or quilt for that matter.
As I started the Title for this post I’m singing “Putting on the Ritz!” That’s what I always feel like I’m doing when I’m binding a tote bag or quilt. Just that little extra bit of flair that just completes the piece. Sometimes the binding fades into the background, because that’s what it’s supposed to do. Sometimes the binding can be as much of a show piece as the rest of the quilt. Either way binding is so important!
When I’m binding a tote bag I pin, pin, pin and then pin some more. I need to make sure that all of the pieces are lined up well enough that when I stitch them together there is as little shift as possible.
I have a Bernina 1080. Do I ever love that little machine. Berni’s feisty and will work right along even when she doesn’t feel well (unlike her owner, but that’s a story for another day!) .
I work from the back of the quilt or the sides of the tote. I like the folded edge to be on the front of the quilt. To me, it looks so neat.
Here I’m rounding one of the corners on the messenger bag I’m working on. You can see I’ve shaped the binding to match the arc of the curve and I’m holding the binding up so I can see where I’m working
I’m getting closer to ending the binding here. A quilt has three layers. I’m stitching 2 to 4 layers of quilts here. Thank goodness Bernina’s have amazing motors!
Here you get a much better idea of how many layers of fabric & batting I’m working through.
In a couple of days I’ll show the next step of folding over the binding, pinning it in place, working with either the zipper foot or the walking foot.
Happy Quilting!
Teri
As an aside, I can’t sing for beans, but once a song starts running through my head it can be days, and I do mean days before I stop thinking about it. The other day I was chatting with a friend and she made some comment that got the song “I’m not Dead yet” from Monty Python’s SpamALot running through my head. And it’s the only line from the silly song that I can remember. I’m not dead yet! oh for Pete’s sake, now I’ve gone & done it!
I love putting the binding on quilts. My favorite is to use strips on the bias. And, I love having the part I turn to the back be wider than the front. Kim Diehl always did that on her quilts and I started doing it myself.
This was very helpful for me to read. Thanks for taking the time to post it.