Wanna Know Wednesday - Scraps

Do you ever wonder what to do with leftover pieces of fabric from a quilt?  I know some quilters are very big into scrap quilting and will save every little smidgen of fabric for use in some future project.  I did this for a while and found that I had piles of little pieces that I couldn't figure out anything to do with.  Now I'm talking little...as in strips less than 3/4" wide, or pieces less than 1" square.

I've definitely learned that keeping those tiny pieces just don't work for me.  I do keep a small jar of those pieces and use them strictly for cleaning lint off my machine or wiping up drops of oil from oiling my machine.  That's about the most I get out of them.

What I have found that works for me is to actually "plan" for a scrap quilt.  When I have an idea in my head of what I want something to be or a quilt pattern that I want to make, I jot down the size pieces that I would need to make that quilt.  Then as I finish up an existing quilt, I cut up the leftover fabric into pieces to fit the scrap quilt pattern.

The first "planned" scrap quilt is actually very basic.  Its just leftover 2.5" squares and I just sew them into groups of 16.  Once I have enough blocks amassed, I will make them into a quilt top.  Since I always have leftover binding and I cut my binding at 2.5" strips, I just trim all that leftover down into squares.  All the squares are kept in one plastic bin and I semi-randomly pull out pieces (I usually make sure that no single 16-patch block has two of the same fabric).

I use these 2.5" squares to be my "leaders and enders" such that I never have to waste stitches on a scrap piece of fabric.  So far, I've amassed 70 of these blocks and I need to get to 99 blocks for the center of a over-sized Queen quilt.

One of the things I really like about this is that I have squares from EVERY quilt that I've made so far.  While I look at my blocks that I've made so far, I can pick out the fabrics and know exactly which quilt that fabric came from and who has the quilt now.  It is sort of like a trip down memory lane.

I think I'll post some more about handling scraps in the future as it seems like its a never-ending "problem" for quilters. ;-)

Happy Crafting!
~Sarah at upstateNYCreations

Wanna Know Wednesday - Thread Selection

This week has still been a bit messed up due to my husband's knee surgery.  He attempted to go back to work yesterday and after sitting at his desk for 4-5 hours without elevating the leg at all, his lower leg (knee and below) was swollen to twice its size again.  He's back home today keeping it elevated and icing it to keep the swelling (and pain) down.

So... on to this week's "wanna know" topic.

Thread Selection

A lot of new quilters (including myself) usually think nothing about picking out the thread you want to use to sew or quilt your finished quilt.  I know I started out choosing the cheapest cotton thread I could find.  Sorry to anyone who likes it, but I started out with Coats & Clark 100% cotton thread and its probably the worst thread I've ever used now that I know a bit more about thread.

I was under the impression that I had to use 100% cotton thread because I was using cotton fabrics.  The theory was that if you had a stronger thread (like polyester) and cotton fabric, the fabric would wear out and break before the thread did...and that the thread could make the wear happen faster!

How untrue that is!

After a few mishaps with my sewing machines, I really learned the importance of using the proper thread.  I made the mistake of using a rayon thread (which was very pretty and matched the fabric color perfectly) in a sewing machine that can do 1600 stitches per minute.  Because it was sewing so quickly, it managed to melt the thread!  The thread quickly because a jumbled mass in the bobbin and it made such a problem that it actually threw the timing off on my machine.  The timing was so bad that the bobbin was actually 180-degrees from where it should have been when the needle was in the down position.  It definitely wasn't pretty and broken 2 needles before I figured out what was wrong!

I've used several different brands of thread at this point, including Superior Threads (different types), Connecting Threads, Sulky, Mettler, and Isacord.  I think my favorite is the Superior Threads brand.  Not only do they have a HUGE selection of different types and weights of threads, but they have a great reference guide to help pick out the right thread for the right project.

Check out their References section here.  Not only do they have an easy-to-use guide for picking out the threads, but they have guides on how tension works and what types of threads and needle sizes to use for both standard sewing machines and long-arm machines.

Their thread color cards are also really handy, too.  For a very small price, you can get their color cards and then when you're trying to find JUST the right color of thread, you can match up the color card to your fabric.  The color card has their actual thread wound on it so you can really see what the thread would look like versus trying to match some color square on a computer screen.

Check out their site and I'd be interested to see what types of thread other people like.

Happy Crafting!
~Sarah at upstateNYCreations

Wanna Know Wednesday - Thread Conditioner

A few weeks ago I was browsing my local quilt shop (yes, a very dangerous situation...at least for my wallet) and saw a small box of Thread Heaven thread conditioner.  

