Friday 1 February 2013

Invisible Binding?


I had a sudden burst of energy last night and got on with cutting, attaching and hand finishing the binding for Singing the Blues. I had an idea in mind, but wasn't sure I could execute it properly or that it would look good in actuality. What I wanted was a binding that didn't really show, blended into the quilt top and didn't give a defined edge to it. The obvious answer was to bind it in white. Which is what I did, with just a little tweak here and there.


Where the pluses touch the edge of the quilt I matched the binding to the plus fabric. It was easier than I thought it would be, though it did feel strange joining binding strips without the right angle. The only thing I would change if I was to do it again was to trim the quilt by a quarter of an inch all round before binding so that the added colour in the binding didn't distort the shape of the pluses that it matches up to.


This quilt isn't perfect, but it makes me so happy. I learned a lot in the making of it. Especially about straight line quilting close together. I have ripped out much of the original quilting and restitched it but made myself stop. This quilt is what it is, and I like its wrinkles, crinkles and bumps. A bit like how I view myself.

I especially like my shots of colour in amongst the blues.


The original basis for this quilt were the ten inch squares sent as an extra to me from Toni in the Love of Solids Swap last year. She seems to have stopped blogging but her work can be found on Flickr here. I hoarded the fabric she sent until I was certain of what I wanted to do. I then added more blues of my own, and the orange solid - and this is the quilt I made. I pieced together several bits of wadding to use in this, and raided the linen cupboard for the back. I just used a white sheet that was of no use because we no longer have a bed in the same size.


I have documented my learning curve in straight line quilting in earlier posts. I used my go to for everything favourite Aurifil 50w 2021 to piece and for the top quilting, and on the back I used Aurifil 50w orange 2150.  95% of this quilt was made with stash, scraps and stuff I already owned. I like that.


The final measurements for Singing the Blues is 42" x 50". Not big, I know, but maybe a good size to hang on my dining/sewing room wall.

Susan

57 comments:

  1. Wow good looking quilt and I love the binding detail...very clever!

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  2. Wow, excellent, I LOVE this quilt! I love that the +'s don't cover the entire quilt and I especially love the orange + in the bottom corner. Your binding is brilliant! I would have thought it would have been much more difficult!
    ~ Tabatha at BendingPins.com ~

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  3. Oh my goodness, the matching binding thingy is genius! I love me an invisible binding but have only really seen it before on blankets. I love this quilt Susan and the story of where the fabrics came from reminds me of the FTLOS swap, which was such a great swap. Yes, hang it on the wall of your dinig room - it's perfect.

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  4. That is fabulous susan, I am really impressed at your patience in getting it all to match up, and i can't believe it was only 4 hours to do the binding with all that messing. Brilliant job, well done! : )

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  5. Bigger is not always better! It looks fabulous! I love the binding and how the pluses extend into the very edges! Great finish!

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  6. It's a lovely quilt Susan, I'm all for the smaller ones.
    I cant believe how well you matched the cross binding bit!!
    I learn with each quilt, one day I'll make the perfect quilt!
    xx

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  7. Your quilt looks great. I love the non symmetrical placing of the +'s and the splashes of colour. I personally struggle with non symmetrical patterns (borderline OCD I think!!!). The binding idea is great - attention to detail, well done. Sarah

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  8. Oh wow I love this, the matching binding is fabulous. It is going to look amazing hanging on your wall.

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  9. Great job sweets, your binding is ideal, and dont fuss bout the extra 1/2" on the pluses, its barely visible to someone trying to find it never mind someone that wouldnt know better. Tis wonderful!

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  10. I love what you did with the binding. How dd you match up the colours? Great quilt.

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  11. I adore it! I really like the way the pluses stretch towards the edge, as though they want to grab hold. I think it makes it look more dynamic than if you had chopped off the edge and made the binding + pluses the same size as all the other pluses.

    The colours are great and really I do love that orange stitching on the back. What a shame it will be hidden on the wall.

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  12. Great looking quilt Susan, and great finish! It combines some of my favourite things, + blocks and straight line quilting. I do love how the colour blocks pop out. And what a great idea for binding.

