Jaybird Quilts

Friday, June 10, 2011

Binding Curves Tutorial

Binding Tutorial Posts
Perfect Binding	Basics Post #1
Binding Flange	Basics Post #2 - Bias Binding
How to bind curves	Basics Post #3 - Scrappy Bias Binding
How to bind 120° angles
Single Fold Binding (for mini quilts & small projects)
What do you want to know about binding?

1. The first step is to create something with curves. For this tutorial I wanted to show you inner & outer curves so I cut this shape from pre-quilted fabric. It is about 38" long and 10" wide. I drew the curves by using a dinner plate.

2. Prepare bias binding for your project. I have tutorials for basic bias binding or scrappy bias binding that you can follow for this step. Your binding needs to be BIAS when working with curves. The slight stretch will help you ease in and out of the curves.

3. When I sew binding onto straight sides of quilts I use my 1/4" foot. When working with curves I use my walking foot because it helps make it easier around the curves. Before I start sewing I use blue painters tape and a small ruler to set up a 1/4" guide. Place a ruler under the foot and slowly lower the needle onto the 1/4" line. Don't use your machine's foot petal as you are not trying to sew through the ruler. Place the blue tape as shown & remove the ruler.

4. Use clips to hold the binding in place on the front of your project. I clip about 12" at a time.

5. Start sewing the binding in place on an outer curve as shown below. Leave a tail about 8" long loose from the quilt.

6. Slowly sew around the project. Add and remove clips as you go. The key to binding curves is to sew slowly and ease the binding in and out of the curves. The bias will stretch and do what you tell it to! If your project has any corners, follow the directions found here on how to sew them.

Keep sewing until you get 12" to 14" away from where you started. Backstitch and remove the project from your machine.

7. Open the remaining binding and clip the one side around the curve.

8. Open the tail from the beginning in step #5 and clip it in place as well. Draw a line where the bindings meet. Measure 1/2" past that line and trim off the excess binding. {By past I mean 1/2" longer & not 1/2" shorter.} The 1/2" will provide you with the 1/4" seam allowance needed on each end of the binding.

This diagram shows the two drawn lines. The lower one is the exact match and the upper one is 1/2" away.

9. This is what it should look like. Chances are it'll be hard to match up the colors exactly if you have a scrappy binding but as you can see I got lucky with this project.

This diagram shows the binding end once it has been trimmed.

10. Match the cut ends together and pin with the right sides together. It helps to fold the project in half or bunch the area together when doing this part. Sew a 1/4" seam to attach the two ends together & press the seam open.

This diagram shows the binding ends pinned together.

11. Once you sew the ends together it should look like this.

12. Use clips to ease the binding in place around the curve. If you have too much binding you can un-clip and remove more. If you don't have enough you can usually use the stretch of the bias to help. If your measuring was way off and you need more binding you may have to add a piece back in. Take the project to your machine and finish sewing the last 12" to 14" in place.

13. Use the clips to wrap the binding around to the back & hand stitch in place. When working with a scrappy binding I suggest using a thread that matches most of the binding fabrics or choosing a thread that matches the project.

Here is the front and the back finished. Sometimes the binding around curves does not want to lay flat initially. A good press with your iron will fix that.

Here is the finished runner. It matches the placemats I made for Perfect for Precuts.

Note

The clips I used in this tutorial are the new Wonder Clips by Clover. I was lucky enough to get a sample of them at Quilt Market. & they are my new favorite clips. I use them to hold binding in place, when sewing with laminates as well as many other things.

Want to link to this tutorial?

Here is a button you can use.

In addition to this tutorial I have many other binding tutorials.

You can find the links to them at the top of this post.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!

I have more binding tutorials that will be posted as time allows.

:-)

No part of this tutorial may be reproduced without written consent of Jaybird Quilts.

For more information visit http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/

Canton Village Quilt Works Giveaway Winner

It's time to announce the winner of this week's giveaway. A big thanks to Canton Village Quilt Works for sponsoring it!

Robin please contact me with your info!

Thank you to everyone who entered.

For more information visit http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Quilt Binding Basics - Part 3 (Scrappy Bias Binding How-to)

Binding Tutorial Posts
Perfect Binding	Basics Post #1
Binding Flange	Basics Post #2 - Bias Binding
How to bind curves	Basics Post #3 - Scrappy Bias Binding
How to bind 120° angles
Single Fold Binding (for mini quilts & small projects)
What do you want to know about binding?

Binding Basics Post #3

Above you'll find all the links to previous binding posts.

Included in this Post - How to make a scrappy bias binding from leftover pre-cut strips
Up next... how to bind curves!

Have you ever needed to make a bias binding but you don't have enough fabric? I needed to make a bias binding but the only thing I had left that matched was a few jelly roll strips. Now if my project didn't have curves I could have just pieced them together, but since I needed a bias binding I had to come up with another solution.

1. Start by figuring out how many strips you'll need to make your binding. Determine the length of binding you'll need to go around your project. Then follow the formula below/

Binding Length / 40 = X

X + 1 = # of strips you need.

For my project I used 5 leftover jelly roll strips.

2. Sew the strips together with a 1/4" seam and press open. Offset each strip by approximately 2" to avoid waste in cutting.

3. Use the 45° angle on your ruler to trim the ends off of the strip set. If your ruler doesn't have a 45° angle you can use the marks on your cutting mat.

4. Turn the strip around and begin cutting your binding. I cut my strips at 2.25" wide.

5. Continue cutting along the entire strip.

6. Match the ends and sew them with a 1/4" seam. More details are in post #1. Press the seams open. Repeat to create one long strip.

