My Siblings Together quilt was basted, quilted and binding on, all by the time the sun came out and made the conservatory too hot to sew.
In that time I also had a visit from the RAC man. He wired on my exhaust pipe, as the car was making horrible noises this morning; fortunately for my sanity and purse it is only a broken bracket.
So just now I thought I would machine stitch down the binding, for the first time ever. I hate it. I got halfway round and decided enough was enough. I only have about 180" to rip out. I really think I should be putting a fancy un-picker on my birthday list what with the amount of time I have spent with my cheapo one this last week or so!
Do you machine stitch down your bindings? Am I the only one who thinks it looks rubbish? Or am I the only one who makes it look less than acceptable? I do love finishing of my quilts by hand, which, it would appear is a bloody good job!
It looks so pretty and bright! Couldn't agree more, I've tried many times because it's so tempting to have it done quickly sometimes but I hate it too!! I also love the process of stitching it by hand and would much rather take the time and have it look perfect!
ReplyDeleteI've never tried it and am sure it would look rubbish if I did! Lucky I enjoy hand stitching! Rx
ReplyDeleteHand sewing the binding is my favorite part!
ReplyDeleteI machine down the binding on all my quilts now because I never have enough time to hand stitch them down. But hand stitching is still the better finish imo. Jxo
ReplyDeleteI have tried and tried to machine finish bindings....on the back and on the front but i always end up ripping the stitching out and sitting in the evening in front of the telly hand sewing them - except for one time when I decided to use a fancy embroidery stitch - it had to stay, awful as it was.
ReplyDeleteI hate it too, mine always look rubbish if I machine them. I did machine the stqb one because I didn't want it to fall apart ever but it didn't look half as good as a hand finish. Nor indeed as the bit you are unpicking!!!
ReplyDeleteI actually love machine stitching my binding. I think it looks better than hand stitching and it's stronger.
ReplyDeleteBut if you like to hand sew it, that's up to you, if we all liked the same thing the world be a very boring place.
I'm with you - tried it once and didn't like it! (Two Ronnie's sketch I think) and I enjoy the finishing- by- hand stage ... But I finish more in the winter than in the summer!!!!
ReplyDeleteI machine stitched the binding once on a small project. Didn't hate it but didn't love it and don't think I could do it good enough for a larger quilt.
ReplyDeleteI nearly always machine stitch my bindings because it is so much quicker than hand sewing. I do think hand sewing gives a better finish, but life is too short!
ReplyDeleteNever machine stitch small projects, always machine stitch big projects- with the help of glue basting
ReplyDeleteI have always hand stitched mine down. I recently tried though and I agree that the look isn't great and also I have some remedial work to do on it in the places where I missed bits. I think I'll be hand stitching in future. The quilt looks rocking though!
ReplyDeleteI hate machine binding! I am okay at it but mine look SO much nicer done by hand. And I quite enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteI've never tried it, but I've yet to see any I like! Besides which, I love sitting hand stitching binding
ReplyDeleteI much prefer hand stitching my binding but my hands tend to cramp up too much now that I'm a bit older ;)
ReplyDeleteI hardly ever machine a binding. I just don't like it. Blech.
ReplyDeleteI've machine stitched the binding on my siblings quilt and a few cushions that were for children on non-sewers, just to help strengthen them. It never looks as neat as it could, but it is so blinking quick!
ReplyDeleteI tried machine stitching down the binding on the back of a (fortunately non-reversible!) table runner which I was in a rush to finish and made a right mess of it. The corners, in particular, were bloomin' awful! I'll not be trying that again!
ReplyDeleteP.S. I have a Clover unpicker and it's fabulously sharp (and lovely to hold in your hand) - the only thing against it is that it doesn't come with a cover...
I just don't like the look of machine binding. Call me old-fashioned. I do machine bind some batiks because the weave is just so tight that it's a nightmare to get the needle through (which means I rarely sew with batiks) and when I do, I try to remember to make sure my thread color will look good with both the backing and the binding and all that jazz.
ReplyDeleteI did my first lot of binding like this about a month ago on an infinity scarf, it looked so terrible I had to take the whole lot out and start again. Some people swear by it and do it all the time but I won't even bother trying it again.
ReplyDeleteI was a hand stitcher after initially trying machine stitching and failing miserably but I've recently gone back
ReplyDeleteTo it after Lynne posted the fast binding tute. I think it's fab but it wouls depend on the project really. I'd still hand stitch a special quilt.
My machine binding is horrid so I don't do it. I know the hand sewn way takes a long time but I do like that stage. I know it's very popular just now to machine stitch a binding down but I am still not convinced I like the look of it (but don't tell I said that).
ReplyDeletePs I also have a clover unpicked and I really love it. It's just comfy when I spend a lot of time unpicking quilting!!
ReplyDeleteSorry- no brainer. Machine finished once, never again. The hand finish turns every quilt into a little piece of loveliness.
ReplyDeleteI only ever machine bind - there's a few things that make it come out nicer, but blendable thread helps a lot ;o)
ReplyDeleteI really struggle with machine binding too. I want to be able to do it because I think on some quilts it would be perfect, but the perfectionist in me can't let go of anything that's not quite in a straight line. I'm going to try Lynne's machine binding technique on my next quilt but I think I might end up handstitching that too!!!!!
ReplyDeleteOh no how frustrating. I have never machine stitched binding, I think you have to be precise and that's no good for me!!
ReplyDeleteI know I am late to this question. I do both, depending on how much time and the plan for the quilt. I stitch from the front so that on the front you only see a line of stitching in the ditch of the binding. It can look wobbly on the back, but after the first wash it is much better. But the hand stitched binding always looks better and I do that a lot too.
ReplyDeleteI guess the machine binding takes practice like everything else!
ReplyDeleteI dislike the look of machine binding too
ReplyDeleteI love the bright colours in your quilt. I machine bind these days. I'm not fussed by how the binding looks, although I don't like it when the binding is stitched to the back and folded to the front and stitched down. That looks too mass produced to me. But, I just don't have time or inclination to hand bind anymore, so I've been practising machine binding. It's not as nice as hand bound, but I've learned to let go of my perfectionism over the years and setting such high standards for myself. It was stifling!
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