Just Get It Done

I have two gorgeous quilts that I got back from my quilter, two, maybe three years ago. And I haven't used them. Why? Because I am too d%*n lazy to hand sew the binding down. 

I have been making mug rugs for friends and family this year, and have gotten lots of practice machine sewing bindings on those little things. Yesterday I decided to apply the technique to two much larger pieces. I got out two unbound quilts and pinned the binding in place, then machine sewed it. It took about an hour to do two quilts.

And you know something? They turned out just great. I stitched in the ditch and only had to go over two or three spots where the binding didn't get caught on the underside. If I were entering the quilts in a quilt show, maybe I'd sew the binding by hand. But seriously, the machine stitching looks unobtrusive and is probably stronger than hand stitching. Darn, I think it looks pretty good.

The only downside is that you do have to wrestle with a big old quilt, and your fingers get pricked a lot with the pins. But done is a good thing, right?  I am so happy to be able to use these pretty quilts. 

Hope you had a nice 4th of July, if you are in the States. We ended up staying home after all. I had a big allergy attack and after a couple of benedryls, I was good for nothing but jammies and my slippers. 

I think a lot of sewing is going to happen at my house this week.  WooHoo!

Comments

[PamO]

Looks wonderful. Wonder clips work well for the binding. A trick I like to use is to secure the binding with a very thin strip of Elmers washable school glue. I press it with the iron. No clips to remove or pins to stick.

[CarolE]

Your quilts are beautiful! I am one of those strange ones - I love to put bindings on quilts! I find it very calming to hand sew the binding to the back. Have lots of fun with your sewing this week.

[Jan]

Your quilts are lovely additions to your porch! The flag quilt is especially fun for this time of year! I'm a big fan of both Clover Clips & hand sewing binding to the back. But when you have a back-log of quilts that only need binding I get machine sewing it down! Have a great week in your studio!

[Jennifer in Indy]

Hooray for two finished quilts! I sew almost all of my binding by machine these days and love to use Wonder Clips instead of pins. I love those things!

[Sherri C]

Wonder clips!!!

[Dianne]

Gorgeous quilts. I too use the wonder clips when I sew bindings on quilts.

[Jeanie]

May I ask how wide you cut your binding strip? I have been curious about machine stitching binding, but have not tried it-yet.

[Debbie madden]

Beautiful quilts. By any chance do you know the name of the patterns?

[Ina]

aw, you put new quilts out on my lovely porch for me to enjoy in the evening with a glass of wine. bless you! ;p the quilts are beautiful!

[Denise in PA]

The quilts are lovely! I used to use pins when binding by machine. Then I alternated pins and Clover clips. Then I switched to just the clips and it works great - and no more pin pricks!!

[Diane]

I do all my bindings on the machine. Especially any for kids. Much more durable. Try sewing the binding to the back side of the quilt, and then turn it over and top stitch in the front. I don’t it easier and you don’t have to worry about catching it all down below.

[JaneR]

PamO’s comment about using Elmer’s glue and iron is a game changer for finishing bindings by machine. Try it, you’ll like it!

[Lori]

Your quilts are beautiful! And, your porch looks very cozy, very inviting. You don't find random strangers sitting out there during the day, do you?!