Cheating the binding

Make them the way you like. They are your quilts after all. I don't pad mine.

I don't pad mine - most of the quilts I saw last year at the big show here weren't padded either & the ones I make on commission (magazine work) are not allowed to have padding.

many times "the ladies at the quilt guild" are trying to be quilt police and make people do things their way - since there are no quilt police, do what

I've never heard of padding the binding! But I know judges like the quilt edges to completely fill the binding.

Betty in WI

I don't know that I would call it "padding" the object is not to make them look like trapunto binding ;-)

When you hold the binding between two fingers and squeeze you should fill batting all the way to the edge of the binding...not just two pieces of fabric. This often occurs when a quilter cuts a wide binding strip but then trims the quilt sandwich to only 1/4". Either cut the sandwich wider or slim down your binding strip to get a nice finished result. Done properly, you shouldn't need to add more batting to fill the binding. That should only be done to fix an error.

marcella

Just tell them you don't like that stuffed sausage look, as if the quilts were wearing life belts, and leave it at that...

I like mine to have nice flat edges too.

I don't put extra batting in, but I don't extend the binding past the batting, either. If I'm doing a binding that finishes to 1/2", I line up the raw edges of the binding with the trimmed edge of the batting, sew 1/2" in, and flip. The binding winds up a tad thicker than the quilt (because there are six extra layers of fabric). I've never had a complaint from the quilt police about it. (And if I did, I'd tell them to stuff it. *grin*)

"And if I did, I'd tell them to stuff it. "

She says with a smile when talking about "padded" bindings! Oh you are too.... too PUNNY!

Kate in MI (who was in need of a giggle!)

Glad someone got it! :)

What I meant was, the ladies were telling me that the judges at the quilt show would criticize my quilts for the flat binding. Not that I care what the guild ladies say, but I do have hopes one day of winning some kind of ribbon at a show...

Jessamy wrote:

Great nickname, Polly!

What I have is a 1/4 inch or sometimes 3/8 inch seam (sewing binding to front of quilt), and I use a 2-1/2 inch wide strip (before folding double). I don't like the look of a really skinny binding either, so I like to have at least 1/4 inch showing on the front. That usually leaves me with a binding that has top/batting/backing in it for most of its width, but it doesn't usually extend to the very edge -- maybe 1/8 inch at most is empty.

I guess I should go with a 1/2 inch seam at least. I don't want to mess up the pattern on top though.

polly esther wrote:

just keep with your nice flat bindings - not empty of anything - they will not become less of a winner for lacking a plump binding

:-)

ahh well you do need that empty bit gone - trim the batting/top back a tad less and then fold the binding over - it will work wonders ;-)

Cutting the binding strip width at 2 l/4" will work, too. That's what I always use, unless my quilt batting is thicker. (don't use fat batt much) I do know judges look for a filled binding, and also that the mitered corners are sewn, front and back. HTH Nancycog in MD

Since I'm teaching Shakespeare again, Polly, yes, I do >g< . In message , polly esther writes

What do you mean nickname? >g< . In message , redpenner writes

It isn't obligatory to have a 1/2" binding. I almost always do a quarter inch binding (except when I do an eighth - but that's another story!!). That's because I rarely used to put on a border, so I had points etc not to cut off with the binding. If you do a quarter inch binding, you won't have that empty bit. If you use borders, of course, you can do whatever width binding you like. If you go with a half inch binding, say, perhaps you could sew the seam just a smidgen over the half inch, so that the edges of the quilt really have to be squeezed into the binding. That works very well. . In message , redpenner writes

Redpennee: Those are YOUR quilts? YOU like 'em? Then, do as YOU prefer. "There are no quilt police" ... you might mention that at your guild show!!

PAT > I'm finishing a couple of quilts for our local quilt show, and I've

My guess is she is referring to "polly esther"....

Kate in MI