Free Tutorial - Machine Binding!

Have you ever tried sewing on bindings by machine?

{I mean totally by machine...no hand-stitching at all!}

Up until recently I had never attempted machine binding.

For some reason it intimidated me...a lot.

At the same time, I wanted to make a really neat finish on small projects like mug rugs and table runners and hot pads.

I happened upon this fantastic free tutorial

over at You Go, Girl!

She calls her tutorial the "No-Snit Binding Tutorial"...

Photo from You Go, Girl! tutorial for No-Snit Binding Tutorial

The first time I tried this tutorial, I knew I was onto something.

I drive a Pfaff 2040 sewing machine, so my settings needed to be slightly

different from those in the no-snit tutorial.

I've made some changes in measurements for cutting and for stitching,

and now I'm really happy with my results every time!

{Unlock Your Dreams for swap with The Patchsmith}

If you'd like to try machine binding,

I've put together my own free machine binding tutorial for you!

It's available in a PDF file here!

{Scotties and Westies - Pattern by The Patchsmith}

While I've got your attention,

I'd like to say a word about selecting fabrics for binding.

When I made my Scotties and Westies Mug Rug,

I auditioned several fabrics, then narrowed it down to two choices.

I really wanted to use this one, because I love the way it looks 

with the dog print on the back.

However, there was a lack of contrast when I checked it with the front.

This fabric looked great on both sides,

so it was hired on the spot!

I'll close with some more examples of my machine binding,

made with the technique in my free tutorial.

I love to use stripes for bindings.  When it's not a curved project,

you can just use binding that's been cut on the straight grain.

{That makes the stripes look so perfect!}

{Delilah for swap with The Patchsmith}

 For projects with curves or rounded edges,
you will need to cut the binding on the bias.

{I really love the way the gingham came out when I cut it on the bias!}

{Zakka Style Pot Holders}

If you practice a few times, you will grow confident with your
machine binding abilities!

{Tufted Tweets}

I like my machine binding to be the same way I like people to be...

not perfect, but very nice!

{Tufted Tweets}

For my last example, I'm showing you the first mug rug I ever
used machine binding for,
and I'm so proud of it!

{I used it for my blog header!}

{Botanika and Linen}

 Machine binding is one of the reasons 
I love making mug rugs.

Come back soon to see more projects with machine binding!