I often wish that binding up my feelings was as easy as binding a quilt, but alas, it isn't. I get too caught up in unmet expectations, disappointments and just sheer exhaustion.
The good news is that all of the sewing is finished! Now I just need to keep all the little duck lined up and ready for a wedding in 13 days!
As I finished binding the quilt yesterday I thought I would share my way of putting on binding. Some *purists* might not want to follow my method but that is ok... it works well for me.
Instead of the usual way of machine sewing the binding to the front of the quilt and then hand-stitching the binding on the back side (which makes my hands and wrists hurt so much!) I machine sew the binding to the back of the quilt and then turn the finished edge to the front.
Then, using the point of my seam ripper or stiletto to manipulate the fabric, I machine sew along the edge of the binding.
By careful feeling and alignment I make the stitches fall right in the *ditch* on the back side of the quilt. This isn't a particularly fast method, but it is easier, faster and more secure then the hand sewing method. Even if all of the stitched don't end up right in the ditch, once washed it doesn't show.
The front looks so nice, neat and precise. A hundred years ago quilters who'd hand pieced and quilted their quilts would sew their binding like this to show they owned a sewing machine.
So (sew), now all I need to do is work by careful feel and alignment through the next 13 days of wedding preparations remembering the words of the Psalmist- "Fret Not Thyself"!
1 comment:
Very very nice. I like the machine binding too. Think it wears better, as long as the quilt!!
I like the clippies you use to hold it in place. Very clever
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