Always Get Your Binding Seams Right Side Out

I noticed a few years ago that if I was using a two-sided fabric for binding --a  dyed solid or a batik mostly -- when I joined my binding strips together I usually got at least one seam sewn backwards so that the seam allowances were on the outside of the binding strip. I would discover this while I was pressing the binding strip in half. Then I would have to go back to the sewing machine, take the strips apart and re-sew them the right way. But because I couldn't tell the front from the back, sometimes I even got it wrong a second time. ARGHH!!!!!  I bet you have experienced this frustration too!

So I put the ol' brain to work and came up with a simple and really effective solution:

Press the binding strips in half BEFORE you sew them together.

When you do this, you'll always be able to tell which is the outside of each strip, so you'll always know which sides to put face-to-face when you join them end-to-end. Once I've sewn the seam (remember to always use a diagonal seam to avoid stacking up bulk that creates a lump in your binding), I like to use a seam roller to press it open right at the sewing machine, then quickly crease the fold again. The binding is now ready to sew onto your quilt. Frustration avoided, time saved, binding easier!