It occurred to me how odd it is that I machine piece, machine quilt and then use a machine to attach the binding to the quilt top, only to spend many hours hand stitching the binding down on the back side of the quilt that virtually never gets viewed. Insane right? Are we channeling our hand quilting ancestors? Are we too scared to machine stitch it by machine for fear of how it will look on the backside? Are we trying to prolong the process as we have enjoyed the quilt some much we don’t want the relationship to be over?

I think I have my answer. I work outside the home and steal any hours I can get in the evenings and weekends in my sewing room. Guilt of deserting my husband sinks in by the time I am coming to the end of quilt. So I always gather my binding supplies (thimble, thread and tiny scissors) and plop down on the couch to watch whatever my husband is watching on TV. Bear in mind this could be anything from Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods to MMA to Sports. Which really doesn’t matter as I am focused on my sewing and I like his company. I think he likes it too, as he knows the “I finished a quilt natural high” is just around the corner for me. This natural high has been known to bring on cookie and bread baking and occasionally house cleaning enthusiasm.

I really like the needles below from Fons & Porter, they are designed for binding specifically, click to the needle pack to check them out.