I did some simple piecing, then appliqued a mug rather wonkily onto the front. I quilted lines in it and was actually pretty pleased with the quilting, no snags or wobbly bits at all.
And then came the binding. Mistake one was to choose the most horrible fabric ever. I don't even know what it is, it's cotton but thicker and softer. It's also very fray-ey.
Look how rubbish that is. I sewed it on the front by machine, then hand sewed it onto the back. Wow, am I crap at binding.
I mean, look at that. How shit is that?
And that is even shitter. Mistake two was not joining the ends correctly, just folding and sewing, creating a massive lump in the binding and resulting in me hacking away at the seam allowance.
Creating these unsightly lumps.
Mistake number 3? Me attempting binding at all. I really don't know what I'm doing. There are a million tutorials out there and I've read every one, but they all focus on making the binding and sewing it into long strips. I can do that bit! No one goes into any detail about the next bit. It's a case of "sew the binding on", then they tell you how to do the corners, which I can also do. Not that it's obvious from these monstrosities.
I did make one more presents for the dads. They worked out a bit better, but I'm yet to package them and I'm bound to bugger that up!
11 comments:
there is always a learning curve in every sewing technique you do. and a million tutorials.....
it all comes down to working out what works for you
Oh dear! This link is the one that really helped me with binding. http://pir8.freeservers.com/quilting/ending-double-fold-binding/index.htm
I have to say I never handsew the back, I always use the machine.
If you hadn't shown a close up photo, we'd never have known. I do like the mug rug fabric choice, the quilting and the coffee cup looks great.
at least you give it a go.... I do binding the same way as Shevvy has linked.... it's a bit fiddly at first but once you get it works like magic.... smaller items are definitely more challenging to do... but a great read as always!
Hugz
umm...oh. yeah, yikes. i use this tutorial: http://www.quilterscache.com/StartQuiltingPages/startquiltingfive.html
This Purlbee tutorial for binding a wool blanket is what I used for my first quilt and it really helped me. They really simplify the project which is nice :)
http://www.purlbee.com/luxurious-wool-blanket/
I do my binding the same way as you I think - machine sew on the front and handstitch at the back. It is a bit fiddly though and I've never really got to grips with it properly!
I don't think the dads will mind - they'll just be pleased you made them something. I love the little mugs :o)
Haha, I made my sister a quiet book...about 14 years ago, probably. I had to do binding. I've avoided it like the plague ever since.:)
Oh no, binding is a bit of a pig isn't it? I've just done a workshop to learn how to do it and it's not straight forward. Yours is almost there and from the first photos looks fine. I think your choice of fabric might be the problem, don't give up just keep trying but with a different fabric.
Hugs
Kandi x
Here's the tutorial I used to learn how to end binding -http://pir8.freeservers.com/quilting/ending-double-fold-binding/index.htm -- and I see Shevvy beat me to the punch - it's a GREAT method, and after the first few times (where I was very nervous and referred to the tutorial about 17 times during construction, lol) it finally CLICKED what I was doing! It works better on larger projects, though - it would be great on placemats or to bind the edges of totes! For mug rugs what about using the foldover method, where you cut the backing an inch wider on all sides than the front, then double fold to make self-binding?
Boy, do I sympathize. My binding tends to be crap too. But recently I've made a couple of crib quilts to donate, and wanted to machine bind them. This tutorial helped a TON. I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out, and she DOES explain the tricky bit you're having trouble with.
http://www.swimbikequilt.com/2011/10/machine-binding-tutorial.html
Good luck!
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