- Do you have a quilt that you need to bind quickly
or maybe you just don't like hand sewing your binding,
or maybe you want to fancy up your binding notch.
There are several ways that bind your quilt
with your domestic sewing machine.
So stick with me and I'll show you how to do it.
(upbeat music)
- Hi I'm Karen Brown of Just Get It Done Quilts.
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to help you make the quilt that you want to make.
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Sometimes you just don't have the time
to sew on a binding by hand
or maybe hand sewing is just not your thing
or it's way too hard on your hands,
or perhaps you just want to add a little bit of fun
to that final step.
You can solve all these issues
by using your domestic sewing machine
to put on your binding.
I have already shown you the basics,
how to make your binding, how to attach them to your quilt
and how to make nice mitered corners.
I've also talked about wide and narrow binding,
the adjustments you need to accommodate them
and making reference samples.
Today's video is building on those skills.
So if you haven't watched those videos,
take a look at them first.
I am showing you 3 different methods of machine binding,
but first, not only do you need a domestic sewing machine,
I want you to grab your binding clips a quilting glove,
and your walking foot.
(soft music)
The first step in the first method
is identical to the method shown in binding the basics.
We attach the binding to the quilt
by sewing the binding around the perimeter
of the top of the quilt.
How you start your binding, how you navigate the corners
and sew the ends together is all covered in that video.
Once the binding is on, the next step is taking our quilt
and rolling that binding over as far as it will go.
This technique is similar to the finger pressing method
we use when we iron our piecing,
you want to push all the fabric over
and not leave any slack.
And then we turn our quilt over and using our binding clips,
we overlap the seam with our box.
This is the quilt sandwich in profile,
this part is the quilt and this on top is the binding,
and we sew it on with a quarter of an inch seam.
We roll it over and it produces a ditch.
And then we wrap it around tight
and with a standard 2 and a 1/2 inch binding,
it produces a better quarter of an inch overlap.
And we'll need that overlap when we stitch in the ditch,
so grab your clips.
I let the clips do most of the work
by putting the top edge in the ditch,
and I clip the binding on the whole quilt before I start.
In the corners, I fold to the opposite side
than I did on the top
and use my 3-in-1 tool to make the corners sharp.
And if you want to make one of your own,
see my video, "10 Sewing Hacks With Templates."
Before we move on, let's talk about thread colour.
Often your binding and your quilt
will be two different colours.
The thread in your needle should match your quilt top
as closely as possible,
as we do not want the stitches to stand out.
The thread in your bobbin can be the same colour
as your binding or contrasting it whatever way you want.
Personally, in this method,
I like it when the colour matches the binding.
Some quilters prefer to use an edge foot here
but I prefer to use my walking foot
as I find it handles the multilayer better.
You can start sewing anywhere along the edge of your quilt.
Align your needle with the ditch,
this method can be challenging
the first couple of times you do it
because you're sewing blind
and you don't know if you're doing a great job
or a bad job until after the seam is sewn.
So when you stop and adjust your quilt,
take a peek on the back just to be sure
that you're seam is catching the binding.
When you approach the corners, slow down,
be sure the binding is tucked in properly
and sew right to the inner corner.
Pivot your quilt and continue.
Continue sewing until you make it brown the quilt,
and when you return to where you began,
I do a quick backstitch at the end and you're done.
And if I roll back the binding,
you can just see the stitching in the ditch.
It will take practise to sew on your binding
without this happening at least once or twice.
When that happens,
I just removed the stitches on either side
then roll the binding back over again and resew,
don't stress about it, it happens to everyone.
And I finally get to check this one off the list.
You might prefer the look of an edge ditch
instead of stitching in the ditch.
And that is made almost exactly the same way
except your needle is to the right of the seam,
and not to the left.
And if we look at that in profile,
you can see that the original stitching line
is not encased by the edge stitch.
That means that your original stitching line
will be visible on the underside of your quilt,
underneath the flap, but still visible.
(soft music)
- This is very similar to the first method,
but we start by sewing the binding to the back of the quilt,
not the top
But otherwise it's the same,
we attach it the same way, we do the corners the same way,
we end at the same way.
So in the next step, when we are rolling the binding,
its coming around the edge of the quilt
over the top of the scene.
Similar to the previous method,
I like to clip the whole quilt ahead of time.
This time we want the thread on top to match
or contrast with the binding,
and the bottom thread to blend in with the quilt.
This time with the binding wrapped up
around the side of the quilt, we will be edge stitching
to the left of the seam so that we miss the binding
on the backside.
And you can see it is not as close to the ditch
as it was in the first method.
I like to start stitching this binding
in the middle of the bottom of the quilt.
When I reach the corners, I slow down
and ensure that the corner folds are neat,
then I continue till I'm one stitch over.
I pivot the quilt and continue.
When I have sewn around the quilt
and I'm back at the beginning,
I overlap my stitches, backstitch a couple,
and then I'm done.
And this is what it looks like from the front,
and this is what it looks like from the back.
And you can see that ditch stitch
is not as tight as it was in the first method.
And now this quilt is done too.
You might recognise this quilt, this is from my video,
"6 Fast And Easy Jelly Roll Blocks"
and this is jelly roll block number 4.
If an even straight stitch is of challenge
or maybe just a bit boring,
this is the time to take those fancy stitches
on your sewing machine for a test drive.
On a practise piece, try out a couple.
And play with your threads
for the combination that you like.
You can use decorative stitches with either method
but I'm going to use method number 2.
I'm sewing my binding to the bottom
and wrapping around the top.
Fancy stitches will take longer to do
but the results are fabulous.
So what is my favourite method?
If I am making a charity quilt, I use method number 1.
If I'm using the standard 2 and a 1/2 inch binding,
this is really fast and easy.
If I am using a narrow binding or place mats
or a wall hanging, or I just want to play
with some variegated threads, I use method #2.
But normally if I have made a quilt for a family member
or anything larger than a twin, I am back to the basics
and hand sewing that binding on.
There are still a couple more videos to come in this series,
so if you have any more questions or suggestions
please put them in the comments below.
Last week I had Angie Wilson of Gnome Angel
on "Karen's Quilt Circle."
We talked about her amazing "
"100 Days 100 Blocks Quilt Along" that she hosts every year.
And by the end of the interview,
I made the decision to join her for this year's.
I'll leave a link to that video in the notes below.
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And of course my website at JustGetItDoneQuilts.com.
So take care and I'll see you next time.