Finishing 1–on long strips
My "BIG" quilt project is almost done. I'm going to finish the edge with piping and binding. I need about 10 yards (360") of 1 1/8" green for the piping. I'll repeat from brown with wider strips for the binding.
I thought some of you might like some tips on how I approach finishing a big quilt. Stretching is the enemy when binding something you want to hang straight and square on the wall.
So here are some things I do.
building the piping...
- I cut the strips on the lengthwise grain of the fabric. (less stretch)
- Next I want to sew all of the strips together with a diagonal seam (less bulk)
- So I line the ends up at right angles (90) and sew across from A to B at (45)
- Lay the strip away from the sewing area and then fold back on itself to keep from getting twisted..that way you'll always be sewing the seam on the same side of fabric as the last seam. (does that make sense?)
- Keep sewing seams diagonally until all strips are joined (a long piece)
- Next I clip the threads and press open the seams, then trim both sides of seam allowance to 1/4" or so.
Now we have a really long strip of 1 1/8" green to be folded and piping cord inserted
Here it is with piping cord inside but untrimmed.