I’m still working on hand stitching the binding on my friend’s quilt. She is planning to pick it up at the shop tomorrow while I’m working so I need to finish it today. I fixed the turned blocks and re-quilted the area. It turned out so well I’m writing a tutorial to show how I did it just in case someone else has this problem. The starts and stops do not show at all on the back—even on solid fabric!!
The binding has been kind of slow going because the thread keeps knotting. I’m using cotton thread because it’s the best color match. Sometimes I’ll use spools of poly-cotton blend left over from clothing projects or glazed cotton that I picked up for hand quilting when I thought that was something I wanted to do. Neither of those tangle or knot nearly as badly as the 100% cotton. My frustration was so great that I finally went down to my sewing room and searched until I found a container of Thread Heaven. Oh my, what a difference!
Thread Heaven is a “thread conditioner and protectant” that coats thread so it doesn’t knot, fray or tangle. The thread just glides through the fabric without a hitch and it’s so much faster since I don’t have to stop and untangle the thread with each stitch. I wish I had found it sooner but will now make sure it stays in my hand sewing kit.
Most quilt shops carry Thread Heaven but if you can’t find it locally, Amazon carries it here. It really does make a difference in how well the thread handles when you’re hand stitching.
