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Monday, March 26, 2018

a new binding for the mark twain quilt

Thank you to all of you who took the time to respond to my binding dilemma in this post. After reading the responses, I felt more confused than ever. There were good points for each option! I figured that might happen, so I decided not to rush my decision. After a few days of ruminating on the subject, I decided to go with yellow after all. Except....I did NOT use the Kona Canary, I went with Kona Buttercup instead. The buttercup color is less intense than the canary color. Now that it's on the quilt, I don't think I could have gotten a better match. It's the right color and intensity. It was also in my stash, which is the cherry on top!
Applying the binding around those sharp points was NOT easy. I did the best that I could and decided to not stress over it too much. I could tell that the original maker had a bit of a challenge with it as well, which made me feel much better. :) I made bias binding, and I ended up using almost 2/3 of a yard of fabric, which felt like a lot for a quilt this size, but with all the extra turns and points, it makes sense. I'm glad I had enough fabric the first time around!
I also tried a tea dyed experiment with the Kona buttercup, thinking that it would tone down the yellow just a bit. In reality, the tea made the fabric look really dirty, so it obviously wasn't the way to go. It was a good test, though. You don't know unless you try it out. At least that was an easy decision!
I have only just begun to hand stitch the binding down to the back, but I had to get started to see how it's going to look. I'm very excited to see the fresh new binding on the edges. It's SO much better than the previous tattered edges. I know that I'm going to enjoy stitching the remainder of the binding down. Every single stitch!

I did appreciate all the comments in the previous post...I took the advice of one wise commenter and pre-washed the fabric before I applied it to the quilt. I wouldn't have thought to do that, so I'm glad that someone pointed it out to me. Thanks for the valuable input!

Happy Monday to you!

21 comments:

  1. Taking your time with the decision was very wise, and what a great tip to pre-wash the binding fabric. It looks perfect!

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  2. Oh that binding and the color are perfect...giving new life to an old beauty how wonderful hugs, Julierose

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  3. Great choice...perfect color. LOVE your work!

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  4. Anonymous1:51 PM

    Great choice! And I wouldn’t have thought to wash the fabric beforehand but now I feel foolish for not. So thank you for passing that tip on!

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  5. I think it's perfect!

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  6. Your binding looks true vintage - glad you opted for the more traditional color! Can't wait to see the whole quilt when it is finished.

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  7. It's looking really good like it was always there, perfect.

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  8. This yellow is much better than the one you started with. This yellow finishes the quilt while the other yellow clashed. Which is why so many of us said to use the plaid because it provided a 'finish' to the quilt.

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  9. What a pretty quilt. I love the edges, and your binding choice. Pretty.

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  10. I had voted for the yellow, but I do like this even better. And pre-washing? What a great idea! I will remember that one. It's looking good.

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  11. the new yellow is lovely!

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  12. Definitely a prewash of binding since the quilt had been! Paula in KY

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  13. I wish I had taken my time on some quilt decisions I later regretted, but I have learned to let the quilt rest a bit and talk to me. Love your binding choice. This quilt is a stunner.

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  14. It really does look wonderful. Your decision was spot on!

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  15. Kona Buttercup was the perfect choice! Although I would love to be able to run with a quick decision, that is not my personality. I like to think about a choice before I move on it. So glad you pondered the binding decision....what a perfect choice!

    There were a lot of great comments to this color survey. I learned a few tips that I (hopefully) will remember! I wouldn't have thought to prewash the binding either!

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  16. This is such a perfect fabric to frame this lovely quilt! I'm so glad you rethought your choices. Now, go find the perfect spot for that awesome plaid!

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  17. Looking at this quilt reminds me so much of my Granny's quilts, several of which are on my beds right now. They are frayed and well loved but they keep us warm and give us a tie to the past. Looking at your restoration just makes me think of the important things in life. Look how the original quilter "made-do" with what she had. She took what was available and enriched the life of her family with beauty and love. It makes one feel so rich to be able to make something so meaningful (even beyond the fabric and thread)!

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  18. I love the choice you made!! I had voted for the yellow, but I'm glad you chose a toned down version. The quilt looks fresh, but still stays in the period of the original. Perfect choice!!

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  19. It looks lovely! And I have to thank you for your posts on this quilt. A dear friend has asked me to finish the hand pieced quilt top that her beloved grandmother made, and I've been afraid to touch it because it has that "jaggedy" edge thing going on. I thought I might have to cut a straight edge and then use the trimmings for some of the backing or maybe a pillow hem. Never thought of binding as is. It has 2 x 2 1/4 inch pieces, set on point. (Is it a crazy idea to bind like you did? I can't tell from your posts how big the pieces are on your quilt.)

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  20. The Buttercup yellow was the perfect choice. I don't think I would have thought to pre-wash the binding fabric either.

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  21. Like everyone else - the prewashing tip was priceless. I adore the buttercup on it - it's a beautiful quilt!

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