Binding

maybe i dont even need to make one, just follow the instructions, adjust with a ruler to the right points and sew away. then i get the size binding specific for each project, sometimes bigger, sometimes smaller, than the 3/8" made with the 2 inch strips she cut. must go rewatch that video again to be sure i didnt miss anything. how come this never dawned on me til there is a costly gadget to buy. (rhetorical) iir here, j.

"J*" wrote ... found this binding tool called the binding thingy.

here is the link to see it, sorry retail site i ran across, not trying to sell anything.

The 2-inch binding seems a little narrow to me, but it seems to work for her just fine. All in all, applying binding with the tool seems a little too much work to my mind, but then I've had pretty good luck with my current way of doing it. And for the time being, if it ain't broke, I'm not going to fix it! I can see, though, if binding and mitered corners aren't your cup of tea and you haven't been successful with them using other methods, this would certainly be worth a try.

For me, the best binding tools are plenty of time and a few good movies. I've agreed to bind a quilt for a neighbor. Bless her, she installed all the stuff on my computer for me and I owe her big time. She tried to bind her quilt it buts tells me it's a disaster. The pure truth - I'm afraid to look. Polly

/watch?v=3DTCHoM6lPwpU

Thanks for the video link. I think I have one of these tools (or one just like it) but I had no idea how to use it. I may give it a try. I like narrow bindings, so I wouldn't mind cutting 2". I've been cutting them smaller recently. I'm down to 2 1/8. For those of you who cut them wider.....do you take a wider seam allowance when sewing them on? Otherwise the extra is all on the back anyway. K

maths in my brain as i read that, Kathyl, was that your extra 1/8" bigger than cut for that video would allow for the bulk of the batting and fabric within the seam finishes up with about the same 3/8" on each side. oops, i didnt allow for that when i was thinking about the 2" cut, hmmmm. more thunk'n for me i think. i think my brain is in reverse today, too much rain here the past couple of days, i must be soggy. then again, a bigger quilt might look better with a bigger binding, likewise smaller quilt, smaller binding. hmmmmm. j.

"KJ" wrote ... Thanks for the video l> found this binding tool called the binding thingy.

i'd just not seen that method of eliminating the need to hand stitch the mitre closed. seemed a good thing for me to see the video. having seen and thot about it somemore, i dont think ya need a tool, just some common sense and a regular ruler should do the trick nicely. j.

"Louise in Iowa" wrote ... The 2-inch binding seems a little narrow to me, but it seems to work for her just fine. All in all, applying binding with the tool seems a little too much work to my mind, but then I've had pretty good luck with my current way of doing it. And for the time being, if it ain't broke, I'm not going to fix it! I can see, though, if binding and mitered corners aren't your cup of tea and you haven't been successful with them using other methods, this would certainly be worth a try.

Interesting method, I may even try it sometime.

The presenter should be congratulated for her clarity of presentation. She could be heard and her method could be seen. I watched one of the other Ytube demos by someone else and I could neither hear - the presenter appeared to be talking to herself - or see - fingers got in the way every time, but Mrs Bindingtool - well done!

Sally at the Seaside~~~~~~~~~~~~~uk

J* wrote:

I am going to try it with a wider strip as I think the binding is too small but the technique should work just the same. Will get back to the ng. I made myself one of these thingies. I am hopeless at mitred corners. Maybe I should practice first on a small block.

I cut 2.5" strips, fold in half so the edges are a couple of threads from matching (then I know exactly what the underneath side of the strip is up to while stitching). Attach to the top of the quilt with a quarter-inch seam. Then trim off backing and batting a half inch from the stitching line. And a cut off the tips at each corner. Makes a nice plump binding about a half inch wide.

I th>

The 2-inch binding seems a little narrow to me, but it seems to work for her just fine. All in all, applying binding with the tool seems a little too much work to my mind, but then I've had pretty good luck with my current way of doing it. And for the time being, if it ain't broke, I'm not going to fix it! I can see, though, if binding and mitered corners aren't your cup of tea and you haven't been successful with them using other methods, this would certainly be worth a try.

I generally cut mine about 2 1/4 inches. I still use a 1/4 inch seam allowance when sewing it on, but I do end up with just a bit more of the binding on the back than on the front as I try to keep it filled with batting. I can tell, because when I sew it to the back by hand and the needle goes all the way through to the front by accident, it's about 1/16 inch above where the binding it attached to the quilt on the front!

I do like the fact that you don't have to hand stitch the miter - it can be a pain trying to sew them together by hand, especially when I don't measure correctly and end up with a seam right at the corner (that hadn't happened to me in 29 years of quilting, but in the past year, it's happened twice!). I practiced saying some new words the last time it happened.

I think the reason she uses a 2" strip is because she's only doing single-fold binding, rather than the double-fold I prefer. I can't think why single-fold wouldn't be fine on many quilts, but I still prefer a double-fold binding.

Assuming you have enough excess binding, when you see that happening, you can open the offending binding seam (or cut it off) and resew so that the seam will fall before the corner.

Julia > I do like the fact that you don't have to hand stitch the miter - it can be

I agree that it looks like more work than hand-stitching the miters down. But you have to do what works for you. Actually I seldom stitch the miters because I usually stitch my binding completely by machine. I'm not making them to be judged, so I don't worry about it. After all, there are no quilt police.

Julia > I cut 2.5" strips, fold in half so the edges are a couple of threads

Now why didn't I think of that? Duh!

Do you know, Julia, that in all the time I have been doing continuous mitred binding, and the seam has come too close to a corner, I have never thought of 're-shaping' it. I sometimes wonder about me.... (shaking my head in bewilderment >gAssuming you have enough excess binding, when you see that happening,

I can't really take credit for it; it was a suggestion in a class I took. I'm not sure I'd have thought of it myself either.

Julia > Now why didn't I think of that? Duh!