r/myog • u/samuelgandara • May 13 '26
Question Edge Binding Hell
Can’t seem to get this edge binding down. Anyone have suggestions or a better way to do it. I even tried different diameters to see if that’s the problem but it didn’t really help. Is my binding tape to small? Please help I’m breaking my brain.
I’m using 1000d Cordura , 1" Black Nylon Binding Tape Type III Grosgrain Milspec and 5mm foam in between.
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u/510Goodhands May 13 '26
What they said, also most people who do industrial selling for a living have a small, flat plate screwdriver sitting on the machine. They use it from making small tucks and things like edge binding, or holding down fabric that needs to be held right up close to the needle. That small tool allows them to do it safely
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u/samuelgandara May 13 '26
Ima try this.
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u/510Goodhands May 13 '26
Please let us know how it works out. Another thing is to go slowly, and adjust as needed. Even if you need to move the whole piece. If you do, make sure the needle is still on the fabric, so it will pivot around the needle while you have the presser foot up.
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u/CBG1955 May 13 '26
Because the binding tape isn't bias, it doesn't curve nicely around corners. Normal, if infuriatring, behaviour. You could try foldover elastic, but it's nowhere as robust as what you are using.
I despise binding, and avoid it wherever possible.
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May 13 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/CBG1955 May 13 '26
I have 60 years' sewing experience. Sometimes I simply have to qccept that I am better at some things than others. I just finished a huge rucksack project that nearly did my head in (posted it in here) and I don't think I've sworn as much doing a project as I did with that thing. The binding isn't visible but it still crapped me off that it's so poorly done.
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u/pinkbellyduckbird May 13 '26
I am going to help you and a lot of other people in this thread. lol glue it on first and then sew it own. you can even use an iron to shape it around the edge. i use Elmer's glue or a glue stick, for more technical fabric you might want something a bit more robust/has more stick. quilters glue on binding all the time. pins, clips, special binding feet always suck.
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u/CBG1955 May 13 '26
I haven't had much luck with glue, but I do use double sided tape. Unfortunately it gums up my needle if I sew through it.
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May 13 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/CBG1955 May 13 '26
One of our aussie suppliers has it. She's discontinuing it though, sadly. I should buy more for my stash! https://www.dreamybaghardware.com.au/products/5-nylon-caution-keep-out-zipper-tape
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u/arcanoth94 May 13 '26
This. You want bias binding.
It's still not exactly fun hand binding even with bias, but it's a little more manageable.
Also I would recommend sewing slightly further away from the edge of the binding.
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u/samuelgandara May 13 '26
I’ve considered rebuilding the pattern to avoid as much binding as possible. It’s annoying.
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u/CBG1955 May 13 '26
If you redo the pattern with square edges, you can bind it much more easily. You won't need bias for starters. If you look up quilt binding tutorials, they show how to fold your binding on the corners for a nice mitre. You still have to be careful about catching front and back of the binding, but it's easier than trying to curve a non-bias cut around the corner.
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u/adeadhead May 13 '26
Bias tape is the best.
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u/CBG1955 May 13 '26
It can be. It also has its limitations. For me though, no matter what I use binding bags is off the charts annoying for me, despite my decades of experience.
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u/Funny-Professor-5859 May 13 '26
You’re sewing too close to the edge of the binding material, so when you get around a corner you’re loosing the edge of the binding material. Move your binder closer to your foot. (I’ve had this same problem and solved it with that )
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u/samuelgandara May 13 '26
Thank you I’ll definitely try this
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u/Sosowski Poland May 13 '26
I'd say your tape is 5mm too narrow too.
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u/sugarshackforge May 13 '26
This. I've purchased this exact grosgrain and it is just slightly narrow. This causes it to feed poorly through the binder
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u/UnhappyAd5883 May 13 '26
Why not just stop trying to sew a curve and just fold the tape at right angles? A small square corner will be just as strong and if sewing Cordura isn't it strength you are looking for not cosmetic perfection.
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u/CBG1955 May 13 '26
Sometimes aesthetics aren't as important as getting the strength right. To curve well you really do need a specialist binding attachment.
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u/Early-Accident-8770 May 13 '26
Thinner foam or wider tape.
You don’t have enough seam allowance for the thickness of the foam plus material and the radius is eating all your tape width.
Try using thinner foam or reducing the thickness at the edge
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u/CBG1955 May 13 '26
Or wider tape!
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u/Early-Accident-8770 May 13 '26
But that means changing the tape feed mechanism.
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u/CBG1955 May 13 '26
I think there are various sizes of feeders.
In any case it's a skill that, if mastered, looks fabulous when done right.
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u/Early-Accident-8770 May 13 '26
I agree, it makes the difference between average and great.
Maybe a new mech and wider tape would solve a lot of issues.
The radius uses a lot of material, more than people realise.
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u/boulderv7 May 13 '26
For curves like this, with grosgrain, (and yes it can be done with grosgrain, although anything with a herringbone weave or cut on the bias will be easier and look a little better) you need the type of binding attachment that sits inside a cutout on the stitch plate. It gets the binding flat with the bed right before it feeds. The other thing that is important is to get the opening of the binder attachment as close as possible to the needle. This may mean you need to buy another presser foot set and grind it down to allow the binder to get closer.
If you do these 2 things and are still having issues, there is a bit of technique involved. If you just jam the assembly in as far as possible, you may push the binding off the top and if you don't press it in far enough it will walk off the bottom. The angle at which you feed it can make a difference as well. One last bit of advice is this: as you are going around the curve, a shorter stitch length can help, as well as putting a little tension on the grosgrain with your fingers right before it enters the binder.