7. Press the strip in half WST to finish the binding.

9. Roll the binding up until you are ready to use it.

This method can also be used with leftover bias binding strips of any length. Make sure the scraps are the same width & piece the ends together as shown in step #6. If some strips are longer & you want a scrappier look, cut them into multiple pieces or create a small strip set as shown in step #2

Coming up next I'll show you how to apply this binding to inner and outer curves.

No part of this tutorial may be reproduced without written consent of Jaybird Quilts.

For more information visit http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/

Monday, June 6, 2011

The "Backing" for the Small size is listed at 2 1/2 Yards. It should be 3 yards.

Biscuit

Some Biscuit patterns were printed without the text directions on page 2. Here are the missing directions.

2. Use the 45° angle on your ruler to cut the end of the strip set at 45° as shown.

3. Rotate your ruler as shown and cut a diamond that is 3 ½” wide. Repeat to cut 8.

Pincushion A - Sewing

1. Place diamonds right sides together into 4 sets making sure that the top points are the same fabrics.

2. Pin & Sew along 2 sides from top to bottom pivoting in the center. Backstitch at the beginning and end of this seam. Repeat with all 4 sets.

Varsity

Direction #4 on page 3 says 8 1/2" where it should say 8" - The diagram is correct.

Traffic

There are a few corrections for the Twin size.

1. Fabric Requirements, It should say 33 and not 27 for the number of Assorted 2 1/2" strips. All other fabric requirements are correct.

2. Page 2, It should say 44 strips and not 36 strips in the first chart.

3. Page 2, It should say 11 strips and not 9 strips in the second chart.

4. Page 3, It should say 42 blocks and not 35 blocks in the first chart.

5. Page 3, It should say 42 blocks and not 35 blocks in the second chart.

The diagram on page 6 as well as all other information for the Twin size is correct.

Merry Grinchmas Free Pattern

Clarification on some questions can be found in this post.

Snack Time

-- Page 5 - It should say 10 strips for the Lap Size in the top chart.

-- Direction #4 on page 5 - It should say each 40" WOF strip will yield 12 triangles. The diagram should also show 12 triangles.

Night Sky

Direction #3 on page 8 should read: Place a background left half triangle and a star point right half triangle together as shown right sides together. The diagram is correct.

Park Bench
Page 30, Cut Background Shapes, Fabric 3 and Fabric 4 should read: Subcut 24 Half Hex at 8 1/2" (From 4 1/2" Strips)

Page 32, Finishing, Step #1 should read "Make backing by cutting backing fabric into two pieces 96” x WOF. Remove selvages and piece them together with a 1/2" seam allowance to create a 80" x 96" backing."

Delight
Back cover of pattern, Ruler or Template: Without the Hex N More ruler, you will need a piece of 9" x 10" and a second piece of 5" x 5" template plastic to make templates from this pattern.

Stereo
Page 2 - It should say 202 for the King size in all places where it says 203.

Comet
Page 2 - It should say 8 ½” x WOF Strips and not 4 ½” x WOF Strips in the chart. The cutting directions above the chart are correct.

If you believe you have found an error in a pattern or have any additional questions please let me know. Any future corrections or updates will be added to this page.

Friday, June 3, 2011

My Kyoko Dress

{this is in no way a sponsored post... patty doesn't even know i'm posting this today}

Right before market Patty Young announced that she was releasing her wildly famous kids Kyoko Dress as an adult pattern. Her tweets & post got my attention right away and I sent her a message to see If the pattern would be in before market so I could make one. The dresses & shirts looked great and looked like something I could make.

What Patty Didn't Know

1. I'm not a garment sewer... at all.

2. I didn't think I'd actually be able to make the dress.

3. When Patty asked "How fast can you sew?" I replied... "I've done a quilt start to finish in a day." ...and in the back of my head I was thinking "...but who knows how long it'll take to make this"

4. I had very very unsuccessfully tried to make a dress that was similar to this & that pattern was written so badly that the ~~ball of fabric~~ dress is shoved in a box somewhere. I wanted the Kyoko pattern so I'd know once and for all if the first failure was due to the pattern or if I'd never be able to make clothes.

In ONE DAY I was able to make this.

I did all of the sewing myself! My mother, who has made many clothes was very very impressed with it and the fact that I did it by myself.

Fabric is Pick a Bunch by Nancy Mims

Ribbon is by Patty Young

The Pattern is FANTASTIC.

1. Full size pattern pieces.

2. Lots of color diagrams and photos.

3. Tips on sewing with knit or woven. I made mine from woven and love the result... but the pattern is so good & easy to put together that I see a knit Kyoko in my future too.

My Kyoko got quite the workout at Market.

Chances are if you saw me on Thursday you saw my Kyoko.

Here I am at Nancy Mims schoolhouse in the morning.

I wore just the dress... which happened to perfectly match the bag Joan made me.

Thank you to Natalie for the photo.

Later in the day I wore it to the Kyoko fashion show at Patty Young's schoolhouse.

This time I wore it with dark skinny jeans and flats.

More photos on Patty's Blog.

My schoolhouse was directly after Patty's... which means I wore my Kyoko for my schoolhouse.

You can check out some of the schoolhouse that Joan & I did!

The Robert Kaufman crew loved my dress so much that they put it in their booth for market. I didn't tell them ahead of time that I was making it in case the result was a total mess!

So if you have been thinking of making this dress or you are a quilter who wants to tackle a dress... I say go for it.
Kyoko is available through many online and local quilt shops. Here are a few links to get you started.Fat Quarter ShopPink Chalk Fabrics