I may be re-inventing the wheel here, but... VBG Recently, we had several threads about applying bindings without hand sewing one side of the binding in place. I have been trying to think up a method for this. Here's what I came up with:
Make your quilt top, sandwich it, quilt the thing, trim the backing and batting, square up the corners, straighten the sides, etc. just like you always do. (*IF* your corners are square and your sides are straight after quilting the thing and you like the "plump" binding look, you could leave the batting 1/4 in. to 1/2 in. larger than the quilt to "fill up" your binding.) Make your double (folded) binding- bias, crosswise or lengthwise grain as you prefer. Line up the raw edges of the double binding to the raw edge of the backing side of the quilt with the folded edge towards the center of the quilt- as usual. Sew/baste the binding to the backing side of the quilt with a very accurate and straight 1/4 in. seam allowance using a water soluble thread in the bobbin and regular thread on top of your sewing machine- I'd suggest using a walking foot- as usual. Miter the corners and attached the ends of the binding together with your preferred method.
Then turn the quilt over to the front side. Start in the middle of one long side and turn the folded edge of the binding over the quilt edge so that it just barely covers the stitching/basting line. I wouldn't pin it since the pinning can cause some distortion- well, maybe very carefully pin the miters in the corners. Using your preferred, regular thread in the bobbin and top of your sewing machine, sew a straight or fancy stitch about 1/8 in. (or less???) from the folded edge. You should be able to catch both top and bottom sides of the binding evenly in the stitches. Dissolve the water soluble thread and then both sides of the binding will have a tiny bit of loose edge- the 1/8 in. from the edge where you did the stitching from the top side- and both sides should look exactly the same.... in theory!
Do you think this would achieve a neat, even binding on both sides without any hand sewing? Comments?
Leslie (with gnarled arthritic hands- hand sewing is very difficult for me) & The Furbabies in MO.
PS: Don't forget my little binding tip for fixing *slightly* wavy edges on your quilt. Make a double crosswise grain cut binding. Lay your quilt out flat. Use pins to mark any *slight* waves or wobbles- pin it where the wobble starts and where it ends. In those areas only- slightly stretch the crosswise cut binding to gather up the quilt's edge just a teensy bit. When the binding returns to it's original length the quilt edge should lay flat... or at least flatter than it was to begin with. This will NOT work on large waves or bumps, but it can really help with little boo-boos! You're welcome!