I could make a quilt in a day if

[RiverMomm]

Last night, I was sitting and hand basting the binding on my quilt. I have been sewing the binding for a day or so-on and off. Thinking to myself that it is so much easier to do binding 100% on the machine but just never got it right enough. This last step always makes me antsy to be finished. Yep, I tend to be impatient at times.

I sighed and said to DH, "You know, I could do a quilt in a day if I didn't hand sew the binding. Well, I could do it in a day if the fabric was precut-yeah, then I could do it in a day. I could do it in a day if sandwiching wasn't such a pain, so it would need to layered by itself by some sort of miracle. And really, if it would quilt itself, I could do it in a day."

He just smiled at me. But, gosh darn it, I could do a quilt in a day if . . . .

[MomGram]

Re: I could make a quilt in a day if

Vicky, you are too funny. If you come up with a way to do a whole quilt in a day please let us know. I can do a top in a day, without boarders but I think that's my best.

[MayinJerset]

Re: I could make a quilt in a day if

If we could get someone to do the actual cutting and sewing we all could make a quilt in a day.

[Hulamoon]

Re: I could make a quilt in a day if

I can't even do the simplest d9p in a day. I get all ocd about arranging it. lol I know some purists will frown at this, but if you want to machine quilt the binding you could try this. It's so awesome! I use regular snap hair clips from Walmart to hold it while it dries, and it washes out. The tip is so tiny and you hardly have to use that much. I found it locally.

Amazon.com: Colonial Needle Glue-Baste-It-2 Oz.: Arts, Crafts & Sewing

[LynneLeavell]

Re: I could make a quilt in a day if

I could do a quilt in a day if someone else did all the prep work. I hate doing that part. I had rather just sit down and start sewing.

[buckeyequilter]

Re: I could make a quilt in a day if

I could do a quilt in a day.....if....I had nothing else to do, I used a panel, put the binding on by machine....heck fire shoot I could probably do 2.

[HandsomeRyan]

Re: I could make a quilt in a day if

I make my wife do half the work, spray baste, and machine sew bindings and we can crank out a simple baby quilt in a day if we really apply ourselves. Those E.B. "Quilt in a Day" books are a lie though. They are great books but very few of those quilts can be made in a reasonable day of working on it. Maybe if you include all 24 hours without sleep, food, or bathroom breaks?

[Quiltfreestyle]

Re: I could make a quilt in a day if

I could probably make a small quilt in a long day, as Ryan says, no meals no bathroom breaks. BUT who really wants to do a quilt in a day??? That's too much like a sweatshop for me, I would rather take my time & enjoy the process.

[Jean Sewing Machine]

Re: I could make a quilt in a day if

There was a video online where a guy was making a serger quilt in a day. He did it, but it was a 23 hour day from start to finish! I guess if you have to get it done that fast, then sleep can go by the wayside, but I would like to have the option to get in some ZZZs on the quilt making day!

Remember our Sasha, who made a quilt in 2 hours before she went to a baby shower, and then had all the people there want her to make one for them? She is amazing! I can do them pretty quickly, but not in 2 hours!

[Vonnie]

Re: I could make a quilt in a day if

Buy prequilted material and put a binding on it and call it done! LOL - do that for people you know will not take care of it.

But, I want to enjoy the process - not endure it!

[Preeti]

Re: I could make a quilt in a day if

I could complete a simple rail fence baby quilt in a day. I would use jelly roll strips for the rail fence, borders and binding.

[RiverMomm]

Re: I could make a quilt in a day if

I can't even do the simplest d9p in a day. I get all ocd about arranging it. lol I know some purists will frown at this, but if you want to machine quilt the binding you could try this. It's so awesome! I use regular snap hair clips from Walmart to hold it while it dries, and it washes out. The tip is so tiny and you hardly have to use that much. I found it locally.

Amazon.com: Colonial Needle Glue-Baste-It-2 Oz.: Arts, Crafts & Sewing

I am so going to try this!!! I put it on my wish list on Amazon. Next shopping trip to the States and I will buy it.

The quilt I am finishing is a d9p that I pieced last spring before we moved. Lorie, I know what you mean because I have to laugh as I remember it took me forever to place the blocks (and yes, as I quilted it, I noticed a mistake but at this point, no one will notice except me . . .umm hopefully) I have had to jump right in and sandwich, quilt and bind (my three least favorite things of my favorite hobby). Because it has been almost a year, I don't have that happy feeling of piecing the top.

I like most of the process of making a quilt . . . touching and finding the perfect fabrics, piecing the top are my favs. But I find the are levels of nerves with other areas. Cutting (mild nerves)-WHAT if I cut wrong?!? sandwiching the layers-still haven't found a way to do it well and be comfortable at the same time. As it is now, I do it on the floor, which means I am on the floor. Maybe I am not a floor person. Quilting is ok but then halfway through I start getting the feeling of wanting-no NEEDING to see the finished quilt. It's just a little nagging feeling at first. THEN I do the binding by hand and I get such a restless feeling that I just can't wait to have the finished quilt.

[JCY]

Re: I could make a quilt in a day if

I don't understand why hand basting the binding on a quilt is a necessary step. Just sew it on the machine to begin with. I start in the middle of the right side, leave a good 12" pinned but unsewn, then just stitch 1/4" around the quilt. I remove it from the machine to fold & pin the corners, then sew the next side, etc. till I come back to the original side. I leave another 12" or so unsewn, to leave room for stitching the binding where it meets. After you sew the binding ends together & finish stitching, you're done with side one. Turn the binding over to the back, pin, press then do SITD, sewing on the front, & you're done. If you've carefully & evenly turned over the edges, you should be able to catch the back with your stitching. I use a gauge to get the hem exact. If it's a special quilt, you may want to hand hem the back of the binding. But on my baby quilts, I use SITD all the time. JCY

[Sheena]

Re: I could make a quilt in a day if

I'ved made a quilt in a day but it was only a small one.

[RiverMomm]

Re: I could make a quilt in a day if

I don't understand why hand basting the binding on a quilt is a necessary step. Just sew it on the machine to begin with. I start in the middle of the right side, leave a good 12" pinned but unsewn, then just stitch 1/4" around the quilt. I remove it from the machine to fold & pin the corners, then sew the next side, etc. till I come back to the original side. I leave another 12" or so unsewn, to leave room for stitching the binding where it meets. After you sew the binding ends together & finish stitching, you're done with side one. Turn the binding over to the back, pin, press then do SITD, sewing on the front, & you're done. If you've carefully & evenly turned over the edges, you should be able to catch the back with your stitching. I use a gauge to get the hem exact. If it's a special quilt, you may want to hand hem the back of the binding. But on my baby quilts, I use SITD all the time. JCY

I have only been quilting for about two years (actually a year and a half because I took 9 months off). I am 100% self taught from the internet. I have never been able to take a class in person which is a problem for me. I am a visual learner and would do so much better if I could have someone show me. I did machine binding for my first 5 quilts. Maybe ONE looked sort of ok. I tried and researched and tried again. I am doing something wrong. At this point I would venture to guess its operator error. I was ripping out so much that it ended up a toss on which was faster/better-machine or hand sewing. I finally gave up machine binding and started hand binding. But I am always open to any hints, tricks, notions, you tube lessons out there that will help me machine bind.

In other words, if I can do it on the machine, I do it on the machine. I only hand sew when I accept defeat. Guess I am the opposite of a quilting purist.