It's a Numbers Game

A couple evenings ago, I got together with my quilty friends. We  - two or three of us - try to get together about once a month for a pot luck dinner, some hand-sewing, and good gab.

On this particular evening, we each worked on very different projects. One of the three of us at this particular gathering was binding a quilt that has been in the to-finish pile for a very long time. Quite an accomplishment,right?

Then she mentioned something about the eight corners of the quilt’s binding . . . wait, 8?

Then I got to thinking about the numbers games I play with myself to keep motivated, especially as a big project is getting complete.


The countdown

As I complete a quilt top, when the end of the project is in sight, I start to count down the number of seams to sew. For example. Once the quilt center is done, if the quilt has two borders, sewn traditionally, then there are eight seams left - side inner border - two of those, add two more for the top and bottom inner border, two side outer borders, and the two borders for the top and bottom outer borders. Eight.

That same quilt, with mitered borders would add four more seams to sew to get to the finish line once the quilt center is done: One to connect each of the inner and outer borders (4), one to connect the center to the all four borders (4), then the miters, one at each corner (4). Twelve total.

Every seam sewn, means one less seam to the finish line.


The Five Sides of a Quilt

Five? Wait. . .what? Well, when you sew a BINDING on a quilt that has four sides, you start in the middle of one side, then add the binding to three more sides, then sew the binding to remainder of the first side (or in my weird mind) the fifth side of the quilt.

A Baker’s Dozen

I do a similar countdown when I’m quilting, either by hand or by machine. I usually quilt block by block. Especially when there are lots of blocks in a quilt, I start counting down when I get maybe about half way through the blocks.

I’m working on the quilting on a pretty large quilt right now. When I finish this next block, I’ll have 12 blocks to go. But rather than say that unlucky number 13, I like to think I have a bakers dozen left to the finish line. Superstitious? Me? Nah (well, maybe a little.)

Eight Binding Corners

Back to the eight-cornered binding thing. This took me a minute or two to understand. . .

As you sew the binding to the quilt front, each corner is mitered. That’s four corners.

Then as you sew the binding to the back of the quilt - either by hand or machine, there are the other four corners to miter and attach for a total of eight.

Like any goal - reaching a finish line, hiking a mountain or trail, or reaching an ideal weight or exercise goal. Those last few numbers can make all the difference in keeping it fun and keeping it real.

What numbers games to you play to keep your head in the quilty game?

Happy Stitching!

Joan Ford