Binding Survey

personally *if* I sent a quilt out to be bound (not that I personally would) I would want it sewn to the front by machine and hand sewn to the back as this is what I do myself and prefer.

Not me. Binding goes quickly, even if I have to hand stitch the back. Roberta in D

"MissyPooh" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

Binding is a service that we offer where I work. Not sure of the=20 price, but I'll check today when I go in. Not a lot of quilters=20 choose to have it done, but some do. Some also have us sew their quilt=20 backs together. Just depends.

joan

rvice. =A0Machine stitched

wondering how many would pay

ing to pay for such a

ding fabric and the thread,

ding with mitered corners.

Some of the longarmers around here also offer to bind your quilt; I don't know how many people actually have the quilter do the binding. You might want to offer 3 levels of binding service at 3 different prices:

1. Sew the binding on to the top of the quilt by machine. Customer finishes the back of the binding.
2. Completely finish the binding by machine.
3. Sew the binding to the top of the quilt by machine and hand-finish the back.

One price list that I have seen that includes binding is this one: I assume that is for hand-finished binding with the customer supplying the fabric.

Julia > I'm a quilter and have been considering starting a home based quilting

service. Machine stitched

wondering how many would pay

to pay for such a

fabric and the thread,

with mitered corners.

I agree with every single word Jessamy said................. :)

That's how I do mine. There's something rewarding about doing the binding by hand. Sort of the feel that the quilt is coming to a closure. I just finished the binding on a queen size quilt last night. What a great feeling!

Howdy!

Yeah, what Roberta says.

And when I quilt a top for a client I include the binding, returning a Finished quilt.

Ragmop/Sandy--watching the recent discussions about binding and hoping that quilters will do the best job they can on the binding and the rest of the quilt, not just the fastest or sloppiest-- I trust these quilters -- and thanks, again, to Rita for her fabulous instructions on bias binding

The 3 options are a good idea. I didn't think anyone would bother to have the binding attached to just one side commercially and leaving the back undone, but after reading the other threads, it appears that some people do have problems with making continuous binding strips. (Luckly I must have a knack for making them, as I usually get them right the first time).

I didn't consider sewing the back down by hand as I take very tiny stitches and it could take me an entire day to hand stitch a queen size quilt. So even if I charged less than minimum wage, it would not be very cost effective for the owner or profitable for me.

Machine stitching the entire binding is what I was considering (buying a special machine to do both front and back at the same time with a straight seam). I would also include hand stitching the miter corners and also hand stitching down the ending.

However all being said...if the price was right, would you consider pay for such a service? What would the price have to be in order for you to consider such a thing? I know that personally I like to finish my bindings by hand, but there is always one or two quilts that need to be finished in time for a mailing deadline (I'm always putting Christmas gifts off to the last minute LOL). Or else utility quilts for children that I know will be used up and don't need the heirloom finishing.

I was thinking of an introductory price around $17 for all quilt sizes, probably for the first 3-6 months of business until I could establish an average of how much time it takes by quilt size. This could bring the price down for smaller quilts and up a bit for larger ones. Any thoughts on this?

MissyPooh

service. Machine stitched

wondering how many would pay

to pay for such a

fabric and the thread,

with mitered corners.

Got some prices from The Quilt Patch in Fairvax VA. Binding quilts finished by machine $2/linear foot Binding quilts finished by hand $3/linear foot Read to finish $1.50/linear foot Prices do not include materials.

I personally wouldn't use the service, but I can understand those who do.

joan

Thanks Joan, your information has been very helpful.

MissyPooh

I still wouldn't pay for it. And my binding ends don't need hand stitching, because I join the ends at a 45-degree angle (like the rest of the binding strip joins) before attaching to the quilt. Also, even when I machine stitch the folded edge of a double fold binding, the top stitching effect only appears on the back. The stitching line on the front falls in the ditch, almost invisible. And I like the idea of a double-stitched binding. So no, I would very much dislike a machine that did it all in one swoop.

I do wish you the best of luck in starting a business, because that's hard. But what you're offering sounds inferior to what I can do myself in a short amount of time. Roberta in D

"MissyPooh" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

Missy: The only time I had this done was for a special project. I was a beginner quilter and the quilt had (still has!) EIGHT corners ... which means it has EIGHT inner angles too! I THINK I sewed the binding to front with SM, then had trouble turning it smoothly so hired it out. Maybe the binder did the whole operation, I can't remember. It probably cost about $10=-$15 .... this was nearly

20 years ago. This story po> I'm a quilter and have been considering starting a home based quilting

service. Machine stitched

wondering how many would pay

to pay for such a

fabric and the thread,

with mitered corners.

Yes, I hand stitched a DWR myself and it took considerable time. Bias binding was a must for that one, but if you are not careful, it can stretch when you do the back and you can very easily end up with a wrinkled binding.

Missy Pooh

service. Machine stitched

wondering how many would pay

to pay for such a

fabric and the thread,

with mitered corners.

I appreciate your candor. But just because it is machine stitched, does not mean it will be inferior. There are many hand quilter's who still snub their noses at machine quilting . I do both by the way.

The type of binding I am referring to is the same you would find on commercially bought place mats, pot holders, etc.

I understand that it is not something everyone would be interested in, but was hoping for feed back from those that would consider using such a service.

Also how wide do you normally like to make your binding on the AVERAGE. I was thinking 1/2" was average.

Missy Pooh

I usually see narrower binding than that. My quilts all finish with a

1/4" binding as I sew the binding on the edge of the squared up sandwich. Many, many patterns call for that size. Is it possible to offer different widths?

marcella

Yes different widths is very much possible. I'm buying one binder to start with and then will be adding different sizes. 1/4" will be next on my list and then one in between. I guess the width of the binding is one of those personal choices (and can also depend on the amount of fabric on hand for the binding, wider naturally requires more fabric). Personally I like the look of a wider binding, but had to do a narrow 1/4" bias on my DWR. Narrower is certainly better for scalloped edges.

Then again, it also depends on the size of the quilt. Larger quilts can handle a wider binding and lap quilts and wall hangings could be overwhelmed by a wide binding.

BTW, when I do a 1/2" binding (the old fashioned way), I staystitch 1/4" from the outside edge of the quilt and use that stitching line as an edge placement for the raw edge of the binding. Then stitch 1/4" inside that on the binding, resulting in 1/2" from the edge of the quilt.

Missy Pooh

I don't think all machine sewing is inferior, I just prefer an invisible join and the topstitching on the back only. My bindings usually come out about 3/8", but they would be a half inch if there were no batting and they could be pressed absolutely flat. I start with a 2.5" binding strip, folded in half lengthwise. Roberta in D

"MissyPooh" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

I agree with Roberta I too just prefer the handsewn bindings and as I always do them myself (and I too wouldn't pay for them to be done as I rather like the job) I do what I prefer