How to Keep Your Binding Strips Under Control

After a request from a friend, I broke this information out from a longer post about making bias binding (https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-to-make-striped-bias-binding-for-your-next-quilt). Now it will be easier to find! Enjoy!

I have this trick for keeping the binding strip at bay while sewing it to the quilt. I saw how the lady at Joann's wrapped up a long length of lace and the light bulb went on - I could do that for binding too! I hold the tail with my pinkie and ring finger and wrap the binding around my pointer and middle finger in a clockwise direction.

I then wrap the binding around my thumb in a counterclockwise direction and repeat. You'll be making a figure 8 pattern between your fingers and thumb.

Keep going until you've wrapped up the entire length of binding.

Now you put a loose rubber band around the bundle of binding (this one was a little too loose and the rubber band fell off too soon). Use the bundle from the inside, pulling the binding out as needed while you sew the binding to your quilt. I keep the bundle in my lap or loosely held between my knees. It sure helps keep that long length of binding under control!

I hope you found this tutorial for taming a large bundle of binding interesting and/or helpful. 

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Happy Quilting!

Elaine