More Thrifty Quilting Tips

Hello everyone!

I'm slowly getting my newest plus quilt completed. All that is left to do is hand sewing the binding on. Hopefully, that will only take a couple of days and I will be able to post pictures of the completed quilt next week. In the meantime, I have a couple of tips for you today. 

The first tip is finishing the quilt edges before binding. Once my quilt is quilted I trim it and then (here's the tip) I take it back to the sewing machine and stitch around the quilt edge to keep all the layers intact. I find that this helps me with the binding. 

Here are two pictures of what I do.

Sometimes I use a straight stitch and sometimes I use a zig-zag stitch though the zig-zag stitch does use up more thread.

The next tip is actually one of my favorites and I am so glad that I started doing it.  I use Elmer's Washable School Glue in many quilting steps.

When I first started quilting I was 'told' to use pins or Clover Quilting Clips. I found the pins hard to use and the Clover Clips were way more money than I wanted to spend though I was able to find some at a discount. But I still didn't like using them because I thought they just made the binding process that more difficult.

Then one day I was on Pinterest or just searching the web (don't remember which) and I found an article/blog that talked about using glue to hold the binding down. The next time I was at the store I brought some glue and I haven't looked back. I love it!!!

Not only do I use it for the binding but I also use it to attach labels to the quilts. 

Here are a bunch of pictures of the processes.

glue on the back of a label

                        

 

The back of the quilt 

               

How to apply quilt binding with glue:

Once you have sewn the binding to the front of your quilt take your quilt over to your ironing board.

I like to press the binding seam away from the quilt top (helps the fabric flip to the back) and clip my corners as well as make sure all the quilt is under the binding.

Then I turn the quilt over to the back side and apply a line of glue just above the stitch line or seam line of the quilt back. (Glue will make the fabric stiff which will make it more difficult to hand sew the binding down if you glue behind the seam line).

Fold the binding down in the section you glued, then set the glue with a hot, dry iron. Work around the perimeter and then you're done. I use a few Clover Clips on the corners and a few along the perimeter just to make sure it stays flat.

I don't quilt my binding by machine because I don't like the look of the stitching but if you do now you don't have to worry about the clips or pins getting in the way.

And the best time to buy the glue is during back to school shopping when you can usually get school glue on sale.

I hope you give these tips a try and let me know what you think.

Thanks for stopping by...

Camille