Beginner's Journey: First time Binding
July 04, 2019
It’s that time again to learn something new to hopefully one day make an entire quilt! But for now, I want to make sure I know how to do everything step-by-step, so when I finally get started on the big project, it will look the best.
Today, I asked my trustee sewing wizard “Meli” to teach me how to bind. I had some leftover 1 ½ ‘’ strip pieces when I was making a bordered square block using #BundleUp in “Americana” edition and make one long piece for the binding.
I was told there’s two types of binding- a single and double fold binding. I took a picture to visually understand the difference because I didn’t understand until I had the fabric in my hands. Since I had a narrower piece and I didn’t want to waste it, we’ve decided to use single binding because it required less fabric (pictured on the left).
For a single fold bind, we had to sew right sides together, fold over the raw edges and press to the other side of the block and sew again. This method was a little more complicated because you can easily pull over the fabric too much and when you sew the piece down, you’ll realize that the edge of the fabric didn't get sewn on.
You’ll see what I mean in the picture above because in some parts the stitching is only going halfway. Next time I practice some binding, I will try to do a double fold as it’s much easier to get a more even stitch since I don’t have to fold it multiple times.
At least what matters is that the front looks good, right? Haha! I'm proud of my little project, and I can't wait to keep practicing! Here some quick lessons I learned from this session:
- Make sure you sew a long strip enough to cover the whole border.
- Single fold binding is great if your strip isn’t wide enough.
- Make sure you get tight corners! Mel taught me to sew right off the corner so when I fold the fabric I have a perfect edge.
- Use a walking foot on your sewing machine to help you guide the fabric.
- CLIPS!! Put as many as you feel comfortable using.
- Don’t fold the fabric over too tightly because when you sew in the ditch, it won’t sew the edge of the fabric on the back.
The is the first time binding so I plan on doing different methods to see which works best for me. I’ve watched a lot of YouTube videos on how to do bind but every video, everyone had their own way of doing it! If you have a specific way or tip you can share with me, please let me know in the comments below.
Till next time,
Jannelle