How To Machine Bind
#11
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Southern Indiana
Posts: 3,111
I cut 2-1/2" strips and sew together diaganolly.
I sew to the back first.
I don't iron (maybe I should try that sometime???)
I fold over to the front.
The final sewing is my biggest problem - because I sew in the ditch on the back of the quilt and I want to make sure I catch the front binding. What I do is I lay the quilt out on the floor. Then I fold back and pin in the ditch. I put my pin in the ditch where I intend to sew - all of the while I am pinning I flip back to be sure that I am catching the back. Then I sew slowly on the back in the ditch checking very often that things are lining up. I use a straight stitch.. I have thought about trying a decorative but not yet.
Doing it this way I am please with the outcome - its not perfect but I can live with it. I only give I don't show.
I sew to the back first.
I don't iron (maybe I should try that sometime???)
I fold over to the front.
The final sewing is my biggest problem - because I sew in the ditch on the back of the quilt and I want to make sure I catch the front binding. What I do is I lay the quilt out on the floor. Then I fold back and pin in the ditch. I put my pin in the ditch where I intend to sew - all of the while I am pinning I flip back to be sure that I am catching the back. Then I sew slowly on the back in the ditch checking very often that things are lining up. I use a straight stitch.. I have thought about trying a decorative but not yet.
Doing it this way I am please with the outcome - its not perfect but I can live with it. I only give I don't show.
#12
Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: South Texas
Posts: 40
I cut binding 2.5". After ironing in half, sew to the front. Miter corners as I go. Then I use Sharon schamber's glue basting method,running a thin glue bead on the seam and ironing the binding down as I go. I then stitch in the ditch on the front. Have had really good results using this method. Seems like it took a long time until I compare how long it takes to stitch by hand. By the way when sewing the binding on I move the needle to between 3/8 and 1/4 position, when I stitch in the ditch I move back to 1/4 and it almost always catches evenly on the back.
#13
I always machine sew my bindings. Last night I tried the blind hem stitch. I need more practice. LOL I have also just learned that when I get to 1/4" of the corner, before I fold the binding for the miter, to sew diagonally off the corner. Then conftinue on as before. I love it and my corners tiurn out better.
#15
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 41,539
If I am going to machine sew my binding, I do the Quick Machine Binding with flange method posted by Charisma. I match the thread colour when I stitch on the flange to the backing fabric so it hardly shows.
I wish there was a way to machine sew the binding on the front, flip the binding to the back and then straight stitch in the ditch from the front BUT when I try, I always end up with a less then perfect result on the back.
I wish there was a way to machine sew the binding on the front, flip the binding to the back and then straight stitch in the ditch from the front BUT when I try, I always end up with a less then perfect result on the back.
#16
Power Poster
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Michigan
Posts: 11,276
When you fold the binding over (either side) do you align the edge to:
4. or wherever it lands on the other side (the back).
How do you align if your seam in stitching binding on is not consistently even.
I use a walking foot for the whole process. My (Viking) foot has several snap on bases. I use the 1/4" to attach the binding. I've been sewing for over 50 years and I'm pretty consistent in attaching it to the front at a quarter inch. I use the SITD base to attach it from the front, again the front is very consistent both in stitching and in the width of the binding. If there is a discrepancy, it's on the back where the width might vary a bit, but it's always caught in the stitching. I would say the stitching is between 1/16" to 3/16" from the loose edge, but is usually around 1/8".
Several of the above comments said "I don't enter my quilts in competition so it is ok with me". What exactly do mean by this. Do you have a different standard of quality if the quilt is entered in a show and one made for charity.
While I admire and applaud those who enter quilts in competition or in shows, it's not my thing. I sometimes post them here or bring them as a show and tell to my quilt group, but other than that I don't do anything else. I make quilts for my home, as gifts, and for charity and use the same level of quality for each. Sometimes I make a quilt intending it for a gift and it winds up going to charity and vice versa.
If I were to make a quilt for competition, the only thing I would do differently is hand finish the binding, and only because I have read time and again that this is one of the areas that the judges look closely at.
Although I know that quilts have been made and used for hundreds of years with hand sewn binding and have lasted just fine, I think that machine sewn is stronger.
