How to Bind a Quilt with a sewing machine 

Oh wow - high praise! Thanks! 🥰

Yay!! I'm so glad it was helpful! 🥰

Yay!! Congrats on your first quilt! 🥰

Yay!! I'm so glad it was helpful! Bindings can be tricky. 🥰

I always had trouble with this step. I kept getting it mixed up with one being right side up, the other being opposite side. Finally, after being totally frustrated and watching the episode over, cutting out the connection area, again and again! I have one problem... I've had a stroke and it's more difficult for me to follow instructions which need to be step-by-step instructions. I was getting the step by steps, but was just missing the fact of having the strips be right sides facing each other! It was actually a fact that was missing from more than one tutorial from different seamstresses.

Thanks for the feedback! I really appreciate that. Glad you were able to figure it out, and I'll try to pay better attention to my instructions in the future. If it is challenging for you, others probably have the same challenge. 🥰

Ohmygoodness!! It is an honor!! Now go snuggle up with that quilt!! ❤️

Glad you enjoyed the video! Let me know how it turns out! ❤

Some people tell me they do like it when I show everything in "real time." So I am doing some of that, too... trying to find a good balance. 🥰

Yay!! That's the best! 🥰

Thanks! The corners are the part that trip so many people up. ❤️

Thanks for your lovely comment! I'm so glad it was helpful! ❤️

Glad it was helpful! And using the zipper foot on the front is very clever! ❤️

Yay!! Best comment! You made my night! 🥰

Yay! And glad you found a technique that works for you! I like stitching my binding to the back and flipping to the front when I bind with my Sashiko machine. Gives me that big stitch look on the front of the quilt.

You get to sew every day?? That sounds amazing! And yes, the little shark fin works! Thanks for being here, and your lovely comment! ❤️

Oh, yay!! That makes me so happy!! 🥰

I agree! In almost all cases I prefer the binding being brought to the back. The exceptions are faux flange binding and using a decorative stitch from my Sashiko machine.

Yay! I'm so glad! 🥰

Happy to share! 🥰

Yay! I'm do glad it was helpful! And what a lovely Christmas gift... I'm sure they will love it. 🥰🥰🥰

Busy but (mostly) fun day here, too! 🥰 Going on a date night with the hubby tonight ... I've earned a night off! ❤

Thank you for your video. 😀

You're welcome!! 🥰

Thanks! It is such a fun machine!!

Glad you found it helpful! 🥰

Glad it was helpful! 🥰

High praise! Thanks so much! And thank you for all those charity quilts - I'm sure they are so appreciated. 🥰

This made my day!! Perfection comes with practice. My first corners weren't crisp, either... and I still have a soft corner every now and then...

Yay!! Let me know how it goes! ❤️

Oh yay! Congrats on your first quilt - that is super exciting!! And yes... mistakes happen, but it just adds character. 🥰

Thank you so much for your lovely comment! You made my day (and I'm currently teaching on a Quilting Cruise and docked in St.Maartin, so that's saying something)!! I usually attend Quilt Market, but because I still have young kids, I fly home after to do Halloween with them, rather than stay in Houston for Quilt Festival. I'm so glad that this video was able to help you with your quilting. That is always my goal. 🥰

Where have you been? There have been so much better videos out there showing a much easier way to join the binding strips at the end. Using glue has been used for probably more than a decade

Glad it was helpful! I just did a quilt this week where I attached the binding to the back, and then decoratively stitched to the front. So many fun ways to attach a binding!

You can. I usually stitch to the front and then bring around to the back. I only bring it to the front if the stitching will add a decorative element. ❤️

I'm so in love with the Sashiko machine! It is really so fun to play with! 🥰 Glad you enjoyed the video ... always love it when you leave comments. ❤

Glad it was helpful! 🥰

Glad you found the video! I hope your quilts turned out great!!

Glad you think so!

I'm glad it is helpful! When you say "more episodes" what is it that you'd want? You can watch this video over and over, and rewind and rewatch the parts you need most. ♥️

Yay! So glad it was helpful! Let me know how it goes. 🥰

@@CarolinaMoore just finished. I cannot believe how much easier/quicker that was than hand binding the back - especially for larger projects! And I can tell as well that it’s tighter and will hold up better with use than my novice hand binding. Can’t thank you enough for such a wonderful tutorial. I can’t wait to practice it more (haha def need to perfect my stitch in the ditch - but we’ll get there!!!)

Yay!! Yes, it takes a little practice to get that stitch in the ditch... there are also special presser feet for your sewing machine that can help. Go to the dealer for your machine, and ask if they have a stitch in the ditch foot. 🥰

I have that tool here... just need a quilt to try it out on! ❤️

Yay!! Good luck binding all those quilts! 🥰

@@CarolinaMoore Well it will be much easier now that glue is a real game changer all your tips will truly make the difference.🥰

Thanks!! ❤

Let me know how it goes!