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  13. Seeing your finished quilt has brightened my day! (I have the flu so no sewing for me) Well done on the invisible binding, you have executed it perfectly :o)

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  14. I love the quilt and I think you're brilliant! I very much enjoyed reading about how it all came together - well done, bravo, kudos, etc.!!!!!! :)

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  15. This quilt is so fresh and bright.
    You have been clever with the bindind. I would never have thought of that.
    I love close quilting. You probably don't remember my Elf boots, but htey were close quilted. I do mine by hand but one day I'm sure I'll be good enough to do them on the machine.
    Polly
    xx

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  16. I usually only swear on bad days but this could make me say "beepy genius"! Love the invisible idea - not sure I'd have the patience to work out how to get the coloured bits to make up to the blocks, but the effort was really worth it Susan.

    Quick question - the aurifil you use, is it the green spool or the orange?

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  17. Love it!! The binding is the perfect touch and it has been great learning along with you :)

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  18. Oooh, how clever! Looks amazing!

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  19. Susan it's just perfect! A wonderful example of a simple block used in a very unique & individual way & changing the binding colour to match the crosses is a stroke of genius.
    I love it!

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  20. It really is wonderful! I love how you bound it and I aim for the kind of texture your quilting added. It would look excellent on your dining room wall, I hope you hang it up today.

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  21. So nicely done, Susan! Your binding looks spectacular, and the quilting turned out beautifully after all the problems you had!

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  22. I just LOVE it, and if it doesn't fit your wall, or you decide you don't like it after all, I know a VERY good home for it!!!! xx

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  23. it's fab, and I am well impressed with the accuracy of your binding bits!

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  24. Wow, it's gorgeous and I love how you bound it. Fancy being so clever to match up those + bits!
    Love the quilting the bestest.

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  25. Wow! Turned out brilliantly! And well done for matching up that clever binding! You should definitely hang this one up on the wall! Jxo

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  26. Such a lovely finish. I love the binding detail and the way the pink, orang and yellow really pop.

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  27. Such a lovely finish. I love the binding detail and the way the pink, orang and yellow really pop.

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  28. It looks amazing! You are one clever cookie :)

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  29. This quilt turned out gorgeous! Congratulations!

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  30. Wow! You did a great job of that binding! I just made binding for a quilt I haven't quilted yet that I wanted "invisible binding" for… (easy enough to make ahead when the entire quilt is made of 3" units.) I hope it turns out as good as this one did. Unfortunately, until I get my courage up to quilt it, I won't know. :-)

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  31. Love the accuracy of those colours matching on the binding, you are clever!

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  32. this quilt is so smart and lovely. I really like what you did with the binding and I have learned a lot from watching you "learn" while making this quilt. xoxo

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  33. Love, love, love it. The binding is just inspired. Di x

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  34. It looks absolutely fabulous - and what a great idea with the binding, it is just perfect

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  35. Absolutely Fabulous. Love the colours, love the binding, love that the pluses don't go to the edge, love the orange thread on the back. Lurve it all. Well done that lady :)

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  36. Oh my, it's fabulous!! You're a genius! #true

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  37. dont let me hear you say its not perfect, It is perfect, perfect for you, perfect for your wall, perfect binding! Fabulous!

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  38. It is amazing. End of story.

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  39. WOW! I love this. The colors are so vibrant, love the odd warm colored crosses! And the binding is very cool! I'm just about to start working on another cross quilt myself. I never tire of them.

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  40. It looks great, Susan! I am totally impressed with that binding. I am not sure i believe you that it wasn't that hard to do. Did you sew part on to the quilt and then piece in the color and go on until you got near the next colored part? I hope you post a picture when you have it hanging in your sewing room (that you sometimes eat in).

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  41. Wow Susan I am in love with your quilt, the colours, the quilting, the binding - all wonderful1

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  42. Stunning! I LOVE what you did with the binding!

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  43. That is a brilliant, graphic quilt to hang on the wall! I love what you did with the binding and that you used fabric you had. I am in a 'use what you've got' phase and it's feeling fantastic!

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  44. Fab job on the binding, I keep thinking I'll try that and then chicken out!

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  45. Looks fabulous....that distortion just adds a little wonderful quirkiness.

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  46. I love it Susan, really fabulous. The quilting is beautiful.

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  47. This is such a successful Quilt, Susan. Congratulations... thankyou for giving us the journey, warts and all!

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  48. Wow! That looks great! I love the "invisible" binding. It really works with the style of the quilt.

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  49. This idea is pure genius Susan. I wonder that I haven't seen it before. I think you're about to start a quilt trend! You clever girl you!

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  50. Holy crap this is gorgeous! I can't believe it is done and so quickly! I am in droolville... Also, I am all about Flying Blind's sentiments "genie-arse" indeed!

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