Friday, July 29, 2011

Look at me!!


In between working on George, buying school supplies, and finishing up some summer fun, I've been quilting the Candy Bar Pinwheels quilt. I was just about to sit down for an evening of hand sewing to attach the binding to the back, when I thought it would be a good time to share a picture or two.  Two, because Copper insisted on getting in the picture, which totally took the focus off the quilt!

Who cares about George or the Pinwheel quilt?  Look at me!!

I really enjoy sewing the binding on the back by hand, but I know many of you prefer to sew it on by machine.  I have just never mastered that method and I really enjoy hand sewing to finish off a quilt.  I find it very relaxing.  Do you attach bindings to the back by hand or by machine? Please leave a comment and let me know.  I've been wondering which way is more popular right now.    

Quilt picture, but you can't see the quilting!  I'll give it another try when the lighting is better. 

I thought this picture would show off the quilting a little, but as you can see it didn't turn out that way!  I'll try to take another when the quilt is totally done and I'll show the backing too. I love the backing of this quilt. Plenty of stars..... on the backing and the quilting!  I like the back to coordinate with the top in some way, but not match exactly.  Know what I mean?

Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy your sewing time!

18 comments:

Lois Evensen said...

A beautiful dog and a beautiful quilt. :)

Linda said...

Quilt is gorgeous!!! I so know what you mean about capturing just the right light to get a photo that shows off the quilting. Mornings work the best for me. I'm a hand sew to the back kind of girl. I've only tried it by machine once. I thought it looked a little sloppy. Wish I knew a faster way, though.

Vroomans' Quilts said...

Oh, our extended family needs a little photo shoot from time to time. I love to hand stitch my bindings to the back. I only machine stitch if the charity specifically asks for it (most hospitals)

carol fun said...

What a pretty quilt and dog! I love when pets get into the picture. As for bindings, if I'm entering a quilt into a competition I do sew the binding down by hand, but if it is a quilt that I know will get a lot of wear I sew them down by machine.

PunkiePie (Jen) said...

By hand but I am sooooooo slooooooow at the process. Which is why I don't care for doing the bindings.

Gretchen said...

Haha love that Copper wanted to be *in* the photo & center of attention. I always sew my bindings by hand. It's fun to do while watching movies. Never tried it by machine.

Dandelion Quilts said...

I like to hand bind the back. :)

Joyful Quilter said...

Cooper is such a cutie! I hand sew my binding, can't say I like it, but I don't like the look of machine sewn binding.

corina said...

Cooper is indeed a sweetheart. I sew my bindings on by hand. My first quilt I put the binding on by machine and let's just say it didn't go that well. Now I only do them by hand.

JoAnne said...

I always hand sew the binding to the back. I just love your quilt, too. That border is the perfect choice.

Anonymous said...

Awwww, what a sweet photogenic doggie! I love it. I too hand sew on my bindings though my mother pesters me to machine sew them. I've tried and I don't think the look is as polished. Plus I like sitting in front of the TV and watching movies while I sew. Preferably some juicy historical drama.

Carol said...

What a cutie Cooper is...no wonder he wanted to be in the picture. I'm a hand sew the binding down girl. Great evening work.

Abby and Stephanie said...

Your four legged friend is as handsome as your quilt is pretty. I sew binding by hand. I never mastered the machine method either. However, Mary on Lake Pulaski has a really great tutorial for machine binding your quilt. I plan to give it a try on a smaller project one day.

Cheryl said...

I always sew my bindings on by hand. I think it is a much nicer looking finish. I also like skinny 1/4" bindings! The only machine bindings I do are for charity quilts. Cooper is adorable!

Aunt 'Reen said...

Your quilt looks great!
I love your choice of darker binding too. I also prefer to hand stitch the binding.
And Copper looks really sweet posing with your quilt.

Candace said...

I know what you mean about the backings. I also don't like the backings to look too good, as it hurts my feelings when they like the back better than the front, lol. I am one of the lazy ones, I do the binding totally by machine, plus I think that it will probably hold up better than my hand sewing. Lovely quilt.

Jen said...

what a handsome boy, he just makes the quilt ;O)

Beth said...

Your quilt is really pretty, and Cooper is sweet too. I always sew my binding to the back by hand. I think that is my favorite part of the quilt, because I know I am almost done, and it really is relaxing to do the hand sewing.