Wavey Bindings

[Judith A.]

Cathy,
Your son's quilt sounds like a well-loved quilt.

I am surprised how attached guys get to the quilts we make for them. I made a quilt for one of my sons years ago. He has lived all over the United States. Sometimes he would load everything he could fit into his car and move, and leave the rest. When he moved back home years later, I was surprised that he still had the quilt I made for him. He said, "Mom, if I can only take one thing with me when I move, it is going to be the quilt my mother made for me."

Marilyn,
Good tip about cutting the binding slightly off-grain. I have done that a few times when I was short on fabric, but felt like I was cheating! I will quit feeling that way! That would distribute the wear and tear on several threads instead of just one end thread.

I prefer bias binding if I have enough fabric. Yes, it can get wonky. However, with some experimenting, I found that if I starch the binding fabric very heavily first, and am careful handling it, I don't have a problem with the bias stretching. I buy the big bottles of Sta-Flo liquid concentrated starch and use a 50/50 ratio (50% starch concentrate and 50% water). I starch it until it is stiff as crisp heavy paper. It takes more prep time, but it makes sewing on the binding a lot easier for me.

Judith

[E.M. T.]

Yep ! Starch is good !! I use lots !!!

[E.M. T.]

If you're stretching the binding a bit while you stitch it on, your quilt edge will be a bit wavy. The same will be true if you stretch your quilt top as you sew. Either if these things can happen, even with a walking foot, since a WF will only keep the fabric layers even as they are stitched not before the fabrics get to the foot.

Pinning close may be the answer but I wouldn't want to have a quilt full of straight pins flipping around on my lap!!

Sharon Schamber uses Elmer's glue to "pin on" the bindings. Using a fine tip (purchase at Purple Daisy's) on your glue bottle or the purple Elmer's glue stick,apply it to the edge of the quilt , lay down the binding and lightly press with an iron to dry the glue.
This method does''t take much more time than pinning, nothing slips and you won't get stuck and bleed on your quilt! It washes out easily and will not harm your fabric since the school glue is water and starch. Child safe, you know! She does this on show quilts so you know it's good.

I don't do this for every quilt only the "important "ones. A little ripple in a baby, child's or charity quilt is OK with me.