binding - I'm switching to bias

I was checking out some YouTube videos from Creative Grids and came upon this one about their bias binding ruler.

http://youtu.be/PswKVMNVPZo

It's a great video and she has converted me to using bias for my binding simply for the fact that there are more threads lying along the edge of the binding, thus making it stronger. I never thought about that.

I'm not buying the ruler though. And she's got a weird way of folding the fabric (it's at 3:33 in the video). I'm going to have to watch that part over and over again when I make my binding.

<SOAPBOX>
Ok, this is the critic in me..... but her lopsided hair bothers me, and so does her flesh-colored microphone.
And, while I'm nitpicking, it would have been better to actually show how she keeps her strips the right way instead of showing us how to press open a silly seam.
</SOAPBOX>

I don't mind doing bias binding other than the fact that there are more (and more frequent) seams, so it's hard to avoid getting them to not fall where you don't want the extra bulk. I don't use any gadgets, and the easiest cutting directions are by Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville.

Quiltville&#39;s Quips & Snips!!: Cutting Bias Bindings!

I have a quilt that I'm going to be putting bias binding on......I cheated and bought it from M*. I've never made bias binding but think I might give it a try.

I have started finishing my binding like the Gourmet quilter does....much easier for me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq2Q3F17lv0

....the microphone - at first I thought it was a growth on the side of her face.

I hadn't seen this vid and I'm with you on the lopsided hair!!
I haven't used bias binding often, so far only on "night sky" quilt. But the directions were simple enough!!
Thanks for posting!

I agree Carol- the lop sided hair is distracting. One other critique I have with many tutorials and this one is no exception- they need to use contrast thread and marking pencils for the video screen. For instance, we couldn't really see how she made the dots at the end or her sewing threads.

I have the bias tool that they sell at M* and I (gadget girl) really like it. I think I will switch as well given the explanation of the number of threads. It is kind of silly to put the weakest part around the edge so throw out the fear of bias and make those quilts last 100 years.

Good info on the thread count! Thanks for posting this :)

My grandmother taught me to make the tube to cut continuous bias binding. She convinced me that bias was far superior and I have a hard time doing strips when I can hear my grandma's voice in my head! Plus, I love using stripes and plaids as binding and getting that cute bias pattern.

Once you get the hang of it, it is very easy to create bias binding.

I think her hairdo is caused by the mic being behind that ear....her hair on that side is also tucked behind her ear. Yep...I think she should tuck the other side of her hair behind her ear....it just looks weird. Don't know that I will change to bias binding on quilts. I just hate all those seams you end up with and then it is harder to not have a seam hit where you have to make a miter at a corner.

I only make bias binding for several reasons. I like how it is very durable, and versatile. I often have leftover strips after binding a quilt, which I save, and can use it for other projects if I need it. So I might have a quilt with straight sides and use the leftover binding to trim a baby bib with curves. This is my "go to" tutorial, from The Quilt Patch, because she makes it so simple to follow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws7dyihdJpQ

I think I need to try the full bias binding. I have so much trouble with this process that I had finishing quilts. Think I,like the last one best, and I think Jenny has a way to do continuous bias binding.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kgrammiecaz

I think Jenny has a way to do continuous bias binding.

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I've read that some continuous binding is not truly cut on the bias. I tried it once, with a fat quarter for a wall hanging, and did not care much for that technique. You seem to end up with several horizontal seams (as well as the traditional angled joins) which are kind of bulky. For some reason my binding was very jagged on the cut side. I will stick to the traditional method.
http://quiltville.com/pdf/cuttingbias.pdf

I just learned to do bias binding and one of the seams ended right at a mitered corner. It was a mess trying to get the corner to lay flat. I machine sew the binding and the sewing machine wasn't happy about going over all of those layers plus it created ugly stitching on the back. That said, the bias binding was a breeze to put on since it was a tree skirt and was hexigon shaped with an inside circle. I just did not like all of the joined seams.

I always attach my binding to my quilt first with bobby pins, folding my miters as I go. This way I can control where my seams fall in relation to my corners. I can also trim the binding (where the join is -- leaving my tails) and bring it to my sewing machine. This way I do not have an unruly length of excess binding fighting me while I start sewing it onto the quilt. I remove the bobby pins as I sew on the binding. When I do get to a corner, I usually have to remove several bobby past the corner to give myself enough slack to refold the miter.
Of course, if you have a lot of corners on an odd shaped quilt, it probably would be more challenging to adjust the seams vs corners.

Oleg, that is a great idea! I'm going to buy some bobby pins!