The Ties That Bind

Pile-O-Binding

That's right, let's talk about binding.....


After the quilt top has been pieced and completed...
After the backing has been prepared...
After the "sandwich" has been made.... (hold the mayo)
After the quilting has been done (by you or someone else)....
The next-to-the-last step is the binding.

(The very last step is the label.  That is a subject for another time.)










WHAT is the binding?  That nice, finished edge.

Miss Mary, one of my quilting buddies, called me today.  She is fairly new to quilting.  She was asking me about binding....how wide to cut the strips, how do you know how much fabric you need, etc.  So here we go.

Binding Methods:  Determine what kind of binding you want.

There are two camps on binding:  Method one, the RIGHT way and Method two, the FAST way.

Method 1: Attaching the binding completely by hand.  This is the quilter-purist-preferred method.  My quilting-buddy, Auntie would turn over in her grave if she knew I did not attach all my bindings using this method.

Prepare your binding.  Sew the binding to the front side of the quilt, flip to the back and hand stitch the back side down (sitting in front of the TV  with a glass of wine watching some Hallmark movie...because everyone always lives happily every after.)  Watch this good video by  Melanie Kahm.

I use this method for most bed quilts.  I must admit, it is prettier and there is just something more loving about hand stitching your binding. Think of the bragging rights!  "I slaved over a hot needle for 6 hours attaching that binding!"

Method 2:  The Flange Method.  Here is one of the best tutorials I've seen using this method from Quilt Social.com.
The quilt in the picture above is bound using this method.  See the tiny green flange?  This method is fast and I like the look.  I use this method for baby quilts and wall hangings.

But for every positive there is a negative.  For me the negative is you can see the stitching on the back side.  Also, you need to be very careful about your stitching on the front of the quilt, keeping it even and as close to the ditch  as you can.

How Much Fabric: To determine how much fabric you need for the binding (or for the borders, or for the backing)  I love  the website Quilters Paradise to calculate my borders, my backing and my binding.

There are a number of calculators on this site that I find really easy to use, even from my cell phone because don't-you-know I will have forgotten to take my measurements and write it all down BEFORE I went to the Quilt Shop. Just plug in the numbers and away you go.

 

Binding tools:  As a quilter you have most likely already discovered you can spend a TON of money on lots of  rulers, markers and other gadgets.  One that I purchased at a quilt show but could NEVER get to work for me was the Binding Tool Ruler.

I watched video after video on YouTube, but I just don't get it.  If it helps you and if you can get it to work for you (and it does for many) then I say go for it.  I don't feel to bad though, Jenny Doan has a couple tutorials on YouTube for some pretty awesome quilts using this ruler:  Geese in Motion Quilt and the Binding Tool Star Quilt.