After finishing a radio drive, taking two work days off, and trying to catch up during this short week, work has been really hectic this week. I’ve been stressed and tired at night without much oomph for sewing.
But…
I’m slowly chunking away at the bindings needed before I can take six quilts to my long arm friend who is trading quilt tops for quilting. Well, I actually haven’t touched them all week since cutting them. But I finally forced myself into my sewing room tonight to get moving.
I got two bindings marked, sewn and pressed.
Those are rolled up and tied with a fabric scrap. All ready to put into a package with the quilt top and finished backing.
I find making bindings to be quite tedious and annoying.
Marking all those corners — annoying.
Pressing yards and yards of fabric strips — annoying.
Seeing them done and ready to go away — satisfying.
It’s not the kind of sewing that brings me much joy. It’s an annoying task that has to be done. I would rather it was done by someone other than me.
But I’m making progress. Four more to go. I’ve promised myself that I will finish these six bindings before I finish the last ten blocks of my Wensleydale quilt top.
We have a special visitor here this week. Meet Jefe (pronounced HEFF-ay). It means boss.
He belongs to a co-worker who is traveling to celebrate a sibling’s graduation. Jefe is, I think, ten. He’s tiny, probably a Yorky. He’s almost completely blind and very deaf. He’s really easy to have around and he’s really sweet. My boys pretty much ignore him.
Oh, and he LOVES food! And he sleeps a lot! He and Bender had a nap together this afternoon. Jefe is snoring next to me on the sofa as I type.
For being as blind as he is, he’s doing a good job of exploring my large back yard. He’s sort of developed his own path and can make his way around and back to the patio pretty efficiently. He does occasionally make a wrong turn and run into something, but he’s not moving very fast so it doesn’t do much damage.
He’ll be here with us through Wednesday. It’s fun to have a little dog in the house, and it’s nice to have a dog who likes to snuggle. Neither of my boys are snugglers.
Spring continues to get more and more beautiful here. On our walk this evening the smells of different blooming things was almost overwhelming at times. The lilacs are in all their glory right now and they smell so amazing in the evening. This Is my lilac.
This pale pink lilac is one I see on our walks. I’ve never seen another one like this. It’s the most pale color of pink and the petals are large.
Here’s a closer view.
It’s so gorgeous! I would love to have one of them in my yard.
Here’s two plants I stuck my nose into on our walk tonight. Both smelled so amazing!
What an amazing time of year here! And today was a perfect day. But we have some hot weather coming. It’s going to be close to 90 degrees this weekend, and the highs will be in the upper 80s for each of the next ten days. It’s way too early in the year to have temps like that. It doesn’t bode well for the summer. I guess I’d better get my air conditioner fired up.
The sunset during our walk last night was pretty spectacular.
I wasn’t able to get a great photo on my street because of houses. But I did get this photo of my house with the sunset.
And this photo made me think of Wanda at the Exuberant Color blog who posted some photos earlier this week of trees during the golden hour…. how they change when the sun hits them in the evening.
We actually got rained on during our walk last night. But the low sun was shining on the tops of these trees.
I love walking during a lovely sunset.
One more day of work and I get another weekend. I’m going to look at my calendar tomorrow and plan some days off before the end of June. Maybe a nice long weekend over Labor Day weekend. I might even go to a two-day sheep herding camp.
agilejack 
I quit doing corner to corner sewing on bindings. Just end to end straight across. It doesn’t look any different and it is SOOO much easier/quicker to get the long strips together.
LikeLiked by 1 person
the end to end just feels so bulky to me. Especially if I have to hand sew them. But I haven’t made or sewn binding for years. Should try it again!
Anne
LikeLike
I feel your pain on the bindings – I hate them too! Apparently you can buy them ready made, but whether you could find them in the fabric you want would be another matter. The only thing I can suggest is skipping the marking stage and either using diagonal seam tape (it only costs a couple of dollars), or just marking a line on your machine bed with tape extending straight down from the needle – that way once you have positioned your 2 ends correctly, once you start stitching at one end, you just have to keep the other end of the stitching on the line and you will automatically get your true diagonal line. Good luck with the rest!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I make bindings so rarely that I just muddled through. I’m glad my regular long arm quilter makes them for such a reasonable charge.
Anne
LikeLike
Wh
LikeLike
Your comment didn’t come through.
Anne
LikeLike
Binding, I hate it and love it. I love that it signals the completion of a quilt, I hate the tediousness of it. Don’t mind the making and then stitching the diagonal/bias line. Think of it the same way as strip piecing. I hand bind mine but I have started to practice machine binding with faux piping. Lining up both sides to stitch in the ditch is a bit fussy for me.
Anyway, Strummin’ it done! bound, washed and dried! It is ready to be boxed, in acid free box, and wrapped for gifting.
Always hard to take days off. We pay before and after with the busyness of prep and recovery at work, Taking a week seems to be easier not jumping into the middle of a workweek. I liked taking a holiday week off, I used fewer vacation days so I could have more time off. I have no worries about that now in retirement. LOL
Have good weekend!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Congrats on finishing your quilt! That’s so fast!!!