Welcome! Glad to have you here!! 🥰

Thanks! 🥰

Hand stitching is the more traditional way. Just like anything, it takes some practice. But if you don't plan on making quilts to enter in competitions, it isn't something you really have to learn. Machine binding gives you beautiful, fast, and sturdy results. Some people really like hand binding. They find it relaxing. Others like doing things the traditional way. So, hand binding is still totally fine. But, I don't usually have the patience for it. 🥰

I know people who zig-zag or use decorative stitches on the front of their binding. I have stitched to the front and then stitched it down with my Sashiko machine to add interest... but otherwise I usually like my binding stitches to be "invisible" on the front. 🥰

@@CarolinaMoore Never heard of a sashiko machine? Are they still available? I looked it up, but seemed to be an older model? Wonder if there is a stitch on new machines do it. I like the look of it. Thanks.

This is a Baby Lock Sashiko II. They do still make and sell them. You'll need to find your local Baby Lock Dealer. A standard machine will not do this stitch... this machine only has a bobbin thread - that's how it makes the spaces. It also has a special needle.

Wow! Such high praise! Thank you! I'm so glad I was able to help you be successful. ❤️

I just use the standard stitch length... ❤️

I show all the steps in the video. ❤️

Thanks! And the quilt was quilted with a Baby Lock Sashiko machine. It does that "hand stitched" look without all the work of hand quilting anything. 🥰

The biggest thing to watch- the binding on the back needs to go PAST the stitching line of stitching the binding on the front. Try for 1/8", or a little more.your ditch-stitching will be just on the outside of that stitching line. 🥰

Probably ... test it first, though. 🥰

I use 100% cotton in all my quilts ... usually Warm & White or something similar. 🥰

I don't think I'd bought my Stitch in the Ditch foot at that point? But if you have one, use it! 🥰

I have not! I should try it! 😍

You totally can! I've pulled out my edge stitch foot the last couple times I did machine binding. And a walking foot is a great idea. The only downside is that using a walking foot means going a bit slower... and I want to be done binding as fast as possible! 😆

Thank you. Carolina! Btw, were you named after the Carolina states? 🥰🤗 My twin sister lives in SC. Bobbie

@bobbieburrs2506 my pleasure! And I'm originally Dutch. Carolina is a fairly common name in Holland. I was named after my Aunt. 🥰

Love this, Carolina! ❤ So interesting!🥰

Yup! I used to have a *very* Dutch last name (starting with a lowercase letter, two spaces in it, and a capital letter near the end - no mistaking it!), but then I fell in love with an awesome guy with the last name "Moore." And the rest is history. 🥰

I sewed it on the front first, and then the back. It does make a difference. If you sew it on the back first, and then the front, you see the tacking stitches on the binding on the front of the quilt. I prefer that to be hidden on the back. The one exception is faux flange binding, where you have to do back-then-front, but your tacking stitches are hidden in the seam line between the binding and flange.

Thank you!

Great question! It is Baby Lock's clear 1/4" quilting foot. 🥰

@@CarolinaMoore I went to my dealer and they do not have a clear 1/4” foot for Babylock and they looked it up in their book and said that they don’t make one?

@@catherinegomes8457 I was able to find this listing on Etsy. Hopefully it helps? www.etsy.com/listing/1170355252/baby-lock-clear-14-quilting-or-patchwork?gpla=1&gao=1&&

This is just regular Elmer's School Glue. You can get it at Target, Walmart, and probably the grocery store...

I have never found quilt as you go sashing that I love... the challenge is getting both the front and back of the quilt lined up...

This is an older video, and I didn't pay attention to that back then. Now I do. But I don't think it makes any functional difference on the quilt?

Hahaha! I've been quilting 30 years, so I speak fluent quilter. 😆

Yes! This is the Scrappy Heart Quilt. carolinamoorepatterns.com/products/scrappy-heart-quilt

This is three layers - the top, the batting, and the backing. There are lots of different kinds of batting. Living in California, I go with a "low loft" batting, which isn't as thick. But I find that most people don't pick the higher-loft polyester battings anymore, regardless of climate.

@@CarolinaMoore - Maybe it's because of the quilting that makes it look thinner. Mine isn't quilted. Thanks for the response anyway.

