Hello!

I thought I would hop on today and share a quick quilting tutorial.  I have mentioned before that I typically machine bind my quilts for several reasons.  #1 Durability.  I feel like the binding on my quilts that have been attached by machine has held up better.  #2 Speed.  I don’t know about you but I have a bunch of other things to do in addition to finishing my quilts.  My family keeps telling me that making dinner is absolutely necessary for some odd reason.  While I prefer to bind my quilts with my sewing machine I still like them to look nice.

How do I do this you ask?

Well let me enlighten you….I’m going to throw a few caveats in though.  I am not perfect and therefore none of my quilts are either.  Also, while I always use high quality quilty products I am not above using things or techniques that some might find a bit unconventional.  In this case Elmer’s glue.

Let’s get to it shall we?

Materials Needed:

Quilt-All squared up and ready to go with your preferred method.

Binding-Made with your favorite method

Sewing Machine

Thread ( I like Auriful 50 wt. in this case white) http://amzn.to/2CulKzc

Wonder Clips  http://amzn.to/2Etos6x

Elmer’s Washable School Glue http://amzn.to/2Eu1xHZ

Iron ( I have a Rowenta DW2171 that I am liking so far for pressing and regular quilting but I use an old Black & Decker with NO water/steam for binding.  Put it on the highest heat setting you are comfortable using with cotton fabric.) http://amzn.to/2EtCwwA

Ironing Board

For the purpose of this tutorial we’re all going to start with our quilts quilted and squared up.  Do that however you like.  Also I am not going to get into the step by step specifics of attaching the binding initially.  There are a million and one methods and tutorials for that part already and I’m going to leave that part to you.  This tutorial is geared towards the final finishing portion of binding a quilt.

Step 1-Attach your 1/4″ foot and set your machine to the needle down position.

Step 2-Attach the binding to your quilt in your preferred method.  For the record I like to attach my binding to the back of my quilt first, fold it over and finish it off on the front of my quilt.  I prefer the way it looks with that method.  But hey you do you so do whatever you prefer.

Step 3-Take your quilt with your binding attached to  the iron and ironing board.  Let me mention again, I use an old iron for this part with NO water or steam.  That way if I get glue on it I don’t really care and not using water and steam helps the glue dry nicely when ironed.

Step 4-Iron your binding away from the quilt.  This will help you pull it around the edges to the other side neatly.

Do this all the way around the quilt so you can start the next step anywhere along the quilt.

In these photos I was finishing up a Buffalo Plaid Christmas Quilt using the tutorial from Empty Bobbin found here

Buffalo Check Quilt Pattern

Step 5-Turn your quilt over and apply a small thin line of glue about 1/8″ of an inch from the edge.  I like the Elmer’s Washable School Glue because just like the name suggests.  It’s washable.  After I’ve finished binding my quilt I toss it in the washer and dryer and no one has to know I raided my kids school supply stash.

Try to keep the glue line minimal and nice and thin.  If you use too much it will soak through the binding and show up on the outside which isn’t very pretty.  Trust me, I may have learned this from personal experience.

Step 6-Use your hot iron to press the binding down to the quilt (in my case the front).  Hold the iron still for a couple of seconds until you can be sure the binding is glued in place.  Secure with a Wonder Clip.

Repeat this process until you come to a corner.  Using whichever method works best for you miter each corner and and if you prefer add a dab of glue to secure in place.  Repeat this process all the way around your quilt.

Step 7-Take your quilt back to your machine and attach whatever presser foot allows you to see your work clearly.  In my case I have an actual clear foot that makes it easier to see my work.  If your machine allows it move your needle toward the left edge of your binding to get it nice and close to the edge.  If not, no biggie.  Just keep an eye on that left side as we go.

If you look at the photos above closely you can see my clear presser foot and that I have moved my needle from the center position towards the left a bit.

Step 8-Stitch 1/8″-1/4″ from the left edge of your binding.  Go nice and slow!  Many people prefer to use a walking foot on this step.  I have a Pfaff that has IDT (Integrated Dual Feed) so when it’s engaged it feeds the top and bottom layers through the machine evenly.  Just like a walking foot does.

I feel like Step 8 could potentially get me banned from many a quilting bee or guild but I like to remind everyone that this is YOUR quilt and you are free to do whatever YOU want.  Do I know how to hand bind a quilt?  Absolutely!!  Do I do it?  Yes, on occasion.  When my quilt is made for a show or competition or strictly for display purposes only, then yes I will hand bind it.  In my own family we all use our quilts frequently and over the years I have had to repair many hand bound quilts and only a couple machine bound quilts.  So take it for what it’s worth.  I am merely showing you my method.

Step 9-Repeat the process all the way around your quilt, making sure to catch your mitered binding at the corners.

Step 10-Label your quilt!!!  Even better document it in your quilty journal or wherever you archive info about your finished projects.

Please not that I do stitch down my labels after I attach them with the iron.  I just happened to take the photo before I did that last part.

Viola!

A perfectly finished, nice and neatly bound quilt in 10 easy steps (said in my best infomercial voice).

I’d love to hear what you thought of this quick tutorial and your preferred binding methods.

Thanks for stopping by!

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