Cutting off Binding

[Patchwork Barb]

Has anyone ever sewn on their binding to discover that it looked horrible and cut it all off rather than pick it out. I now hate this quilt and feel like throwing it in the garbage .

[slamb13]

First of all welcome to the forum Barb!!

And YES I have to admit that I am a terrible binder and I have certainly cut off binding, I don't have the patience to pick it out! If your quilt is plenty big it's not a big deal to lose the edges and start over.

On the other hand, it may not be as bad as you think, set it aside and get a good night sleep and look at it again tomorrow. Post pictures and we'll be glad to offer advice!

Susan

[Simply Quilting]

Agreeing with Susan, let it set then come back and see what you think a day or two later. We are our own worst critics. We see every detail that we think is not perfect while others enjoy the big picture of a beautiful quilt.

I had a quilt last week that I was ready to completely take back apart. Then two things happened 1. My husband looked at it and said that it was fine and 2. I went to bed, got a good nights sleep and looked at it in the morning. I ended up leaving it be as it looked so much better in the morning.

[Joan@DebtofGratitude]

I honestly have hated every quilt I have finished. There comes a time in every quilt where no matter how excited you were when you started it, you despise it. But somehow it always looks better in the morning. (Except for those quilts that don't look better until you wash it.)

Post a photo. This group is friendly and objective and you might be surprised by how much good feedback you get.

[Patchwork Barb]

I have already cut the binding off and will square it up again in the morning, sew new binding and start again.

[chelea]

Joan, I feel about the same with every quilt. By the time I've gotten the borders on I'm sick of looking at it! Fortunately, I enjoy binding so there's something to look forward to.

[katier825]

Many people practice their quilting on scraps or quilt sandwiches, but I don't think it occurs to many to also practice binding the same way. I take small scraps of leftover binding strips and practice with different widths, different seam allowances, etc. to get the look I want. You can write on the scraps what your settings are and keep it for reference when you find what works for you. Many times, what works for me is 2-1/2" binding with about 3/16" seam. Most times I can eyeball it based on a particular spot on the walking foot where it falls. Just try out some samples first. It's much easier than ripping out when you don't like the whole thing.

[asta]

I too have had a few quilts I just hated, put them aside and one day a few of us were together and decided to swap ugly/hated unfinished projects and we did, they all turned out lovely.

[Bubby]

I've had disaster quilts that I've hated. My binding would have to be pretty bad for me to cut/rip off. Just be sure to square up your edges. I lay my ruler along the border seam and trim that way. Good Luck!

[easyquilts]

Welcome, Barb... What a great idea! It never....ever....occurred to me that I coukd cut an ugly binding off, and start overt... Dish...

My bindings are usually OK, but the last quilt I made for my grandson, Michael, had a horrible binding... It was black, which I know I can't really see to work with....and I tried to machine sew it done.... Gee,,, if I had cut the darn thing off, I would have only lost about an inch...or less...and could have redone it.... I'll remember now....