Double Binding Dilemma

One of the first quilt books I bought was the Big Book of Small Quilts by Mary Hickey. I've made two wall quilts contained in this book and another is on my bucket list. I used the Starry Path pattern for the wall quilt I made in memory of my mother. I call the quilt Esther's Star.

With each quilt I make, I like to try a new technique to expand my skills. With this quilt I wanted to learn how to add a double binding. The original pattern did not have a double binding but I thought it would add a pop of color. My first attempt was very disappointing. It's more a radius than a corner!

I finished binding the quilt but was definitely not happy with the results on any of the "corners".

A few months later I stumbled upon Susan K. Cleveland's Piping Hot Binding technique. Her corners are so crisp and the piping is so small. I knew this method would look great on Esther's Star so I bought her Groovin' Piping Trimming Tool in the original size and ripped out the old binding. The Groovin' Piping Trimming Tool can be purchased at Susan K. Cleveland's website  www.PiecesBeWithYou.com. She has some links to her YouTube videos teaching this method on her website too.

 I tried a 5 groove pintuck foot but ultimately I decided to use a zipper foot.

I am very happy with the end result. I highly recommend Susan K. Cleveland's Piping Hot Binding technique and her Groovin' Piping Trimming Tool. I achieved great results on my very first corner!

Here is the finished quilt with nice square corners. 

This is what my quilt looks like on the back. With this method you can stitch your binding by hand on the back. I'm proud to display this wall quilt now.