They both use Class 15 Bobbins, so yes, I use the same bobbin for both machines. 🥰

@@CarolinaMoore I'm sorry, the question is, if you wind the bobbin on Sashiko do you use that winded bobbin in the sewing machine? The lady said it is too entirely different tension? Then again she tells me NEVER use cotton thread on any machine. LOL

Oh, I totally use bobbins wound on one machine on the other, without issue! I'm not a sewing machine expert, so there may be something here I'm not understanding, but the thread wound on a bobbin isn't under tension. It is just wound on there. The tension is created when it is installed in the machine, and when it is being stitched into the fabric. The bobbin can actually spin in the housing, and would be able to release any additional tension, if there was some.

Many quilting teachers teach based on their preferred style being "right." I show my preference, but like to talk about other options, because what is right for me may not be best for you. I like 2". 2.5" tends to be seen as "standard." Some folks love 2.25". You'll need to play with it to see what you love. ❤️

Glue makes a huge difference. Keeps things in place way better than pins.

It can... but most fluffy batting squish down. However, if you are double-batting your quilt, you may need a wider binding... 🥰

Oh no!! It is hard to provide support over the internet... if you can bring it to a local quilt shop or local guild, they might be able to take a look at what you have going on and provide some support. ❤️

Can you give me details? I'd love to help!

Honestly, because the video gets pretty long, and if people click away from the video, RU-vid doesn't show it to as many people, which isn't good for the creator. However, if the viewer wants to watch it again, they can rewind and rewatch as many times as they like. ❤️

Thanks so much for your opinion. You are welcome to add your binding however you like. Personally, I don't like the look of binding being machine stitched through on the front. I was raised that the "right" way was to machine sew it to the front, then hand-stitch it to the back. This gives me that same look on the front, with the speed of machine binding. I actually know Rob Appel personally. He's great. But I think he'd also agree that when it comes to quilting, there is more than one "right" way. You pick what works for you. ❤️ And, one last thought... quilting is centuries old. We're constantly bringing back old techniques because they bring us joy. Not sure that anything in quilting can really be "outdated" if it brings you joy.🥰

@@CarolinaMoore either way you can’t really win unless you do it the old-fashioned way because if you machine stitch it onto the front and then flip it to the back then when you are stitching the back onto the quilt, you’re going to see the stitching come through to the front anyway. So we are still going to see the stitching. It just won’t be on the actual binding. Or some people can spend the money and use that invisible thread. I have done it your way, and I end up with uneven stitching, or the stitching that goes along the edge of the binding on the back has maybe an eighth of an inch flap and that just looks awful I would rather use the double fold bias binding that you get at the store, because one side is may be one 16th of an inch of a difference in width than the other side but then you can’t do mitered corners. It’s enough to make me want to drink.

I've had a lot of success with my method, as you can see in the video. And yes, the stitching does show on the front, but because I stitch in the ditch, it blends right in with the machine quilting. From the front, you can't tell it was machine bound. And that's my preference. But, that's what I love about quilting - there are so many techniques! You pick the ones that work for you, and I'll pick the ones that work for me. 🥰 What I'm not a fan of is folks who try to shame others for not doing things "the right way." Because often, that "right way" isn't any more right than the other options... it is just what that person was taught, or what they prefer. When we approach other quilters with a "my way is the only right way" attitude, it is very off-putting. And for folks new to quilting, or folks not comfortable with criticism, it can scare them away from quilting completely. And that's such a shame! If you check out other videos of mine, you'll see I get plenty of comments from folks sharing their preferred method. And I celebrate those comments. I love it when folks find a method that works for them. I wish your original comment had been kinder. I hope this interaction will help you recognize that on the other end of the screen is me, a real human, spending time making quilty videos to help folks out. And that I do see, and read, all the comments... including the harsh ones.

Thank you Carolina. It’s Sunday night and I need to get two quilts bound by Wednesday evening and I work Monday and Wednesday. I was dreading trying to speed through the handwork. I’m going to try your glue method tomorrow night! It looks great. I would imagine that there would be not many “missed” areas with careful gluing.

There are not. And if you have any, you can tack them down by hand, or unpack that section, adjust the fabric, and stitch again. 🥰

Thanks so much for this comment, I needed a laugh and I burst into belly laughs when your comment came up. ❤️ I hope you understand it wasn't mean laughter. Just laughter inspired by a very assured statement that I don't agree with at all. 🥰 Quilting is a hobby for most people, not a profession. So, let's dispel the myth that it "must look professional." It is okay for handmade to look handmade. I actually am a professional quilter. This is what I do for a living. And yet... this is how most of my quilts are bound. I can verify - it is a very professional way to finish a quilt. If you wanted to argue that this is not a traditional way to finish a quilt, I'd agree. But the point here is to have finished quilts, not maintain traditions that don't serve us. ❤️

Thanks so much! ❤️