Here’s the quilt I started at Craft Camp. I worked for 3 solid days on it and left with 3 sides of the binding still to do.
It’s for Gim at work. She wanted a lap quilt for her husband. He already has a blanket thing that he uses for lounging on the couch, but it’s looking a bit shabby. She measured it, chose a design from this blog, bought the fabric and then crossed her fingers and let me loose on it. Thankfully, it was slightly smaller than the original. It took me about a year to make the one for myself.
This time I did something different. I’ve always hand stitched the binding on my quilts, which takes roughly an hour or so each side. When I went to Andi’s craft group she showed me how she machine sewed her quilt bindings. Then I went to Craft Camp and saw Magda complete 2 baby quilts with the machine-sewing-binding technique that Janet showed her.
Clearly the universe was trying to tell me something. However, me being me, I attempted it and came up with a totally different technique than the others, but I love how it looks. I think I’ve discovered the new way I’ll always finish off my quilts.
I attached the binding in the usual way, folded it over and carefully pinned so that the back binding overlaps the stitching on the front (which is what you do anyway when hand stitching), then slowly machine stitched with the front of the quilt facing me and sewed the binding on.
See? I had cotton that blended in beautifully with the binding, and because it’s just on the edge, you hardly see it at all.
This is how it appears from the back. There were a few little spots where the binding didn’t catch, so I just hand sewed up those. This technique probably saved me a good 3 hours and it looks really good. You still have the uninterupted look of the binding curving around over the edge of the quilt and the top of the quilt has no stitching running around the edge. I’m really pleased…. but I can’t take any credit for it. It was just me mucking up what Janet told me to do, then deciding to go ahead anyway.
I’m taking the quilt in to work this morning to hand it over. I hope she’ll be pleased with how it worked out.
Dancing With Frogs 
it looks terrific, and most impressive, and she will love it. As for the binding, such matters are outside my technical ken. I am doing the edging for the latest granny square rug, and it is is just round and round the garden like a teddy bear, ad infinitum!
looks fabul0us!!!
I hate sewing binding too!!
She’d better be pleased, because it’s beautiful! As soon as I finish posting this comment, I have to get back to quilting something very similar. It’s a 16-patch instead of a 9-patch, but it uses the sashing and pieced border just like yours. I’m tag-teaming this quilt with my mom, and she usually does the hand sewing of the binding. I’ll suggest we try this method instead.
Looks wonderful.
I’m a machined biding convert too.
Best hint I ever got was to sew the back on second (as usual) but with the back side facing up …. and here’s the magic bit …. using invisible thread in the bobbin.
Revolutionised my world.
You always inspire me to get working on finishing my first ‘real size’ quilt.
Gorgeous! Luff it! Very clever, great colours x
I love the quilt and I’m sure Gim will too. The backing fabric is really nice too.
This is a lovely quilt!
Oh that is a beautiful quilt. Fantastic work.
I loved the quilt. It looks great and has exceeded my wildest expectations. While I never had a doubt about Frogdancer’s exceptional quilting ability, I have to admit I was a little unsure about my choice of fabrics, colours and patterns. The quilting shop I went to had a huge selection and I tend to get very confused and indecisive when presented with too many choices. Frogdancer has done a great job and has even made the effort to include a nice ‘cross’ pattern with some of the fabrics, a professional quilter’s touch I never would never have even crossed my mind. Bravo! Thanks, Frogdancer.
Great idea with the binding – its finish on the quilt top looks so good. Impressive quilt top, and the overall quilt looks good on both sides.
Gim did well with her fabric choice, and her choice of patchwork quilter!
You know, if you hand quilt the thing over the course of a year, hand sewing the binding for four hours makes you feel like a speed machine.
It looks gorgeous. All that starting and finishing in one weekend business nearly turned me into a machine quilter.
It’s great! I’ve always done the binding the traditional way (hand sewing) but maybe it’s time to set outside my comfort zone!