Binding Firsts!!!

Last night was "Jen's Patched Works Party" at Patched Works in Elm Grove.  I decided to attend since I had never been to one and also because I had finished a Christmas present in which I was going to have to use a bias binding and I had never done that before.  Rather than try it on my own, I decided to enlist the help of two of the best quilting teachers I know, Jen and Diane. 

Jen helped me fold my fabric so that I could cut my 2 1/2 inch strips for binding and then showed me her neat way to sew the binding together so that the seam is spread out over more area.  It was a little tough at first to grasp and I ending up sewing 1/2 the binding together wrong!  So what else is new! :)  The seam ripper came out and the binding was fixed in no time.  Next came sewing on the binding, which was an adventure in itself!

Now this Christmas present was mostly a circle, and I had never sewn a binding on a circle before.  The binding when on quite well, with only a few tough spots.  Up next, another first...to machine sew the binding to the front!

Yikes, was I nervous about this step.  I had never done this and was dreading it.  With some encouragement from Jen and instructions from Diane I set out to accomplish this task.  Once I learned Diane's handy trick using an awl for pulling the fabric to just the right place, the binding when on with no real problems.  Stitched in the ditch and everything! 

I am so grateful to Jen and Diane for all their instruction and help in these two binding firsts!

No pictures today as it is a Christmas present, but once the gift is given I will be sure to add some!!!