Perfect continuous fabric strips for quilt binding and piping!

I have made many pillows in my day and I almost always add piping.  I especially love scrappy piping!!  
               
Scrappy Piping   /ˈskra-pē/ /pahy-ping/ ,  noun
1.  Short pieces of a variety of fabric prints and colors sewn together into one long strip then wrapped and sewn around cording. 

And now that I am quilting I need to make continuous strip bindings (which I have also done "scrappy style").

 

However, this one sewing skill has left me frustrated pretty much every time.  My problem was I could never attach them so they are perfectly lined up without a lot of attempts.  They are usually off by at least 1/8th of an inch which ends up being on both sides  And for both quilt binding and piping you really need nice even sides (or at least I do) which means I have done a lot of unsewing!  I had googled for tutorials but never came up with the one that fixed my problem.  So when my wonderful quilting instructor showed me this trick I was more than thrilled!!  Now I want to share it here so if someone has been incessantly searching for the way to "perfect" continuous binding they can conclude their search here.

 

Perfect Continuous Fabric Strip for Binding and Piping

 

1. Cut your strips to however wide you need them.  It will depend on your piping size or your quilt binding needs.  Mine were 2" wide. 

 

2.  On your mat find the area that is a half inched square with 45 degree lines. 

We are going to be using the area where the two opposite 45 degree lines intersect.  The red arrows are marking the spot. 

 

3.  One very important tip....do this while standing up and looking directly over your mat.  Like airplane view? Sky view?  Well...  I'm sure you know what I mean.  Now lay your first strip right side up lined up horizontally along the top line of that angled  square.  Leaving approximately a 1/2 inch overlap. 

 

 

 

4.  The second strip will be wrong side up and lined up against the vertical line leaving approximately a 1/2 inch overlap.  Pin the top right corner making sure to leave enough space for your sewing foot to get through. 

 

 

5.  Take a ruler (I recommend a smaller one as it is easier to handle) and line it up on the 45 degree angle.  Make sure the ruler is lined up perfectly with the angled line and the corners that are formed from the half inch overlaps.  Use a marking pen and draw a line. 

 

 

6.  Remove the ruler and pin the lower left side.  Again, make sure you leave enough space between pins to get your sewing foot through as you do not want to and shouldn't have to remove pins. 

 

 

7.  Now take it to your machine and sew!!  You could do as many strips as you needed before taking it to the machine.  Just make sure you don't get the right sides and wrongs sides mixed up!  Once you have sewed, trim the seam to a 1/4 inch and trim the triangles off the sides.  Press seam open!!  This is important for perfect line up and also for no bulk in your seams. 

 

8.  Wa-la!  Perfect!  Eeeee!  I am one of those people that get just a little too excited when something is perfect.  Hopefully those of you like me, who like a little perfection now and then, will get as excited as I do over this!  Hope it helps!! 

 

 

 

Toodles!! 

 

 

 



Getting Ready for Camp Stitchalot!!

Seriously excited about going to camp!!

Me!! I get to go to summer camp this year...woo,hoo!

I get three days of quilting and sewing till my eyeballs glaze over.
I get to rub shoulders with quilting celebrities and learn fabulous quilty stuff from them.
I get to hang out with people that get excited about the same things I do...like fabric and patterns and stitches.

Even though I am going all by my little ol' self and have to have a roommate assigned to me, I am seriously excited!  

So today I have spent quite a bit of time on various websites ordering fabric to get ready for my projects.  Our main project will be to learn the various modern quilting techniques taught during camp time so I was in search for the perfect fabrics for this.  While I think we were supposed to go with solids, I just can't resist the beautiful "stash" type fabrics out there.  As soon as my fabrics come in I will post them. 

My second priority will be a quilt for my teenage son.  He actually requested a quilt for his bed!!  I was given strict parameters of black, gray and bachelor pad like.  I selected this herringbone pattern and I have the fabrics on order. 

The rest of my projects will come from my pile of "projects to get to".  I hope to have a lot to show when I return.  But before I get to go to camp I have to get my son ready and off to camp.  So I best stop fabric lusting shopping and start taking care of business. 

 

Toodles!

 

My first fresh attempt...

After way too much deliberation, procrastination, insecurity and intimidation of technology and all the Ah-maz-ing bloggers in this great big world I, Michelle, have decided to "Just Do It" as Nike says.  So here is my first fresh attempt at blogging. 

What finally made me do it?

I want to meet people that love the same things I love.  I have great real life friends.  I mean I am blessed with awesome real life friends!  They all have fabulous taste and ooze with talent but they don't love sewing and crafting as much as I do.  So I am blogging and hoping to connect with others that love the crafty addiction. 

The second reason is accountability.  I tend to put the stuff that feeds my soul off for the other busy things in life.  Many of those things are my priorities and will remain so but some could be rearranged, delegated, or just not done in order to do the things that reenergize me.  So my hope is that this blog keeps me accountable to complete projects and enjoy every minute of it!

One more reason, I am in the process of learning how to sew and quilt.  I am at the beginning of the process of really perfecting some things and attempting others for the first time.  I have always been a "never look back" kind of person and now that I have reached middle age (eww) I realize that I actually WANT to record my progress (at least in this area).  I want to be able to look back and see how far I have come, where I was and where I am now. 

So here it begins!  A record of my Fresh Attempts at the crafty life...

About Me

Hi There!  Welcome to the documentation of my attempts at the journey of sewing!  I am in a new phase of life with older children and a little more time to explore my interests (woot,woot!).  Even though I was sewing Barbie clothes at the age of 10 and sewing goodies for whatever home we were residing in, I have never really learned the true skills of sewing.  So, in the last couple of years, I have found myself blissfully lost in the world of sewing blogs, sewing classes, fabric stores and my sanctuary...my sewing room!   I just can't learn fast enough!   I am beginning this blog as a means of documenting my projects and growth and hoping to "rub shoulders" with the Ah-MAZ-ing bloggers I have been stalking for the last couple years!  I don't have many "real life" friends that sew so please introduce yourself...I want some sewing friends! :)  And if you are new to sewing, please join me on the journey! 

Toodles!
    Michelle