hobbykat1955

Advise needed on sq'ing and borders...Some of my quilts with borders are sq but after I sew binding on...one side machine and other hand sewn and I hang I have waves on borders and doesn't hang right. So annoying! Doesn't happen w/all and can't figure out why on some.
What am I doing wrong...I do a standard 2 1/2 binding and sew it on with walking foot...I think what makes it worse is I'm hanging them off the wall with a reg curtain rod...probably wouldn't be as noticeably against the wall. Any hints as to how to get a perfect fall on a hanging quilt...

EasyPeezy

Had this happen to me on most of my wall-hangings until I started blocking them.
It may sound like a lot of work but it's not and it's totally worth it.

Melanie Rudy

Are you measuring at the center of your quilt from side to side / top to bottom for your border measurements? Squaring the borders will help the edges to hang right. I have a tutorial on my blog for this.

Tartan

If you sewed on the biding with a walking foot, it should be at the right tension. There might have been a little wave in the borders that can show up after binding. I have found that the Quick Machine binding with flange seems to help in controlling waves. The extra seams in the binding make for a firmer edge. You might try the machine binding in a wall hanging and see if you like it for a flatter look.

For now, I might use a needle with invisible thread and run a little length of almost a gathering stitch where the waves are. If you put a good knot on each end it will pull the edge in enough to take the wave in but not enough to look like its gathered if you do it from the back.

QuiltnLady1

In addition to measuring the middle of the quilt to get the length of the borders, Marti Michell suggests that you may want to FMQ the quilt before adding borders. In addition you should cut your borders on the straight grain (parallel to the selvage) rather than cross grain (WOF) especially when the piece is going to hang. Before I add the borders, I make sure my sides are exactly the same length.

francie yuhas

I make a lot of wall hangings. The sides are less wavy if I use a single fold binding. They don't get much wear,so a double fold binding isn't really needed INHO.

Watson

Are you still able to miter the corners if you use a single fold?
I'm having trouble imagining that.

Watson

Prism99

Blocking should help. I like this tutorial on how to block a quilt:
http://fabricbias.com/2008/11/quilt-...hort-tutorial/

Geri B

....good hints given, and maybe while you are machine sewing that binding on you are tugging a bit, thus putting some stretch in it and the border....just a thought

janRN

I also use single fold bindings on wall hangings and mini quilts. They seem to lay flatter and hang straighter. And yes, Watson, the corners are still mitred so they look the same as a double fold binding except flat and smooth.