Wow! We are in the final week of our quilt along. Week 6 also means that we are a matter of days away from Christmas. Gulp.
I certainly do not remember asking for bronchitis for Christmas but that's what I've got and I'm scrounging up the energy just to get going each day. :( I had grand plans to do a binding by hand tutorial but aching and coughing aren't the perfect match for sitting still and hand sewing.
So I'll probably go back and re-do this post later but for now, in case you are ready to bind your quilt I'm going to give you some links to tutorials that I have written and also two others that I have used a lot and know that they are great:
My tutorial on cutting bias strips and binding a quilt with rounded corners
My tutorial on attaching your binding completely by machine
Mary of Tulip Patch fame and her life changing pocket binding tutorial {it really is!}
Crazy Mom Quilts and her fabulous binding by hand tutorial {this is the tutorial I originally learned from}
Sometimes I think that the binding step can be the most neglected step in the quilting process. We cut our fabric precisely... pin and make our points match... baste with no wrinkles... agonize over how to quilt the thing and then slap on the binding to just get the darn quilt done. ;)
So don't rush this process because it can make your quilt look polished if done with care or it can end up detracting from your beautiful quilt if done with little thought. However, there's no such thing as perfect so don't go getting all uptight on me either... just do your best!
What fabric should you use for your binding? Hmmm... there are several ways to choose.
Maybe you want a scrappy binding using all the leftover fabric from your quilt top. I love a scrappy binding!
Maybe you want it to blend in with your quilt. If so, then stick with the solid from your quilt top or a low contrast color.
Or maybe you want it to frame your quilt. If that's the case then go with a high contrast color or print.
Want something in between? My personal favorite is a striped binding... you will most likely have to cut a bias binding but don't let that scare you off. My tutorial above makes it really easy! But if you want to cheat, find a plaid or argyle print because a lot of those can give you that striped look without cutting bias strips.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me, comment here or post in our Flickr group. We will have a show off day on Monday, January 16th where we can all share our finished quilts. I can't think of a better way to start a crafty 2012 off than with a finished quilt! More details to come...
Have fun with your binding... I'll be thinking of you while buried under a quilt trying to get better before Christmas!