Also check out the polypropylene binding from Country Brook Designs. For inside edges and curves, it works great. Looks like grosgrain but acts more like bias tape.
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u/Yonderthepale May 13 '26
Use a stay stitch. Yes, it takes much more time and it is a pain in the ass, but it works 100% of the time.
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u/lightsidemade May 14 '26
Based on my experience, I try not to do corners with less than 1.5” radius and I just bind them by hand. I don’t have an attachment. It took practice but really not much at all. The biggest contributor to the quality was just moving to a longer radius. You can do it!
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u/SeamsRightNZ May 13 '26
I just always use bias. Mostly I cut and make it myself. Can’t attach a pic in this thread sadly, but it makes so much difference.
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u/22250rem May 13 '26
Home machine? I struggle binding several heavy layers as well, and home machine attachments won’t fit anything more than a couple layers of cordura and grosgrain. Avoiding binding was one reason I bought a laser for small stuff. I’m not selling my work, just want to make decent looking stuff for myself and my friends/family
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u/fishinwop-8152 May 13 '26
I always offset the binding a little bit to one side intentionally, so that there is a short and long side. Then sew it with the short side up, since the other side is longer, this guarantees stitches always go through both sides.
For corners, depending on how acute they are, you might need to fold a little bit of the excess binding, do this on the right/preferable side of the fabric since it will look better and can only be done well to the top/visible side of the binding while you are sewing.
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u/W__O__I May 14 '26
Simple answer is your binding tape is too small for your setup right now. If you can, move your binder over as far to the left and as close to the needle as possible. If you can't, move up to 1.5" grosgrain. Twill or Herringbone tape deals with curves better but that's not the main issue here.
I'm sure this is frustrating but you're really close. You'll get it.
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u/rtrw5g May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
a small distance between the stitching and the edge of the grosgrain is beautiful, but difficult to produce without a synchronized binder .For example here as a DIY variant because his machine allows it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrPCpRm3niw. At 6:00 you can see the important detail: the walking foot has to be as close as possible to the binding attachment - at all time! He even uses a very narrow foot to reduce the distance even further. The greater the distance between the foot and the binder and/or the smaller the distance between the seam and the edge of the binding tape, the more dramatically the risk of skipped stitches on curves increases.
edit: You could try to decrease the stitch length while stitching the curve or to increase the distance to the edge of the grosgrain by shifting the binder. Your binder seems fixed, so that's not an option.. Sometimes aplying some tension to the grosgrain helps while holding the grosgrain back a bit with your fingers before it enters the binding attachment. But the risk of wandering to the upside or downside of the edge rises while doing that.
Edge binding isn't as simple as it looks without the deditaced machines.
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u/coryleif May 14 '26
As said, tape with a v-weave will help. I like this stuff: https://www.paragear.com/skydiving/10000045/W9810/ Make sure the opening in the binder isn't too wide ... this can cause drift. Also, it looks like you might have enough room to use a full-size outside foot. That could help keep the tape flat. Good luck! :)
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u/dextergr May 14 '26
Some others have mentioned, I'll add my input... for good consistent results with this, you would need a dedicated (preferably synchronized) binder setup using a binder attachment that matches perfectly the binding you are using in dimensional specs.
Then, you need to master the technique of guiding the material sandwich though the binder/presserfoot/needle so that the binding material is tight with the edge of the assembly. You should strive to matching the width of the binding tape to the intended end location of the binding edge (covering the seam thread, just on top, or slightly beyond the stitch line).
Hope this helps!
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u/Puzzleheaded_Ebb1207 May 13 '26
gotta buy a 335
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u/samuelgandara May 13 '26
Have you used one before for binding?
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u/Puzzleheaded_Ebb1207 May 14 '26
yes and it solves every problem the people here who post about binding problems have because you load it with stretchy binding and set the stitch length to low and it'll turn around any corner in the world
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u/CBG1955 May 13 '26
I had a clone of this that I bought to do topstitching on leather bags and absolutely hated it - I had no intention of using it as a binder. I hated how the needle plate shifted when I sewed, it didn't climb seams because of the smooth presser foot, the belt slipped - a total POS. The seller was a total pig and refused to do anyting to help me set it up properly.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Ebb1207 May 14 '26
you bought the wrong machine. 335 is ONLY for binding. if you want a triple feed cylinder then get a 341 or equivalent. your fault for not understanding what you needed
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u/CBG1955 May 14 '26
Actually that's not a fair or reasonable comment. I have 60 years' advanced sewing experience. It was my first industrial. and I knew exactly what I wanted the machine to do. I spent a lot of time talking to the dealer, telling him what I needed the machine to do. He recommended it and I trusted his 40 year history in the business (and he was known to my domestic machine dealer). He dropped it off at my house and disappeared. No instruction manual, no nothing, no follow up to provide missing parts. I only discovered months later that it was a designated binding machine. When I asked him why he chose a binding machine, he screamed down the phone at me for about ten minutes, then hung up. I later discovered that he's well known in the local industry for having a reputation to be horrible to his customers, and has no customer service whatsoever.
I've since sold it and found a much better machine with a dealer who listened to what I needed - in fact, brought in a machine on spec for me to try because I have a mild fine motor coordination in my hands.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Ebb1207 May 14 '26
reading the above comment, my initial comment was, in fact, reasonable. you know or knew next to nothing about industrials and their feeding mechanisms and trusted some random guy without doing research. glad to hear you eventually got a better machine
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u/AccidentOk5240 May 13 '26
Have you tried treating it like bias tape and sewing one leg on, then stitching in the ditch to catch the other one?