 I had heard about this stuff being recommended by a few sewers (both quilters and non-quilters) and they all loved it.  Basically, this thread conditioner will help prevent fraying and tangling of your thread while sewing.  If you want to know all the details, please see Thread Heaven's website.

I have to say that even though people talked about this product, I was skeptical of it.  It doesn't seem difficult to do hand-sewing the way I have been doing it without any thread conditioner, so why would this product be worth the price or effort to use?

This little baby is a miracle worker!  I decided to just try it since it was not expensive (I think I paid less than $4 for the container).  I used it to hand-sew the label below.

It was SO incredibly easy to pull the thread through the fabric.  It was very close to putting a hot knife through soft butter.  It was amazing!  I've been doing hand-sewing for a while and never has it been this easy to stitch through thick cotton fabric.  I am definitely a believer in this stuff now.

I would highly recommend using this product if you are doing any kind of hand-sewing.  While the company says that the product can be used on needlepoint without any damage, I am hesitant to use it on my needlepoint.  My needlepoint projects take years to complete because they are so large, and the last thing I want is to use a product and have it stain the fabric on me when its something I do not intend to wash.  I do plan on contacting the company though to see what kind of testing they have done.

By the way - I have not been paid by the company or contacted by the company to review this product.  This is just something that I had heard about and tried and found it to be very useful.

Happy Crafting!
~Sarah at upstateNYCreations

UPDATE:  I just finished reading an email from the Thread Heaven folks and they re-assured me that Thread Heaven is safe for the needlepoint that I do.  In fact, they said: "Smithsonian has used Thread Heaven on the hand embroidered tapestry "seals" for presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama, and even though presidents come and go, the tapestries are meant to last!"  The Thread Heaven product will help protect the thread from UV exposure and other things that will "age" it.

Wanna Know Wednesday - A Little About Me

This week I'm departing from the usual techniques or tutorials that I've been posting.  This week I'd like to share a little bit about myself.

I have been quilting since late 2007 and have loved it ever since.  I first got hooked on "old fashioned" crafts when I was in high-school.  I started doing needlepoint and while those first few patterns were quick and rather simple, I have graduated to doing very complex patterns that take a long time to complete.  The last one I finished was a version of Van Gogh's Starry Night painting, which took me 3 years to complete.

By my estimates, the next one I am working on may take me close to 6 years to finish because it is so large.  The row shown below is one row and there are 6 total rows on this picture, so its a fairly large image.

I am only a "part-time" quilter as I work in an office 5 days a week.  I work for a very large company and I am a technical leader for several engineers located in the US and in India.  My degree from school is a mechanical engineering degree and part of the reason I find quilting fun and interesting is that a lot of it is based upon math.  Quilting allows me to merge my engineering side (doing the math and figuring out the best way to construct something) with my more creative side.  My "real" work causes me to work ~50 hours per week and when I factor in my commute, I'm spending 55-60 hours away from the house during the week.

While I don't consider myself to be a great quilter, people who have seen my quilts say that I truly have a lot of talent and that my quilts are very professional in quality.  I think part of that comes from my engineering side and the fact that I am a bit of a perfectionist.  While I don't try to get every little corner and triangle point to line up just right, I do try to get them close.  If they are off a few threads, it doesn't really bother me.  if they are off by 1/8", I fix it.

Someday I would like to make quilting a business.  I think I would like to be able to quilt other quilters' quilts -- how many times can you put the word quilt in a sentence and actually have it make sense? :-)  -- at some point in the future.  I do have a mid-arm machine with a 6" throat space.  I am able to use some pre-made pantographs, but I also design my own to fit the available space that I have on my machine.  I would love to be able to do the quilting for others if they don't have the desire or means to do it themselves.  I see a huge market for this as I know many quilters who love to piece their tops and then just don't want to deal with man-handling a quilt under the small throat of a regular sewing machine.  I also know that in my area there are a few people who do quilting for others, but there always seems to be a waiting list.  It would seem that if there's a waiting list, there is a demand for the craft.

I may do a few other of these types of posts in the future to mix it up a little with the techniques/tutorials that I plan to put on here.

Happy Crafting!
~Sarah at upstateNYCreations

Wanna Know Wednesday - Quarter Square Triangles

After posting a few Wednesdays with the Lone Star tutorial, I'm finding it hard to determine something to write about this week.  It is hard to follow-up a tutorial!  I think this will be a simple post on Quarter Square Triangles to go with my Half Square Triangles post.

