Checker Newsletter

This week is the beginning of the New Year – and everyone, including your customers -are making resolutions.  Every quilter wants to finish UFO’s (unfinished objects).  In many cases, that means binding quilts.  This is the one step in quilting that many quilter’s hate but it doesn’t have to be so hard!!!

To research this article, I visited CheckerYou.  (Just click on the CheckerYou icon on the home page of the Checker Distributors site and log in with your account number and I.D.  These are the same ones that you use to order from Checker.)  This site is only available for shop owners so they can learn how to teach retail customers “how to” just about anything!

I typed binding into the search engine and viewed several demonstrations of notions that make the process easier.  These demos are done by the people who designed the tool – we go right to the experts!  Let them teach your employees – and you – how to demo the tools.  They can’t sell something they don’t know how to use – and you can’t either…

Many of these are not an either/or – they are “all of the above”!

I love the Binding Tool created by Janice Pope (the gal that made the two hour Tulip Purse famous).  This tool shows how to fold a bias binding, yardage requirements for bias bindings, and markings to cut 2 1/4″ or 2 1/2″ strips.  The end is cut to a 45 degree angle so you can cut the endings to create a seamless binding.  The tool includes an MS Tag that links to a video demonstrating how to cut a bias binding, turn the corners, and join the ends.  If you don’t have an iPhone, you can watch the video on the Creative Grids USA website.  How cool is that???

Item #CGRABB1  Retail $18.95

Every time I demonstrate this tool, everyone also wants the Worry Free Bias Binding Card by Kathy Seal.  Watch Kathy demonstrate this on CheckerYou.  This laminated card is a permanent visual of the entire process.  I love the convenience of having this available right by my sewing machine – and at $5.99 – it is a no brainer!

Item #QPBS  Retail $5.99

Even customers that know how to do every step of a binding, struggle with joining the two ends where they meet on the side of the quilt.  There are two tools that take the math out of joining the ends of the binding so it is continuous.  Videos demonstrating both are on CheckerYou.  They are both great tools – choose which one works best for you.

The Binding Tool by Susan Brown shows visuals and instructions right on the tool.

Item #TQM001  Retail $9.00

The CutRite Bind Up tool has Left and Right markings so it is impossible to cut the wrong angle and works on all widths of bindings.

Item #QP80010  Retail $9.95

I show them this old quilt that was bound with fabric cut from the straight of grain.  The edge is totally worn away since all of the wear is on the same thread.  This binding USED to be green!  Use my photo if you don’t have a quilt like this in your stash!

A picture is worth a thousand words – and a worn binding is worth the price of all of the tools shown above!!!