4. or wherever it lands on the other side (the back).
How do you align if your seam in stitching binding on is not consistently even.
I use a walking foot for the whole process. My (Viking) foot has several snap on bases. I use the 1/4" to attach the binding. I've been sewing for over 50 years and I'm pretty consistent in attaching it to the front at a quarter inch. I use the SITD base to attach it from the front, again the front is very consistent both in stitching and in the width of the binding. If there is a discrepancy, it's on the back where the width might vary a bit, but it's always caught in the stitching. I would say the stitching is between 1/16" to 3/16" from the loose edge, but is usually around 1/8".
Several of the above comments said "I don't enter my quilts in competition so it is ok with me". What exactly do mean by this. Do you have a different standard of quality if the quilt is entered in a show and one made for charity.
While I admire and applaud those who enter quilts in competition or in shows, it's not my thing. I sometimes post them here or bring them as a show and tell to my quilt group, but other than that I don't do anything else. I make quilts for my home, as gifts, and for charity and use the same level of quality for each. Sometimes I make a quilt intending it for a gift and it winds up going to charity and vice versa.
If I were to make a quilt for competition, the only thing I would do differently is hand finish the binding, and only because I have read time and again that this is one of the areas that the judges look closely at.
Although I know that quilts have been made and used for hundreds of years with hand sewn binding and have lasted just fine, I think that machine sewn is stronger.
#17
Super Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Illinois
Posts: 9,312
I cut 2 1/4 inch binding. I fold in half , then press. It make no special adjustment if I am sewing the binding to the front or back first. I use my 1/4 inch foot to attach the binding. Once the first part of the binding is applied I , use 1/4 inch rolls of fusible to go around the entire perimeter of the binding edge, applying the fusible in between the stitching line and the raw edges. I then press the entire binding into place, going past the first stitching line by approx. 2 threads. Then I do the final stitching... this is the only part that changes depending on if I stitched to the front or back in the first application of the binding. If I stitched to the back first and the binding is now brought to the front. .. I stitch on the font side within a thread of the binding edge. If I stitched to the front and the binding was brought to the back... I will stitch an the front side using a stitch in the ditch foot for the final stitching, sometimes using invisible thread sometimes regular thread depending on the quilt. I find using the fusible give much better results than glue and everything is exactly where it needs to be before that last round of stitching. The only pins I may use are 4 at each corner miter... but sometimes just a 1/4 inch square of fusible will hold that miter in place till its sewn... I hate lots of pins when binding.. and have enough just working with the volume of the quilt... so I make it as easy as possible one I get to the machine for that last round of sewing on the binding. I can bind a whole queen quilt in less than an evening. Then its on to the next quilt.
#18
I have a Juki 2000 machine and a binding attachment. I love my binder attachment. It sews the binding in one pass. I did a video tutorial on my youtube channel.
You can use a binding attachment if your machine has the screw holes in the bed. There should be two screw holes to the right of your needle plate. If you got that, you can get a binding attachment.
There is a learning curve though. I put a lot of my tips in the video now that I can do it pretty well
I used to do the sew, flip, glue, sew method and that works nicely too.
You can use a binding attachment if your machine has the screw holes in the bed. There should be two screw holes to the right of your needle plate. If you got that, you can get a binding attachment.
There is a learning curve though. I put a lot of my tips in the video now that I can do it pretty well
I used to do the sew, flip, glue, sew method and that works nicely too.
#19
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Glenmoore, PA
Posts: 7,941
I make mostly charity quilts, so I usually just fold the back to the front. The nice thing about doing it this way is that you don't have to worry about whether you are catching your decorative stitching in the foldover. I cut the excess fabric so I have one inch, fold that in half, then I miter the corners by machine stitching that corner. I have one of those cool green miter templates that works well for me. After I have stitched the miter, I trim, turn it and press a nice half inch fold all around. If you press it well, you don't need pins or a glue stick. I also think it is very important to use a walking foot. The stitch I use most of the time is the blanket stitch, and try to have the thread match as closely as possible to the front and back fabrics. This makes the stitching almost invisible.
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