Cutting Bias Binding

One of my pet peeves is cutting bias strips for binding out of squares. Unless you are lucky, the square is never exactly the width of the fabric, so you have a leftover hanger-on piece. And I can never cut straight with the stitched up tube. Or, if you cut straight from yardage, you have a giant triangle hanger-on piece making a mess of the remaining useable yardage. I prefer to use bias binding. And I use my walking foot to stitch it to my quilt, straight or curved.


I need to cut binding for this one. I finished the hand quilting, and I measured for binding. I have calculated that I'll need 215 inches roughly. I want to add 10 inches for joins and corners (a figure pulled out of thin air... no particular reason for 10). The nifty bias-out-of-squares chart isn't helping me out a lot here, so there must be a better way.

Bias is always the hypotenuse of the right triangle created by warp and weft, so math will be my friend:


So... I used this nifty formula to calculate just how many 2.5" strips I can get out of a width of fabric. Formula says: 11.4 strips. (The calculations on this are not going to make sense without using superscript font, so take my word for it :o) Take your total inches required, and divide by 11 (because that 0.4 strips is going in the crumbs bin, not on the binding). This is how many strips can be had out of a 40" width of fabric.

Then, we're going back to Pythagoreas. I wanted to find out how much length I'd have to cut to get 11 strips that would make my total amount of bias needed. Since bias is always a 45 degree angle, the sides of the triangle (a and b) are equal (trust me on that one too, please), so we can make the equation be:

(c) squared = 2 (a) squared
c is the length that the bias strip will be, and a will be the linear amount I'll need to cut to make it happen.

(That would have been easier if I could figure out how to do superscript in the font)

When you've done the math, and converted the decimals to the imperial measurement you need to use your ruler (unless you've evolved to metric), add at least 1/2 inch for a seam allowance used to stitch the bias strips together.

I've used this formula successfully for several quilts. I don't always remember to round down to the whole number of strips from WOF, and then things don't work so well.

This time, I want to use 2.25" strips. So Pythagoreas tells me it's 12.5 strips per WOF. Plugging in to the formula, 215 divided by 12 = 17.9 I need 12 strips of bias that are 18 inches long. (I forgot to round down to 12 strips, so my bias on this example is only 213 inches. I'm hoping that the fudge factor I built in while measuring the round parts will bail me out on this one. It did on the last one I muffed up)

Now, we do the math thing again, and find that (18)squared = 2 (a) squared, (a) being how much of a strip I need to cut of WOF. Works out to be 12.72, or 12.75 is easier to deal with on a ruler. Don't forget to add half an inch for seam allowance, so we're looking at a 13.25 or 13.5 inch strip WOF.


Here's my WOF strip. Trim off the selvage edges.


Line up your 45 degree line on one side. It hasn't mattered where I make the cut.


Put right sides together, and stitch up the selvage edges, so you have a long strip, with bias on both ends.


Tip picked up from trial and error: If your back of fabric looks identical to the front of fabric, mark with a pencil in the seam allowances on both sides. It will save you some frustration. Since you're probably smarter than I am, you'll do it on both edges of the strip, so you don't have to go back and mark the strips on the other side after you cut them, like I did. ;o)


I'm cutting 2.25 inch strips from the bias end. If my WOF strip is really wide, I'll fold so that the bias edge matches itself and make the cut all in one swipe.


You can use a point trimming template at this time, if you like.


Join them together. If you have remembered to round down, and add in seam allowance, you can arrange the strips so that the two strips that have the joining seam (the selvage edges joined) closest to the ends of the strips are on opposite ends, so that they might be cut off entirely if you're lucky. If you checked your math, that is. And you're lucky.


Joined together, pressed in half, and ready to apply.

In summary, I've found I need:
11 strips per WOF for 2.5 inch bias
12 strips per WOF for 2.25 inch bias
29 strips per WOF for 1 inch bias

Divide total inches of binding needed by # of strips to get the length of the bias (c), and plug into the formula.

Add 1/2 inch for seam allowances.

Live long and prosper.

And now, I have this journaled, so I won't have to do calculations again, and forget to round my decimals!

5 things

The empress of eye-candy over at Knot Garden tagged me with the "5 Things" Meme. I keep waiting for 5 interesting things to be on my list. So maybe it will have to be not-so-interesting.



The Rules:Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answer.



1.What I was doing 10 years ago:
1998? Twins were in 4th grade, Sam in 1st. So, a lot of driving to and fro. And a lot of driving for work. I was doing relief for W-mart at the time... if this is Thursday, it must be Marshall, MN. Or Montevideo MN. Or Yankton SD. Or maybe Sioux Center IA.


2. What 5 things are on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):

• Laundry. ALWAYS on the list. Never finished. (I told you this wasn't so interesting)
• Try for campground reservations. I've had a terrible time trying to get into the summer swing of things this year. Plus, the software vendor the state park system is using for reservations seriously sucks.
• Grocery list, and menu planning for camping next weekend. IF we get reservations (see above)
• Respond to the 5-things tag. (Is that cheating? I told you this was going to be boring)
• Work on tomorrow's to-do list. a. Laundry; b. Cleaning out camper; c. Packing up linens/gear for camper; d. put together a few more split 4-patch blocks for the mystery. OK, if you want honesty, maybe I'll skip a and move more towards d...

