feffertim

Wow, I didn't mean to stir up so many negative comments with my post, I just wanted to post an option that worked for me. I also enjoy hand sewing in the evening while watching TV, but right now (and obviously far into the future) I am working on a hexie quilt which takes up all my hand sewing time, so I like having another option for sewing my binding down.

My time

I've used my walking foot, and my stiletto, and a decorative stitch with great results using this method. Why do you need a special foot?

Most of my bindings I sew on by hand. I find it relaxing and it's my last close encounter with my quilt before I give it away.

SusanSusan33

I agree- it's how you deliver a message that can make it hurtful. SweatyPies note was rude IMO.

I gifted 4 tshirt quilts of my XH's who died at 52 from panceratic cancer. He left 4 young ones griefing including our 13 year old twins....

All my bindings were done by machine due to my arthritis and carpal tunnel. His daughter told me the quilt was "the nicest gift she was ever given. " Funny how she didn't seem to think it lost value that the binding wasn't done by hand. It was a piece of her Dad that I gave her and that was priceless to her and her siblings. I'm blessed she's not part of the "Quilt Police".

Tudey

The very thing I was going to say!

SueSew

I enjoy the peace and relaxation of hand sewing - but life is short and right now I have a deadline for getting a quilt to a new baby and I am experimenting with new ways to machine-bind that will look as good as my hand-binding.

So, thank you all for these great suggestions!!! Right now my fave is Charismah's tute on the flange which hides the SID, but the flange makes the quilt edges very stiff.

And If Sweaty (sweetie she aint!) Pie wants to lord it over those who 'don't care enough' to hand-bind, I hope that the air doesn't get too thin for her up there as she looks down at the rest of us from her seat of judgement while we are going our merry way to create quilts as we see fit. LOL

misseva

I really like hand sewing my bindings- but my hands don't so much. I can still do it but have to take frequent breaks. My machine stitched bindings are not very pretty & neat so guess I must practice to get better.

wendiq

I find the tactile experience of hand sewing the binding to be quite fulfilling, but sometimes not strong enough. On charity quilts or kid's quilts that I know will get a lot of washing, I machine sew them down from front to back. It seems to work just fine.......I do them this way for my granddaughters.....

Shelbie

I have always wondered why it was "expected" that "real" quilts would have the binding stitched by hand. For most of us, everything on a quilt is done by machine. Why all of a sudden at the finish line, are we suppose to hand stitch? I am quite capable of handstitching, I have the skills and the physical ability to do so but it just has never made sense to me. No one that I have ever gifted a quilt to has ever even mentioned the binding. It would take several hours to handstitch the binding on a king sized quilt, it wouldn't be as strong and no one on my list of quilt receivers would even notice or care so I'm not doing it! I'd rather use that extra time to start a new quilt.

blondeslave

Hey, my dad doesn't believe it's a real quilt unless it's hand quilted. I just laugh and do my own thing anyway. If I had to handquilt in addition to piecing etc. I'd never have enough time to get anything finished. Do I think handquilting is beautiful? Absolutely, I hardly have the time to piece let alone hand finish anything. Do what makes you happy.

Daleen

Like others, I enjoy the handwork of sewing the binding on but I also do machine sewing of the binding too (charity quilts).