Filled binding on a baby quilt

Help! I am in the process of making four charity baby quilts. All four are pieced and quilted but I sure made a mess of the corners when I sewed the satin binding on the first quilt.

I want a 2" wide double fold satin binding filled with the quilt sandwich. I cut the satin 5" wide and sewed the cut edges of the satin strip together with a 1/2" seam and then attached this to my quilt 2" from the edge of the quilt. At the corners I stopped 2-1/2" from the corner, folded the binding up and back down and continued sewing down the other side of the quilt.

When it came time to fold the binding over to the other side of the quilt, I found it impossible to get the mitered corner on either side of the quilt. I finally pulled and tugged enough to get the material sewn down but it really is a mess.

This is the first time I have attached a binding off the edge (2") of the quilt. What did I do wrong? Is there a better alternative to the mitered corner for attaching a wide filled binding to my remaining three quilts?

Jerry in North Alabama

Reply to
MaleQuilter
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*IF* it were me, I'd take a dinner plate and use it to round the corners. Then use a bias cut binding or even a cross-grain cut binding and you can scootch right around those rounded "corners". That's the cowardly way, but if it works..... VBG

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

Reply to
Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

It's been a long work day for me, so I'm not sure I follow what you did. But then counting to five even using my fingers is a challenge right now. :)

Here's a couple of good binding lessons, complete with pictures:

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On the last one, you'll find a method that's popular with a lot of new quilters that doesn't involve mitering the corners.

HTH!

Reply to
Kathy Applebaum

Oh my, Jerry. How you would have laughed to see me trying to visualize what you are trying to do. The 'get 2" in from the edge and miter a corner' simply baffles me. If that's possible I can't figure out how it might be accomplished. I put satin binding on fleece or minkee blankets often but I use 'real' blanket binding that has a finished edge. Try this. Press under the ½" edge of both sides of your satin strip. I'm assuming that you've already pressed the strip in half lengthwise. Sort of open up the binding and slip the edge of the quilt into it so that the edge of the quilt is butting up against the middle crease of the satin. This way, you can stitch both the top and bottom edges at the same time. Are you still with me? Pin lots. When you come to a corner, fiddle with the miter until it looks okay on top and bottom and proceed on. Continue to pin lots. When done, stitch with something fancy or a plain old wide zig-zag. Use your needle-down option if you have one. That's how I do mine. It looks nice. Not award-winning exquisite but nice. If one slippery corner slides when I'm stitching, I just do some blind-stitching to neaten any oops. Perfection is not required. Baby will love rubbing the binding and chewing on it. Polly

Reply to
Polly Esther

When you got to the corner and folded the binding up and back down, where was the edge of the fold? It should have been all the way up to the edge of the quilt before folding back down to allow for enough fabric in the corner to make a nice miter.

Julia > Help! I am in the process of making four charity baby quilts. All

Reply to
Julia in MN

Reply to
Polly Esther

OK. I've now read this several times, Jerry! and think I have a clue as to what might have gone wrong. In the first place, I think 5" might have been a little narrow. You are making a 2" binding, and you are matching raw edges so you will be 'down 2" from the edges, back up again 2" and over the back 2". Depending on the thickness of the quilt sandwich, you will need to add an eighth or a quarter on top of the 6". Start the sewing half was along one side, leaving about 6 or 8 inches loose for joining at the end. When you are sewing the binding on, you should go down one side and stop before the other edge, as you did, but you should stop the exact width of the binding - so, 2" (rather than 2.5"). At this point, it would be a very good idea, since you have such a wide binding, to actually sew along the 45° line from that stopping point to the corner of the 'binding-on-top-of-sandwich' - you can eyeball it easily. Then fold back along that line (which I even use when doing a quarter inch seam!), so you have a precise 45° fold, then fold back down, making sure the turning back fold runs along the edge of the sandwich just sewn. Make sure the loose piece of binding next to be attached is also running exactly along the edge of the side next to receive the binding. Begin stitching just after that 45° fold - which you can feel and mark with a finger nail.

HTH

In message , MaleQuilter writes

Reply to
Patti

On Mar 24, 5:03 pm, "MaleQuilter" wrote: ...

I think that the others have described what probably caused your problem. I just want to mention that there is a very nice on-line video that talks about applying binding by machine at:

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Look for "Binding Tips from Elisa Wilson. Bev in TX

Reply to
countryone77

Oops! I've just realised you want a double fold. It'll have to be even wider to start. And, you have to match the raw edges of the binding and the quilt. You can't just use a half inch seam 2" away from the edge - at least I don't think you can! . In message , Patti writes

Reply to
Patti

If you had a 5" wide double fold binding strip, then you must have cut it

10" before folding in half? (Drat, wish I could just look over your shoulder!) I've done lots of odd bindings, some very wide to cover up a shortfall in backing fabric. I always stop the width of a seam allowance from the edge of the *quilt top* regardless of how much backing/batting sticks out. And fold back and down etc, and it always works. Even works on odd angles, like the hexagonal tree skirt. So I never tried to analyze.

What you might try, off the top of my head, is to sew your satin into a tube (got a Fasturn gadget?) Press the tube flat so the seam allowance falls somewhere besides the middle, fold this in half lengthwise and press some more. You will have created a double-face satin binding with no raw edges, sort of like the ready-made blanket binding only better. With careful and judicious pressing, you can make the back edge stick out a teensy bit under the front edge. Pin over the raw edge of the quilt, shaping nice sharp miters when you get to corners, and top stitch. You could even top stitch with a zigzag if you're worried about catching the back. I would then slip stitch all the miter folds closed, since it's so wide. Roberta in D

"MaleQuilter" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@b75g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...

Reply to
Roberta Zollner

I can't see any reason why you couldn't other than it would be a little tricky to do as you've got two measurements to keep right as you sew it. I think the main reason we usually do edge of binding to edge of quilt is because it it similar to what you would do as a seam allowance anyway.

Anne

Reply to
Anne Rogers

I had always been told that this wasn't possible, but that you had to sew edge to edge. I had made a mess of one quilt's binding by doing one the way Jerry described, so that I was ready enough to believe it, and have done so ever since. You sounded so sure that it *could* be done that I have just tried it - only pinning, but close enough. And, I agree, it does look as though it will work (I didn't have enough width in my quick experiment to go all the way to the 2" at the back - but the front look just fine). When I next get my sewing machine 'out', I'll try cutting a wider strip and sewing it, to see. It does open up more possibilities that's for sure. . In message , Anne Rogers writes

Reply to
Patti

Reply to
Pat in Virginia

Thanks PAT. I just had a look in my Marge Edie book, and found her directions. So, I can forget what I was taught! and do my binding any width I like, without using as much fabric as I had expected. Anne was quite right. Pity I can't always remember what is included in each of my books! . In message , Pat in Virginia writes

Reply to
Patti

Which Marge Edie book has that information? I know I have one of her books.

Reply to
KJ

Mine is Bargello Quilts. PAT said it was in both I think. In mine it is on pp 23 and 24. . In message , KJ writes

Reply to
Patti

Thanks Pat! That's the one I have. I'll have to check it out and file the info in my memory banks. OK! Quit laughing....sometimes I remember stuff.

Reply to
KJ

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