3. Snacks I enjoy:
Popcorn. Popcorn with M&M's. Popcorn, M&M's and Diet Pepsi. Is there a pattern here? Oh, and Hot Tamales.


4. Things I would do if I was a billionaire:
Buy a jet and hire a pilot so I could pop out and check on Mother. Hire lawn service. Hire a professional organizer, for Pete's sake! Hire someone to do my laundry LOL! Buy a bunch of Bernina 1230's to have around for spare parts. Donate a fellowship hall addition at church, and then make sure I don't have to be on the building committee LOL! This one's hard. I can't imagine...


5. Places I have lived:
Most recent first: Brookings, SD; Manhattan, KS ( took my first quilt class there, and bought my beloved Bernina); Ft Leonard Wood, MO; Stuttgart, Germany (It was West Germany when we were there); Ft Belvoir, VA; Watertown, SD; Brookings, SD; Sturgis, SD.

I'm going to cheat, and not name any individual persons with tags. If you've not done this meme, and would like to, post a comment and link, and invite us to share your 5 things. They have to be more interesting than mine....

Clever color tools

Like many quilters, I am both fascinated and terrified by color. I have no formal art training, other than my public school background, and the theory behind colors can be intimidating. I found some fun things to help me get over it.

This is so cool, if you want to play with dyes. It is a dye mixer java applet. You can pick your primaries from a drop down menu, and move the sliders to vary amounts. The bar on the bottom is the end result. I played with Procion MX dyes on textile, white sport shirt under fluorescent light. Virtual dyeing, no mess!

A color wheel tool helps out with that triad/tetrad/complementary thing. Click on color schemes, select one, and hit the rotate tool to highlight a selection. AND it will never be buried under stuff on your cutting table! So just where does brown go on that color wheel?

A rose, by any other name... might be some other color. What the heck does Japan Rose look like, or Rose Muse, or Delft Rose, or Dry'ad Rose, or Burnt Rose, or ... well, you get the picture. The Language of Color explains it all. There's a page with all sorts of color names, and links to an actual descriptor of that color. You got a color challenge going? Find a poetic name to match the color you want to use. I think this site is primarily for graphics/web industry, but I found it interesting.

So now you know why I don't get many quilts finished... I'm surfin' web.

Water, water everywhere...

This post is primarily for my sisters, since they didn't get to come to the anniversary gathering. I grew up on a ranch in western South Dakota, where water was so precious, and far too often we didn't have nearly enough. I remember clearly my mother saving the rinse water from the washing cycle to use as wash water for the next load of laundry, and , "if it's not brown, don't flush 'er down." My dad used to haul water in a large tank when things got bad.

So it was really something to see the Belle Fourche River at this level! This is where SD Hwy 34 crosses the Belle Fourche River at Volunteer.


On Hwy 34, first glimpse. We are west of the bridge, up by the turnoff to Weyrich's.


Peeking over the bank.


Still west of the bridge. The Poss place is left of frame.


On the west approach to the bridge, looking south.


Looking north, on the bridge.


Up on 4-Mile Road. The green is amazing!


Looking northeast, on the 4-Mile Road.


If you click to get the larger version, you can see where it was actually about 2 feet higher. Looking south, from 4-Mile Rd.


Another shot from 4-Mile Rd.


From east of the bridge, taken from the hill above the Richards' place.


Richards' place to right of frame.


Looking east from that same point.

Marriage -- You're doing it RIGHT!

I was fortunate to be home for a family celebration this past weekend. My aunt and uncle celebrated their 50th anniversary! This plate has quite a story -- it originally belonged to my maternal grandparents. They received it for a gift on their golden anniversary in 1975. There are seven siblings in the family (my mother is one), and ALL SEVEN have celebrated a golden anniversary. I think this goes to show that setting a good example works! The next generation will start on golden anniversaries in 10 years, and I hope they all take good care of it so I'll be able to use it in 26 years.


Aunt Kay and Uncle Howard


We celebrated at the Central Meade County Community Center, in Union Center SD. Here's 4 of my aunts.


Joined by another aunt, and three uncles! I wish I'd thought to ask for a picture of all seven siblings together.


There was dancing...


And as is custom, when one wants to dance, and you're short gentleman, you partner with another lady. Here's Mom and I getting a quick refresher course on the Pattycake Polka.



Our entertainer/DJ has been a square dance caller, and she had all kinds of kid-friendly fun, like the Chicken Dance and Hokey Pokey.

This was the first time I'd been to a dance where the 7-step was played, and I didn't dance with my father, so that part was really sad for me, but I was so glad to have been able to see so many of my extended family.

Progress made

I have started on steps 4 and 5:



No clue if this is the layout, but I'm guessing alternating blocks that will be set on point. I have a 5 inch border cut from my accent fabric, and I have piles of the brown solid left, and gobs of the guacamole green.

Sometimes I like it, other times, meh. I'm sure orange would have been better ;o) but I think I have 3 fat quarters of orange and that's the extent of my orange stash. I think this will be suitably masculine for DS1. Unless Bonnie has us making flowers in step 6!

Only 2.5 steps behind

I have step one and step three of the Orange Crush mystery done.



And I am a little over halfway with step two:



I'll keep slugging away at it. DS1 has claimed this one for his. We'll see what he thinks once that avocado green gets mashed into Guacamole!