by Sandra | September 17th, 2009
I was concentrating so hard on NOT feeling the pain as I worked on my binding, I realized I should share something with those of you whose bindings sometimes suffer from being Anemic or otherwise known as “Wimpy Binding Syndrome”.
I noticed a few quilts ago that dependent on which foot I used, the scant quarter inch or regular sewing foot, my binding lacked muscle. IMHO, there is nothing more sad than a wimpy binding that is pitifully undernourished. OK, maybe there are sadder issues on a quilt, but right now I am focused on binding.
So feed the binding and beef up its muscles! “How?”, you ask? By inserting some yarn while you stitch the rolled over side by hand.
I found Matilda’s wool trapunto yarn wonderful, but for us non-Aussies we have to order it online from an Australian shop because it is not sold here in the USA. Totally worth the effort though. However, you don’t need Matilda’s wool trapunto yarn, I have used plain old yarn from Joann’s etc. (white) for this step too. The Matilda’s is loosely spun and seems to gently expand and fill in the space after it is stitched. Plus I am a bit Type “A” about wool batt + wool yarn = consistent materials.
So now there are no excuses for wimpy bindings riiiiight?
all content ©2009 Sandra Leichner all rights reserved
What a great idea! I must get a quilt to the binding stage SOON so that I can try that. How ever did you find the Matilda’s wool trapunto yarn in the first place? Will this tip be in THE BOOK?
I was doing a Google search for Matilda’s wool batt when I came upon it. My curiosity got the better of me (as always) and I took a look and thought it had possibilities so I ordered it. So what do you call a mad quilter’s lab anyway?
do you cut your binding at 2 1/2″ or 2 1/4 ” ?
mad quilters lab = A MESS
LOL !
Miss Boop,
At the most, I cut my bindings 2″ (5.08 cm) wide. Any larger and I think they are too big and floppy looking. I know Sally Collins uses an even smaller width, I think 1 7/8″ (4.7625 cm.) cut width. Which is really nice and tight, but a struggle to roll over enough to cover the line of stitching from the reverse side. A 2″ (5.08 cm.) wide cut strip with the first side sewn with a regular sewing foot (on my Bernina the “0″) rather than the quarter inch foot and it works out perfectly for a tight perfect size binding. There is a little bit of wobble if I use the quarter inch foot.
I haven’t used a walking foot now for four years. Not even to attach the binding. If the quilt is loosley (stitch in the ditch only) quilted then a walking foot would probably be necessary. I like texture, so I have more quilting and more quilting eliminates the need for a walking foot for me.
Oh and I have always machine stitched my binding miters, not the fold at the corner technique. This is the way I learned and always stuck with it.
all I can say is HUH !!!
I’ve done none of the above but I will give it a try !!!!!!
Upon occation I have thought my binding could have bee tighter so this seems like a good thing to try . Thanks !
Could you go into more detail as to how you “machine stitch” the miter corner as opposed to folding at the corner ? O ris that something we will see in the book and you cannot go into detail now ?
Sorry to hear that you are under the weather…. hope you’re feeling better soon!
Thanks Frances,
Still feeling like death warmed over, but I am upright today!
That is a complicated subject to be detailed for a post, but I will see what I can do down the line to try and illustrate the method. I am only limited to around 100 pages in a book so not everything I know will be included! LOL
Well then, time to start thinking about what will go in your second book (and also in your DVD series
)… How COULD they limit you to 100 pages??
Glad to hear you’re feeling better.
second book??? wha-a-a-at?? Oh Frances it has taken me long enough to get the first one all put together.
I am not limited to exactly 100 pages, but quilt books generally range from approx. 70-140 pages.
Hmmm, maybe Sandra’s Encyclopedia of Quilting Trial and Error??
