Sewing the Binding

It's been a long long time since I last posted.  What have I been doing?  Well, at least in the evenings: QUILTING!
Quilting by hand just takes a long time.  But now the quilt is completely quilted (that sounds funny!), and ready for binding.

Check it out!
Our upstairs neighbors, Andrew and Charlotte, have been instrumental to this project.  First, Charlotte contributed some really lovely Liberty prints to the project, playing a key role in improving pattern diversity.  Second, their uncluttered living room is amazing for laying the quilt out when major work needs to be done.
This week I trimmed the excess fabric and batting from the sides of the quilt, preparing it for binding.
What is binding?  It's the fabric that covers the edges of the quilt.  In this case, there is different fabric on the front and back of the binding.  On the front, a bicolor Indian print to match the side panels.  And on the back there's a fab teamup by Mesdames Alexis Salas and Sarah Luna (who bought some lovely red and black fabric in Barcelona) and Mr. James O'Connell and Mr. James Petrie (two other newlyweds! They chipped in some lovely pink Marks and Spencer's shirting).

This quilt (let's call it Quilty) has been hand-made to this point, but creating the side panels and binding has required some sewing by machine.  A historical fact for you: since the invention of the sewing machine, even 'hand-made' quilts involve some machine sewing - usually in the binding.  It saves a lot of monotonous straight sewing, and adds strength.
Here's my vintage Bernina sewing machine, imaginatively named 'Bernie' by a previous owner, as I attached the binding.
Very very soon your quilt - Mr. Clare Quilty, Esq. - will be in your possession - can't wait!