Adding bindings by machine

Hi all, I would like to hear from those that have put on bindings by machine. I have never done it but I saw a tutorial on Utube by Pat Sloan, and it looks really good. Except....it said to reverse your blanket stitch on your machine so the quilt doesn't have to past on the inside of the machine. I can't find if or how to do that on my machine. I have the Janome 6500 and I remember several of you have the same machine. Do you know how to reverse those stitches?

I probably wouldn't want to do the binding by machine on a large quilt but I do a lot of baby quilts and that would really save time and some say it is stronger for a child's quilt. Help! I may just give it a try without reversing the stitch and see how it goes, but it would have to be one I can afford not to be perfect.

Thanks a lot.

I'm one of those nuts that likes to sew bindiing on by hand, first round by machine, turn and finish by hand. I bet it would be stonger if done both sides by machine.

I really don't care for the feel of machine binding, but I am sure it is stronger, a good thing for a kid's drag around quilt.

I do mine on the machine and turn to the back and finish off by hand, Norma

That is the way I do them too, and I really don't mind doing them by hand while I watch a movie or something. But I just do so many baby quilts, they stack up on me. I am always behind, and I want more time for hand quilting.

I have done a number of bindings by machine. And I have used a lot of different techniques. My favorite right now is this one. http://www.tmequilting.com/PDFs/Handout.pdf (Don't knock it till you've tried it!) For me, when I took the time to do it right, looked beautiful. I think the only addition I did to the method was to use water-soluable thread to stitch the corners in place for about an inch on either side of the miter and include the miter so that when I stitched by machine the corners didn't move. Since I always wash my charity and baby quilts before giving them away, the water soluable thread disappears. The other method I used was to use fusible thread in the bobbin. Sew the binding to the back so that the fusible thread would be on the "top" (pieced side) of the quilt. Miter the corners as usual. Then bring the binding to the front and press to the fusible. Then stitch. It holds more securely than pins and holds in a straighter line. I know people who can pin accurately enough to get it to look right but for me it doesn't work out. I have also used a wave stitch (sorta looks like this ~~~) and that looks ok for a baby quilt. The blanket stitch you are thinking of should have a "mirror" image rather than being called a "reversed" if I am understanding your meaning. It would look nice too.
Whatever method you decide to try, try it on a sample using a different method on each side and record your settings on the sample for future reference.
Your embroidery is so fantastic that I am sure you can do machine binding just as exquisitly!

I just remembered another finishing method that I use on charity or baby quilts. It is a faux binding. Cut a strip at 1" wide and sew using 1/4" seam on the outer edge all around the quilt. Then layer the quilt with batting so that backing and top are right sides together. Sew using the "envelope" method leaving an area to turn the quilt right side out. When you turn the quilt right side out, you will have a 1/2 " of this "binding" showing on the front side of the quilt (the back will have backing to the edge). Then stitch in the ditch where the "binding" meets the quilt. It will look like a binding from the top side and the back side will look nice too.

Thanks so much. I am going to try these and see how I like them. I'm not sure what you mean by mirror, but I think I have a stitch that will go to the right rather than the left. I will try that first and then your idea, Bearfoot, if I don't like the first try.

I just realized that both of those were from you, BearFoot.

What embroidery did you mean? I haven't posted any, so you may have someone else in mind. Not that I wouldn't like to accept the (undeserved) complement. Thanks for your help.

Oops, pardon my slip showing...I was thinking of the person that did the dragon quilt. I thought that was you. What can I say, its New Year's and my mind is foggy (like it has to do with the day... )