Quilt binding

In my last post, I referred to the new method I'm using to bind my quilts completely by machine.  I have completely finished one quilt using this method, and was very pleased with the end result.  As with any new technique, there is a bit of a learning curve, but this is truly the easiest binding I've ever done.  It's a good idea to use this on a small quilt or maybe even a placemat just to get the hang of it.

I just got 2 quilts back from my LAQ and have already sewn the binding to the back of these quilts.  The first one uses a flange binding fabric in a similar blue shade to the backing so that the blue thread will blend in on both the flange and the backing.  The second one has the exact same fabric for the flange and the backing, and I will use black thread for those.  Someday, I want to try invisible thread.

I will post more pictures when I finish these quilts.  The instructions call for cutting the binding strips at 1-1/2" and 1-3/4", which results in a fairly wide binding (about 2-3/4").  This is good when learning the technique by allowing plenty of margin when sewing the binding to the front so that you don't accidentally sew onto the back binding (I had about 1" of this type of sewing on the first quilt, but it was an easy fix).  I would like to make a tighter binding next time.  There is actually a post on the Connecting Threads blog that states that the author of the 52 Quilts blog uses 1-3/8" and 1-5/8" binding strips, but thought that would be more complicated for the tutorial.

The trickiest part of this technique for me is getting the flange to match up perfectly when joining the ends of the binding.  On the first quilt, I nailed it on the first try (a good thing because the two fabrics contrasted a lot), but on the second and third quilts, it was slightly off (less important since the fabrics allowed these "mistakes" to blend in).  I let go of my perfectionism, though, and left them that way because it won't be detectable to anyone but me.  Plus, the quilts are for use around our home, so no need for them to be perfect!

Oh, and my new favorite method of joining the ends of the binding can be found on Jaybird Quilts website.  No more trying to use a special binding "tool" that simply frustrates me!  Just click on the "Perfect Binding Tutorial" button on the left side of my blog.  Try it!