Binding Plans

One of the benefits of not having plans for the holidays (besides working) is I have a lot of time for myself.  I'm not exchanging gifts with anyone this year, and we're only going to my parents' house next weekend, so money and time are a precious resource that can be spent selfishly.  Ordinarily, I'd feel bad about it, but losing November to a whirlwind of moving and starting fresh calls for some me time!

As a result, I've been crafting a lot, sewing clothes and accessories just for fun and not for anything or anyone.  But I agreed to take on a project this past week that would entail hand-binding a large quilt for a well-known quilter.  I'm not one to shy away from a challenge (ever...yeah, I'm nuts, I get it) and I figured I'd need to learn the skill at some point.  My machine binding isn't great, as evidenced.  While it's definitely getting better, I wouldn't feel comfortable giving anyone a quilt with these skills, and I'm even surprised my mom didn't say anything about the binding when I gave her my mini Modern Maples quilt.  I'm learning straight from the internet, and that isn't my favorite method.  Normally I like to be taught in person, so I can ask all the questions I want.

However, that isn't an option right now, so I'm back to blogs!

Do you have any recommendations for learning hand-binding?  I get the general gist but I need help with the details.  I've found these resources:

• Stitched Together's "How to Hand Sew a Quilt Binding"
• Quiltsmart 101's "Completing Your Quilt" (also has tips on the quilt sandwich)
• luvinthemommyhood's "Quilting 911" roundup of binding tutorials

Those are just a few.  My mom hand sews binding occasionally, so I may consult with her as well.

These, and the 1,880,000 Google results, will help me get through this and complete this challenge.  I hope, anyway!  Plus, I have lots of quilts to finish in 2013.  I won't say much about those, but I do have New Year's Resolutions to talk about soon, and they involve all the quilt tops you've seen here this year.

What's your favorite method of binding?  Isn't that a weird question?  I love how crafters, sewists and quilters have their own language, and we all get it.  Also, if you want to fill me in on your holiday plans, I'd love to hear!