The traditional way to make QSTs is to add 1.25" to the finished size of your square.  For example, if you want a 3" finished QST block, you'll want to cut your squares at 4.25".  Unlike the HSTs where you traditionally added 7/8", adding 1.25" is an easy measurement on a ruler.  However, many times I still find that my QSTs are just a tad bit smaller than I wanted them to be.

The method I've found that works quite well is to add 1.5" to the finished size of my square.  If I want a 3" finished QST block, I'll cut my squares at 4.5".  Once your block is sewn together, its a little on the large side, but its so much easier to cut excess material off than to try to add material back onto the square.

This method is a tiny bit wasteful (all those little pieces being trimmed off), but for my own sanity, its definitely worth it!  Having blocks the right size makes it a lot easier to assemble your quilt top...and limits the amount of tears shed! :-)

Here are the steps for creating these quarter square triangles:

1. Cut your light and dark squares 1.5" larger than your finished size of the square.
2. Draw a diagonal line from one corner of the square to the other of the light material.
3. Layer 2 squares (one light and one dark) with right sides together and sew a scant 1/4" away from the diagonal line that you drew.
4. Press the entire square before cutting it apart in order to set the stitches.
5. Cut your squares apart on the diagonal line that you drew (this cut will be between the two stitched lines).
6. Press seams towards the dark material.  At this point, you will have two squares that look like half square triangles.
7. Line up two sets of the half square triangles and layer them together such that when you sew your next seams, it is perpendicular to your pressed seams.  
8. Pin the blocks together such that they won't shift during sewing.
9. Draw a diagonal line from one corner to the other of the top square.  
10. Sew a scant 1/4" away from the diagonal line.
11. Press the entire square again before cutting it apart in order to set the stitches.
12. Cut your square apart on the diagonal line that you drew (this cut will be between the two stitches lines).
13. Press seams toward one side.
14. Trim the excess material off the block to make sure that it is perfectly square and you'll have two quarter square triangles.

Below is a table of example sizes of finished squares and what size square you need to cut to achieve that final size.

Finished Size of Square	Cut Size of Squares
1.5”	3.0”
2.0”	3.5”
2.5”	4.0”
3.0”	4.5”
3.5”	5.0”
4.0”	5.5”
4.5”	6.0”
5.0”	6.5”

Happy Crafting!
~Sarah at upstateNYCreations

"Wanna Know" Wednesdsay - Lone Star Tutorial Part 3

I've been a little lax in posting the rest of the tutorial for creating a Lone Star Quilt.  Work and life have been ultra busy.  However, here is the conclusion of how to make a Lone Star Quilt.

 Last time, we left off with each of the individual diamond sections being made.

To sew the individual diamond sections together, we are using the same methods as before.  Simply mark your 1/4" seam allowance on the intersection points and pin together and then sew.  Its easiest to sew them into sets of two, then into four such that you have an upper half and lower half to the star.  Then sew the two halves together.

When sewing the two halves of the star together, the most critical part is the center.  You want to make sure that your seam intersects the points of all eight diamonds coming together.  Note in the picture below that my seam intersection is marked right at the point where all the diamonds come together on one half.

Pin the seams just like the previous steps and then press the seam open in the end.

My Lone Star was by no means perfect.  I had a small "poof" in the middle, but it wasn't too awful.  It will easily flatten out without any problems once it is quilted.  If you've paid attention to your seams and not distorting fabrics too much, you shouldn't have any problems.

The final "difficult" step in this project is to add the corner squares and triangles.  This is where you have to sew some Y-seams.  This is the first time I've machine sewn a Y-seam, and to be honest, it wasn't too bad as long as I paid attention to pinning things before I started sewing.

First, layout your quilt with one of the triangles in place.  This is critical to make sure you sew the right edges together between your star and the triangle.

Once that is done, flip the triangle over to sew the first seam.  You will want to mark 1/4" in from the inside corner to make sure you don't sew too deeply into the Y.

Press your seam towards the lone star and away from the triangle.  This definitely helps with the bulk of the seam at the deepest part of the Y-seam.

Once you have all the squares and triangles set in, you can add borders if you decide to make your quilt larger. I had two borders to add to the outside of my star to end up with a quilt that is 67" square.

I actually enjoyed making this quilt and didn't have a lot of problems with it.  My husband is already wanting me to plan another one for the foyer in the house.  I still have to finish quilting this one though!

If anyone has questions or comments about these tutorials, please feel free to comment on this post or to email me.

Happy Crafting!
~Sarah at upstateNYCreations

"Wanna Know" Wednesdsay - Lone Star Tutorial Part 2

Its Wednesday again, which means its time for the next installment of how to make a Lone Star quilt.  I apologize to anyone who is on a dial-up connection as this is definitely a picture-heavy post.

