Rita, I do the same as you - machine stitch the front and hand stitch the back. I've tried machine stitching both sides and can't get results I'm happy with.

Donna

Yep, I'm in the same line. Machine stitch to the front (where I can see!!) and then hand stitch to the back (where I can also see and control!). Hand stitching is very soothing to me, sometimes. I wonder why I am so afraid to try to hand quilt!???

I have always done what you gals do, stitch to the front, hand stitch to the back. However, Mr. Arthur Itis is playing havoc with my hands and fingers. And since my quilts nowadays, are donation quilts that I expect will be well used and washed, I have been trying to machine sew those bindings. It takes a bit of practice, but I am satisfied with the last two I have done. Binding sewn to the back, brought to the front and stitched on the binding.

Having said this, I do have the two DGGD quilts which I will hand sew.

Theresa

I do the same as all of you: machine sew on the front, hand sew on the back.

Depending on the batting, I often do a large zigzag around the trimmed quilt. Especially with Fatt Batt, like for play mats, it prevents the backing folding back, which I’ve had happen before.

I just realized there's a quilting forum here! I do binding different ways. I always machine bind baby/kid's quilts because I assume they will be washed and drug around more. My favorite method for this is to first sew binding on the front, then press all the way around, pressing to create the mitered corners as well. Then I flip the quilt over, and press the corners from the back securing them in place with clover binding clips. Then I use the clips on one side at a time, as I machine stitch from the front again, in the ditch between top and binding, with a bobbin thread to match the binding and top thread to match the top. It catches the binding evenly on the back, and after washing is invisible from the front. I've been doing all quilts this way lately, and I like the look of the skinnier binding toward the front. When I stitch the back, then flip and stitch the front down, it can cut off my points if I don't have a border.

Welcome, Elleewa. Glad to have you on board. On almost all my quilts these days, I sew the binding onto the back, then turn it to the front and top stitch. I hate hand sewing the binding, and I'm afraid I'd never finish a quilt if I did it that way. I usually use a 2.25" binding, but with minky backing, I use a 2.5" binding. I know it doesn't look as good as hand sewing to the back, but I think it is definitely more durable, and that's how I justify it. LOL

If I was doing charity quilts that needed to get done quickly, I'd probably sew both sides by machine. I just can't get it to be where I want it on the other side and I don't like looking at a stitch line on the binding, especially if it wanders in and out of the ditch.

I'm with you, Lois! I sew mine on the back, then iron, flip and sew on the top. I don't always, but often do the faux piping, so that makes it an easy way to sew on the top. I usually use 2.5" binding and think my machine sewing is better than my hand stitching!

Sue

For my charity quilts, it's all machine. For gifts for family and friends, I hand sew on the back.

Lois and Sue...I'm with you. I sew on the back and then flip it to the front. I recently switched to cutting my binding strips to 2.25" and it works out better with machine sewn binding. Also, I sometimes use a decorative stitch on the front and especially like using a blanket stitch. The machine sewn binding I find is much more durable than hand stitching no matter how close and tiny those stitches were sewn. Is the back perfect, no, but it improves with each quilt and the quilt police haven't ticketed me yet !

I hand sew the back side of the binding, too. The exception was the quilts the kids did for donation. I just machine sewed those. We had a deadline to get them done before Christmas for the presentation.

I'm surprised at how many people hate to bind a quilt. I enjoy the hand sewing. One of our local quilt shops said they charge 30 cents an inch to machine bind (and didn't sound like they really wanted to do it).

My cousin has arthritis in her hands, so she says she machine binds, but usually her quilts usually end up being UFOs for a long time.

My elderly quilting friend just took her quilt to another shop to be machine bound and it was $53.00 for a full size quilt. It had not been squared up or trimmed, though. It was a top that had been a UFO for years that she wanted to get finished. It was really pretty. It was a Texas Star. I'm glad she got it finished. Between the longarming and the binding, it probably cost her $200.00.

This is not an inexpensive hobby.

bkay

I am with the majority here too. I have done a few charity baby quilts all by machine but I'm never completely happy with the results.