot may work.  I have also seen some use a lapseam foot.

While I no longer fear binding, I still have more work to do to perfect my technique to have perfect, even binding and stitching front and back.

Here are some Pics

 After you have overlappped your binding, cut it a wee bit short, and have two 90 degree cuts (square ends), you are ready to miter. 

Below is the right hand side of the binding.   It is opened up, and I pressed the crease out of it.

Here is the hard right turn.  This is the position that it must be in when you miter.  Remember your quilt is closest to you.  Your binding is away from you.

Now lay your opened up left strip, right side up, on top of the right hand side.  Here they are stacked up on my cutting board.  I put a pin in it to hold it for the camera.

 

Okay, now I'm going to show you how to do a mitered cut.  Don't worry.  It will be perfect so long as you measured correctly, and you have oriented your pieces.  I've shown you how to do that. I normally use my folded corner ruler, but I wanted to show you how you can use a triangle ruler.

Notice the following.  The purpose of mitering is to have the seam allowance accounted for.  Accordingly, the 1/4" line must be going through the corner.  YOu will have a 1/4" jog above the bottom, and a 1/4" jog at the top (see the dashed yellow line and the side of the ruler.

Now let's glue baste our seam.  I've put some glue drops on the left mitered binding end.

Now grab the right end, and rotate COUNTERCLOCKWISE which will land the mitered side, right sides together perfectly aligned with the left side above.  Heat set with your iron.  You could also pin, but I don't like pins, and this way is more secure. The joined edges are below (glued).

 

 

Sew a perfect 1/4"

I attach to the back and fold over to the front.  I do a perfect(ish) edge stitch with the help of my edgestitch sole plate for my walking foot shown here.Take your time...one stitch at a time as if you were hand sewing but making perfect hand speed stitches with your machine.

You will NEVER  have to tuck and sew again. 

About the seam treatment.  My preference is to sew to one side.  It does not make it bulky and stays strong. (I do with all binder joins).