Sometimes it is the little things that can really make life easier. I am guessing that many people might already know about this quick tip and employ it regularly, but I have to say that when I thought of it and used it on Sunday afternoon it made my life so much easier. Prior to sewing my binding down to the front of my quilt, I laid it out and pinned it in place. It wasn’t rocket science… but with a quilt that is 101-inches wide by 118.75-inches long… it made it so much easier for me to work with!
Large Quilt Binding Wrangling Tip: Pin Binding in Place!
I wanted to make sure that the red stayed approximately centered at the top of the quilt, but I knew that I would be starting to sew down the binding on the bottom edge in the purple. So I started by pinning the center of the red down first, and then working backwards down each side. I pinned at the seam for each binding strip and in the middle of each binding strip.
Pinning Binding
After the fact, I realized that my Clover Clips would have been even more handy (I did not pin very often because I did not want to accidentally stab myself as I worked with the large quilt).
I probably still won’t use this technique for smaller quilts, but it really helped ease how difficult it was to maneuver this large quilt around when I was sewing the binding down.
Linking up to Tips and Tutorials Tuesday (button to the right).
I can see how pinning would come in really handy for placing the binding especially when trying to match the colours – this is turning out beautifully!
Sometimes it’s the little things that make a big difference . Less haste more speed as they say
I often do something similar just to make sure that the joins on my binding do not land PRECISELY on a corner where the bulk will be a problem.
Love the rainbow binding!
So glad you mentioned the Wonderclips! That’s exactly what I would have gone for in this situation! Have you ever tried glue basting? Also very effective… though it would be a pain on a project this size!
Beautiful quilt!
This is also a great way to make sure your binding join seams don’t fall at the corners of your quilt top.
Your quilt looks great – very graphic but also great texture. I hope your clients like it!
Just like Carla noted above, I often do this to make sure binding joins don’t land at a corner. But I use my clover clips 🙂 Pinning is just so….. prickly! 🙂 This is a great tip, especially when you have a scrappy binding with features that you want to land in the exact right spot!
Thank you for the binding tip. The quilt is beautiful!
Woohoo! Almost finished 🙂 I just hate pinning but have to admit, the bigger the quilt is the more necessary it is to do it. I am also a fan of glue basting but in a project this size…. ugh! Although if you did one side at a time it might not be too bad. And yes to the Wonder Clips! I recently purchased some and they really do take the prickly out of that pinning business 🙂
Sounds like a great plan for getting the binding right where you want it. I love the sneak peek and am so looking forward to more pictures!!!
Great tip, I do lay out my binding on my quilt to make sure none of the seams wind up in the corners but then I just pin it at the beginning spot and reroll the binding back up. I will have to try this.
It just gets better with every post! The binding looks fantastic – even better with the planning and pinning.
I think every little tip works differently for different projects. I was wondering why you didn’t have binding clips and thought I’d need to send you some… but then you said it yourself… haha. I actually enjoy pinning vs. using the clips, but the clips are dangerous! I prefer pinning on small projects though. I have a binding I wanted to put on and be in a certain place at times, and I didn’t think of starting the pinning elsewhere rather than where I began. Thanks for the thought!
I love how it’s looking, that binding works so well. And yes, although I hate pinning, there are times when it’s definitely worth doing!
Such a great tip! I actually wouldn’t have enough clover clips to do a quilt this size. And I don’t think I ever would have thought of pinning if I hadn’t read this post. You’ve made me less afraid of putting on a binding that has to line up just right with the rest of the quilt design. I’ve seen other people do this so beautifully, but worried that I wouldn’t be able to do it accurately. Thanks so much for linking up to Tips and Tutorials Tuesday!!
Good tip! I think I’m always so anxious to get the binding on and see the finished project that I skip right to stitching on the binding. I can see how pinning it on would be really helpful for big projects, though!