I’m planning a longer vacation before the end of June. That’s the end of our fiscal year and I have some personal days I need to use or lose.
Anne
LikeLike
We love lilacs also. Here in Rochester N Y we have a lilac festival every year in Highland Park started in 1905. There are 1200 bushes and 500 varieties, plus many other blooming trees and spring flowers. Wish you could see it and take in the smell.
LikeLiked by 1 person
that must smell so amazing!
Anne
LikeLike
Suggestion for your binding blues:
Purple Hobbies has a binding tool that makes short work of binding preparation. I read about it on another blog that I follow and purchased it. You attach it to your ironing board and feed your binding strip through it ironing as you go. Since the tool attaches to the ironing board it serves as a “third hand” hence the name third hand binding tool. Purple Hobbies sells them in several sizes so you can choose how wide you want your bindings. Maybe this would help?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sounds like a really good tool! I’ll check it out.
Anne
LikeLike
Have you tried adding a flange to the binding or making a two colored bindings? It’s more challenging than the usual binding and adds interesting drama to the quilt. Not that your quilt need any more drama, but it great fun to see these unexpected bits on the edge s. Bindings are my favorite part of quilts.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have a friend who makes her bindings this way. I’ve always wanted to try it.
I don’t usually make my bindings. I pay my long armer a reasonable fee to make them and sew them on. It’s worth it to me.
Anne
LikeLike
Add me to the group that doesn’t care for binding making !
Maybe if we made the binding first, it would make making them more fun?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I never have any idea what binding I’m going to use until the quilt top is done! I can’t imagine making it first!!!
Anne
LikeLike
I enjoy your posts so much! I just finished making 50 fabric cards for our xmas sale in November! Everyone loves them. Thank you for showing us all how to make them. I agree, bindings are work…i have to push myself to put them on!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, I need to make some cards for gifts. I gave my last package away not long ago. It’s really nice to have some on hand.
Anne
LikeLike
I felt the same way about making and marking binding until I saw Krista Moser use the Creative Grids corner clipper ruler. No need to mark…saves a lot of time. https://www.kristamoser.com/product-page/cgr-folded-corner-clipper-ruler-cgrfcc
LikeLike
I LOVE your emails! Really quick though, a binding trick that eases making bindings by a lot. There are boards you can buy for this, but I stuck 2 large needles in my ironing board cover. They should be far enough apart for the width of your iron. Then fold your binding in half and slide the end under the 2 needles. Let the iron sit in the gap ad pull binding through. It goes so fast!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve seen directions on making these boards. Luckily, My regular long arm quilter usually makes my bindings for a reasonable fee. That’s perfect for me!
Anne
LikeLike
You caught the perfect golden hour sunrays. It adds a little more excitement to the already exciting things in nature.
I miss my old fashioned lilacs. We had both purple and white lilac bushes here the first 15 years we lived here. Then they died one by one and not I have the Korean variety which have lovely fragrance but not showy blooms.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think our tendency to see things like that in nature is what makes quilting so enjoyable to us. Our brains just work differently.
My lilac must be pretty old. The blooms are only on the very top and it’s huge! But they do smell so amazing!
Anne
LikeLike
That first purple lilac is perfect. The pink one may be Beauty of Moscow. I have one, but it hasn’t produced many blooms (the deer regularly pruning it don’t help, either). I saw a tutorial about adding binding without pressing it first. Really works, saves time and o burned fingers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hmmm. I’ll have to see if I can find a video for that binding method. Sounds interesting.
Anne
LikeLike
The tutorial is by Amy Ellis and it’s on YouTube under Sew Modern Quilts: Better Binding Tutorial. I first saw it on Instagram during the IGQuiltFest 2022 series. I tried it and it really works.
Pat
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks!
Anne
LikeLike
Wish I lived closer to you – I love to do bindings! The diagonal joinings, the pressing, sewing it on and stitching it down. It’s always been very soothing work for me. I no longer hand sew the binding down at the back, but reverse the process and machine sew the binding down on the front. I’m in the midst of a colossal down-sizing here at Studio 54 so everything will fit into my much smaller storage area. It’s just making me crazy, but this too shall pass. I just want to sit at my Bernina and make something beautiful! Your sunset pix are beautiful – thanks for sharing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve wanted to try a binding with your method. But these bindings will be sewn on by the long armer while the quilt is still on the machine. I’m happy to have her do that part.
I hope you can find some time to create soon!
Anne
LikeLike
I’ve finally gotten the detritus of my life into my very small storage area and now I can sew again. Thank Goddess, it’s what keeps me sane!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m with you! Can’t imagine if I couldn’t retreat to my sewing room.
Anne
LikeLike
I enjoyed 5his blog so much! Thank you for taking the time to do it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
thanks for reading!!
Anne
LikeLike