Anna & G on the Road: What Are the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Quilters?

Remember that best selling book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey? I know there is a message in there for me and my fellow quilters/stitchers. And so, mixed between my other rambling posts every couple of weeks, I am going to figure out what are the 7 Habits of a Highly Effective Quilter and share them with you. I think from my own learning experience of hard knock quilting, I can come up with a list.

#1 Be proactive and make your binding when you finish your top.

How many times have I torn my Bee Hive apart looking for binding fabric and sometimes never find it because I used it on another project! GRRR... We all love to make tops, and there is a larger percentage of quilters who are working on multiple projects than those who start and finish one project at a time. It may be days, weeks, or months before we actually get around to quilting and binding our tops. After many frustrating searches, I had a V8 moment and started making my binding when I finished the top.

Here is my latest top made for my dear grandson. Although the top is done, I will not be ready to quilt until sometime in October.

My next step before I put away the quilt top and all the mess is to make the binding...of course, I need some help from my Minion buddies :) I chain piece my binding pieces then fold and press.

This is my favorite part of the process...I then roll my binding into my low calorie binding roll!

Once the binding is done and rolled, it gets stored in my binding cabinet. I can't tell you how good it feels when I finish quilting to walk over
and know the binding is all ready to go. I liken it to grocery shopping for all the ingredients needed for dinner, putting them in the fridge, and the
next day coming home and finding out your husband cooked dinner!!!! If you are like me and occasionally make too much binding, save it in that
drawer for future mini projects or scrap binding on a scrappy quilt.

Have a great week, take a break from the news and quilt!

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Comments

123

#22 bcump 2017-09-27 09:15

Where can I see Ricky's 'birthing' method?

#21 Carol Johnson 2017-09-04 13:22

I started doing the same thing when I realized that I hated changing from my walking foot when the quilt was quilted, to my ordinary foot in order to make the binding, then back to my walking foot to attach the binding. That was when I had a cheap old sewing machine that was awkward for changing presser feet. Now I have my lovely Bernina, and it's a snap to change feet - but it's lovely to have the binding ready to go when the quilting is done.

#20 Deb Anderson 2017-08-17 21:48

Excellent advise ... I am in the process of looking for a binding fabric that I bought --- and now cannot find!. Hmmm did I use it ? or hide it on myself?

#19 cfreda 2017-08-17 09:55

Good idea, but push yourself over the finish line and bind that quilt you've put your heart and soul into the NEXT week after finishing. I find it to be a time to pause and reflect on the journey that went into the quilt's evolution. Set out a long card table right next to where your computer or T.V. is. Short 10-15 minute intervals add up quickly to a finished quilt.

#18 lovequilter 2017-08-17 09:22

I always make my binding when I finish the top. Then I use a project bag and put the top, the binding and the backing fabric in it. Sometimes I will even include the thread to quilt it with. Then when I am not busy with customers quilts, it' ready to go to my longarm.

#17 Becky Boske 2017-08-17 07:52

i always make my binding as soon as I send my quilt to my favorite longarm quilter. Then when it's returned I am ready to do the binding and finish the quilt.

#16 Pat M 2017-08-17 04:01

I have just discovered the method Ricky Tims calls "birthing". No more binding!!! I have tried it so far only on small quilts, am plucking up the courage to use it on a bigger quilt.

#15 Fizzz 2017-08-17 03:04

I always do this as I already have all the fabrics I need out - I usually make scrappy bindings of most of the fabrics in the top

#14 Judi M 2017-08-16 22:58

Ah yes, I SHOULD do this. Sometimes I do, but not always. I'll work at getting better so sometimes becomes always . . . . but I won't hold my breath.

#13 sharon finn 2017-08-16 18:46

Enjoyed learning this great idea. From now on I will be making the binding right after making the top. I have several tops needing them right now. :oops:

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