I've quilted the sandwich featured in the Gemischt post (I am LOVING my new weightlifting system!) and am in the process of sewing down the binding. I decided to use up ALL my 1.75" binding scraps, acknowledging that would mean having to sew the binding down by hand, but also relishing the fact that those scraps would be GONE, never to be replenished. I figured out some time ago that 1.75" was just a little too narrow for comfort, double-fold-binding-wise, and have been cutting bindings at 2" for several years now. Yesterday I simply decided I'd use up the narrow ones, once and for all.
There were some long strips but LOTS more short strips. I briefly worried about and wondered how to avoid seams in the corners, what with all the connecting of the itty-bitty pieces. Well, DUH Carolyn: plan the corners and put the long pieces there! And as long as I'm planning the corners, I might as well use the dark scraps so the mitered pattern would shine without competition.
Another thing I decided to do was forgo the ironing part of making bindings. I ironed the joining seams, but that was all. Previously, I'd fold the resulting binding strip in half and iron in a sharp crease. I read a comment recently (in someone else's blog) from someone who "confessed" she never ironed her binding, so I figured I'd try that and see if I miss anything about it.
Nope. I haven't notice or missed any advantage to ironing everything in half prior to applying the binding. Granted, this is for hand sewing, but I suspect I'll feel the same when it comes to finishing the wider 2" binding by machine on the next quilt I make. On the last machine-finished binding I did, I found myself fighting the ironed-in center crease, due to the fact that when the binding was folded over, ready to be stitched down, the ironed crease was no longer the actual edge of the binding. Shift happens, especially in sewing, especially when several layers are folded over and over. Long story short: I'm not going to worry about ironing anything but the connecting seams in bindings any longer.
Tuesday (after the Dreadfuls were taken care of) I went ahead and opened Celia's top, pinned on the completed edge blocks, and paired the remaining fabrics for the still-needed 6 edging triangles, plus the final corner. All blocks are still unique in their fabric choices/pairings.
I also trimmed the final HTSs for my chosen Leader-Ender challenge, bringing the total in that tin to 10 layers of 9 stacks of 8 squares (720 HTSs).
Today I continued to sew down binding until my wrist would have no more of it, then spent the afternoon cutting up a kiddie fabric (Angry Birds--ugh), and others I had pulled to go with it, for construction of another quilt for Sleep in Heavenly Peace. It'll be the same layout as Sugar Skull.
And finally: Pink got adopted today! She's found a lovely maker who will cherish and use her, and I couldn't be happier.
Leftover binding? What a concept! I cut mine 2.5" and then the leftovers end up as something 2" finished. The next time I'm cutting randomly coloured 2.5" strips the binding bits go in with the rest. There would be a step saved if I didn't press the binding so I might try not doing that with the next quilt.
ReplyDeleteI usually cut my binding on the bias, so I'm loathe to mix any leftover pieces with my other scraps. There's been only one time when I cut binding on the straight, and a piece of that is in with what I'm sewing down now. By the time I finish that section I'll have a good idea of whether it makes one whit of difference.
DeleteIn retrospect, I'm wondering why I put that straight-cut piece in the bag with the rest of the binding scraps, and not directly in with my Scrap Users System pieces!
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Congratulations on finding a new home for Pink. (Great color though her case looks a tad battered--is that paper-covered wood?) I admire those mitered border corners! I quit pressing bindings years ago--maybe not a huge timesaver but certainly a scorched-fingertip-saver. I used to cut bindings 2.25" but now 2" works better. I use the serpentine stitch to sew them from the top.
ReplyDeleteI think it was canvas covered. In the listing I suggested decoupage or more fabric as a nice way to spruce up the case bottom, with a sanding for the lid. If I intended on keeping her, I'd've considered doing all that myself.
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