Question about trimming before adding binding

Reply Subscribe

Page 9 of 9

« First

Thread Tools

10-06-2011, 06:19 PM

#81

Rusty's Mama

Senior Member

Join Date: May 2010

Location: Orig from PA; now living in EA WA

Posts: 778

I trim the edges, too. I don't enter in quilt shows so I'm not worried about being judged. I quilt for my pleasure and for charity!

10-07-2011, 03:59 AM

#82

Olivia's Grammy

Super Member

Join Date: Oct 2009

Location: Fayetteville, GA

Posts: 2,879

I had a woman tell me she washed her quilts before adding the binding. Has anyone tried this? I would be afraid that the edges would ravel. I was so surprised at her method that I didn't ask any questions.

10-07-2011, 08:09 AM

#83

Joan Gaddis

Senior Member

Join Date: Sep 2010

Location: Jasper, Georgia

Posts: 825

i trim and leave enough to fill my binding

10-07-2011, 09:16 AM

#84

kristakz

Super Member

Join Date: Oct 2011

Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Posts: 1,111

I'm amazed at how many people trim first. The couple of times I did that, my backing all bunched up on me when I attached the binding. So I leave it untrimmed (I always square my top before quilting), attach the binding 1/4" from the raw edge of the top,and then trim all the backing/batting to that same 1/4".

Like some others, I do double-fold binding. Cut 2.5", fold in half, attach on the right side of the quilt with a 1/4" seam. And then fold to the back and blindstitch by hand.

10-09-2011, 09:06 AM

#85

roxie623

Senior Member

Join Date: Jul 2010

Location: TN

Posts: 528

Quote:

Originally Posted by auntpiggylpn

You should leave at least a 1/4" of the batting sticking out from the top. This will help "stuff" the binding and make it firmer. Judges at quilt shows will look for a nice stuffed binding. Plus, if you don't have have your binding stuffed, it will fold in half and then it will start to wear along the edge and split, especially if it is washed a lot. Many antique quilts have split bindings just because they didn't fill the binding enough and they were used and washed a lot.

I do the same thing. I think the binding comes out much better if "stuffed" a littel.

10-10-2011, 05:31 AM

#86

ScrappyAZ

Senior Member

Join Date: Mar 2011

Location: Sun City, AZ

Posts: 400

Quote:

Originally Posted by kristakz

I never had a problem with trimming before binding until my last two projects. Perhaps I had problems with the backing bunching up because I did some hand quilting after trimming. To eliminte the bunching problem, one of my more experienced quilting friends told me I should always leave a few inches of batting and backing to give the quilt more "give". It's frustrating to work so hard on a quilt only to have problems at the very end.