Welcome 🙂
I’ve just spent quite a few frustrating days trying to find some fabric to match another one I used for THE baby quilt.
I tried four shops, which is no mean feat in the area I live in as fabric shops are in short supply, with no luck.
The friend who gave me the fabric in the first place scoured her stash and came up with a few more small pieces but I still didn’t have enough to use for the binding and I really, really wanted to use this particular fabric.
I searched the internet for ways to make a little fabric go a long way and although I know the information must be out there I couldn’t find it.
Then I remembered another friend telling me of a method she’d heard about so I used it and, praise God, it worked 🙂
So for my benefit (in case I need to use this method again) and for anyone else who finds themselves in the same predicament this is how I did it.
What to do when you don’t have enough fabric to make binding in the normal way (and don’t want to go scrappy!)
1. Measure the perimeter of your quilt and add 6 inches – nothing new so far.
2. You will need to make sure you have enough of your fabric to cut strips of width 1 1/2 inches by the length you require (If you still don’t have enough consider a scrappy binding instead)
3. Sew the strips together and finger press the seams open.
4. You need to repeat the last two steps using another fabric. Make sure it can’t be seen through the ‘proper’ fabric – my fabric is a pale pink so I used a pale coloured calico (American muslin).
5. Sew the two strips together along one long edge, if you can stagger the seams so much the better.
6. Carefully press the strip in half lengthways, it’s best to get the seam on the edge of the binding.
7. Now use it as normal by attaching it to the front of the quilt placing the ‘proper’ fabric face down on the front of the quilt.
Ta dah
I hope that helps someone sometime. I did all this yesterday and funnily enough today I came across this book,
I wonder if it has this method in it?
Until next time,
Chris x
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Neat idea – great one to remember. xx
Wow… that is am amazing idea! I would never have thought of that..but it is the perfect way to go! I will be filing that in my memory!
Thanks for that info. That’s a great way to make a little fabric go further.
What a clever idea. I must remember that if I ever run short of binding fabric.
Great idea, certainly one to remember! Thanks. X
Very good suggestion. I’m sure lots of quilters will use this
I have used this method when lengthening skirts and curtains but not on bindings- Mum called it a false hem.
That is an excellent idea.
Your quilt looks so soft and pretty!
Making sure I bookmark this one!
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