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binding choices... None seems quite right
FatMog Member since 6/17/12 Posts: 32	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 11/2/12 3:55 PM Hi everyone, I am planning to have a go at a cape/coat pattern which calls for a bound front edge. I'll be using a thick wool/cashmere herringbone tweed fabric but I'm holding off at the moment as I can't decide what to do the bound edge with. It seems my (readymade) choices are polycotton, which is stiff and just seems incompatible with the wool fabric; satin which is too shiny; grosgrain which seems about the best but might be too thick and difficult to shape; fake leather, which the pattern seems to use but is fairly pricey and unforgiving of stitching blunders as punctures will show and I can't baste or pin it. (And believe me, there WILL be blunders...) So I was hoping that someone might have some other ideas? The fabric is too thick for a self binding to work. Thanks in advance!
idahodogs Advanced Beginner ID USA Member since 4/22/08 Posts: 419	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 11/2/12 4:05 PM How about velvet ribbon? ------ - Labore est orare (work is prayer) - John Ruskin
Elona   Advanced CA USA Member since 8/24/02 Posts: 7402	Login to reply to this post In reply to FatMog << 2 members like this. Date: 11/2/12 4:29 PM Some German woolen jackets, often of boiled wool, use a flexible knit woolen binding to cover the raw edges. You have probably seen this in pictures of traditional Bavarian jackets. It is called Einfassband (there are other names for it) of the gestrickt (knitted) type. You do not want the woven type like plain old bias binding. I have never seen this woolen binding in the US, but it can be bought from German sites, including German ebay. Here is one link, showing a color choice from this seller: http://www.ebay.de/itm/Einfasband-Strick-30-15-mm-Farben-/230719188439?pt=DE_Haus_Garten_Hobby_Basteln_Nähen&var=&hash=item7b68e52e82#ht_500wt_689 -- Edited on 11/2/12 4:43 PM --
stirwatersblue Intermediate KS USA Member since 12/13/08 Posts: 2474	Login to reply to this post 1 member likes this. Date: 11/2/12 4:46 PM I have had *fantastic* luck with microsuede. In fact, I used it on my *very first* binding project (the corset you see in my avatar), and it came out brilliantly. It's soft and flexible, like you want binding to be, has a really pretty texture that complements a lot of other fabrics, and is easier to work with than natural suede/leather (it's just fabric, so you don't get needle marks, etc). I think it would look beautiful on a wool/cashmere cape! I use the nicer apparel microsuede (not the Alova) from JoAnn. It comes in a gazillion colors, including a very nice deep, purply black called Caviar. -- Edited on 11/2/12 4:46 PM -- ------ ~Gem in the prairie
misschris AUSTRALIA Member since 2/3/06 Posts: 1328	Login to reply to this post In reply to FatMog << Like this post Date: 11/2/12 4:49 PM Tessuti Fabrics in Australia also carries the wool binding. ------ chris Melbourne
DonnaH Intermediate TX Member since 10/1/03 Posts: 478	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 11/2/12 5:28 PM I'd say if you want to use poly/cotton, it should be a knit. Similar to a heavy weight t-shirt. But I much prefer the other ideas here - velvet ribbon or microsuede. I suppose grosgrain ribbon might work, too. It may depend on what colors you can find!
Fran G   Intermediate RI USA Member since 8/24/02 Posts: 30	Login to reply to this post In reply to Elona << Like this post Date: 11/3/12 8:16 AM Fabulous source, Elona!! How do you...and others...find these sources???? Very helpful!
Jane S   Intermediate FL USA Member since 8/24/02 Posts: 278	Login to reply to this post In reply to FatMog << Like this post Date: 11/3/12 10:25 AM Personally I would cut my own binding from a fabric, perhaps a solid knit. Then I would do several tests on samples to make sure I like the binding method I want to use and to test different stitch lengths....and probably lower the pressure foot pressure if you have that adjustment. Binding can make something look so very lovely and finished but can also look bulky and sloppy. Your fabric sounds beautiful so I think it deserves a quality job on the binding. Personally, I would also hand baste that first binding go around. I know, hand sewing....but beautiful fabric deserves care and gentle handling. It would a pleasure to hand baste a binding to a cashmere blend. ------ www.luckysewandsew.blogspot.com
FatMog Member since 6/17/12 Posts: 32	Login to reply to this post 1 member likes this. Date: 11/3/12 10:32 AM Thankyou all for your suggestions - I think in this case velvet may be the way to go. And I'll certainly be hand-basting. I don't mind hand-sewing at all - it's the way I started all those years ago, hand-sewing all those outfits for my UK Barbie-style doll!
Elona   Advanced CA USA Member since 8/24/02 Posts: 7402	Login to reply to this post In reply to Fran G << Like this post Date: 11/3/12 11:56 AM I've sewn forever and traveled a bit, too, so when I saw that lovely woolen binding on a bunch of German clothing, I made a little note about it. And these days, you can find anything on ebay!

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