One way to finish a quilt...Part 3
There are several ways to bind a quilt which can be completed entirely by machine but I do prefer to hand hem the binding to the back of the quilt. Just match the thread to the binding and be as neat as you can with a blind hem stitch.
I fold the raw edge of the binding to touch the raw edge of the quilt and then over again. The binding should be snug against the edge of the quilt - no empty binding! For a multicoloured binding like mine an appropriate tone of grey thread is usually the best bet.
The reverse of the mitre should look just the same on the back as it does on the front.
I fold the raw edge of the binding to touch the raw edge of the quilt and then over again. The binding should be snug against the edge of the quilt - no empty binding! For a multicoloured binding like mine an appropriate tone of grey thread is usually the best bet.
The reverse of the mitre should look just the same on the back as it does on the front.
You'll have noticed that I've not sewn the mitres closed. From the most recent US quilt show I entered I received the damning criticism that the mitres on my quilt must always be sewn shut. Hmm. Without sounding like a complete bighead I've won one or two prizes and never sewn a mitre closed. On an art quilt with a very narrow binding, sewing it shut serves absolutely no aesthetic or functional purpose. If you're entering a quilt show then you might want to sew yours shut but I'm not going to, ever. Power to the people.
And at the end of all that you'll have a finished quilt! Here's mine:
Rare Beauty 1, Laura Kemshall, 2013-14.
Digital print, hand painting, metallic leaf, free machine quilting, digital quilting.
Beautiful...stunning....
ReplyDeleteI have a question. I think you said when you sew the binding on that on the first line of sewing you stop 1/4 inch away from the edge but when coming down the second line, after you have folded the binding, that you don't leave a 1/4 from the edge - is that correct?
ReplyDeleteHi, yes when you start the second side of the corner you can begin the line of sewing right from the edge of the quilt, no need to step in 1/4". When you get to the next corner stop short 1/4", fold the binding and off you go again. Laura x
ReplyDeleteRare beauty indeed! I tend not to care for gold (my Mom was heavily into French Provincal), but the gold leaf on this piece is amazing. It sets off the orchid beautifully. Pth to the judge. Some people really do need to get into the real world.
ReplyDelete