Last time, we left off with having all of the strips cut at a 45-degree angle and laid out in the order needed for assembling the diamonds.

The next step is to mark your seam intersections.  Now...I know you really don't want to mark all these strips....but trust me, its definitely worth the extra time to mark everything.  I learned this the hard way (don't even ask how many times I had to rip out seams to get these right).

So take your ruler and line up your 1/4" mark next to the edge of the fabric.  The key thing is that you want the actual 1/4" line to the left of the fabric as shown in the picture below.  This will make sure that your marks aren't visible once you sew the pieces together.

Below you can see where I marked just the intersection points between the fabrics.  You don't need to draw a line along the length of the strip.  You just need it where a seam exists.

Here's another picture with both light and dark marks (sorry about it being sideways).

Mark both sides of all of your strips as shown in the pictures below.

Up close showing the seam intersections:

Once you have all your seams marked, take your strip on the right side of a pair, and flip it over the first strip.

Now its time to start pinning.  Take the top strip and place a pin from back to front.

Make sure the point of the needle pokes out through the marked intersection.

Next, with the same pin, but the point of the pin through the marked intersection on the bottom strip.

Insert these "vertical" pins through every intersection along the strip.

Once you have all the vertical pins placed, shift the fabric around such that the pin is perfectly straight and the top edges line up as closely as possible.  Then take two other pins and pin on both sides of your intersection pin.

Do this for the entire strip.

Once you have the second set of pins in place (on both sides of the intersection pin), you can remove the intersection pin.  I also placed a halfway between the end of the strip and the first intersection.  This is just to help keep the fabrics aligned when I start to sew the strip.

Go ahead and sew all those strips together and remove the pins as you are sewing.  Press your seams open and keep repeating the steps above until you have a full diamond sewn together.  I don't have a picture of a single diamond together, but just imagine that the pair below are separate. ;-)

Next week, I'll show how to sew the diamond sections together to achieve the Lone Star shape in the middle.

Happy Crafting!
~Sarah at upstateNYCreations

"Wanna Know" Wednesdsay - Lone Star Tutorial Part 1

For this week's "Wanna Know" Wednesday, I'm posting some directions (with lots of pictures) on how to start making a Lone Star Quilt.

This quilt is going to be 67" x 67" when finished.  I will post a picture of what the overall design will look like later.  The center portion is approximately 48" square (if I recall correctly).  I don't remember exactly what the fabric requirements are, but I can give more details on the size of the finished items if people are interested.

Here's what the finished diamonds look like (these two are already sewn together):

As you go through the steps below, you will need to create several strip sets in different color orders to achieve the design.  Using the diamonds and colors in the pictures above the strip sets are as follows:

Strip 1 -- dark red, light red, white, light blue, dark blue, dark red

Strip 2 -- light red, white, light blue, dark blue, dark red, light red

Strip 3 -- white, light blue, dark blue, dark red, light red, white

Strip 4 -- light blue, dark blue, dark red, light red, white, light blue

Strip 5 -- dark blue, dark red, light red, white, light blue, dark blue

Strip 6 (same as strip 1) -- dark red, light red, white, light blue, dark blue, dark red

 To make this quilt, I'm using 2-1/8" wide strips in 5 colors:

 

Once you have your strips cut from your fabric, cut the strips in half at the fold such that the length of your strip is approximately 22" vs the full width of fabric.  This will make handling the sewn strips and pressing them easier.

Line up your ruler on the 45-degree mark and draw a line as close to the end of the strip as possible.  This is just a guide for being able to offset the strips the correct amount.

Draw the lines on all of your fabric strips.

To sew two strips together, you will want to offset them (see picture below).  This will minimize fabric waste as later on you will need to cut strips at a 45-degree angle.  When I offset my strips, at the upper right corner of the drawn line, I put a mark approximately 3/8" away from the end of the draw line.  I then matched the drawn line on the 2nd piece (blue) with the 3/8" mark on the white piece.  This 3/8" overlap ends up with the drawn lines almost perfectly in line.

After you've offset your strips, flip the top one (blue) down onto the lower one (white).  I used two pins just to hold the two strips in place at the beginning of sewing.  You don't need to pin the entire length of the strip.  This was just useful for me such that the strips wouldn't shift between my cutting mat and taking it to my sewing machine.

Take the pinned strips to your sewing machine and sew a 1/4" seam along the length of the strip.

After you've sewn your pairs of strips together, press all seams open.  I don't normally like to press seams open and I try to avoid it wherever possible.  However, you will definitely want to press them open for this design.  If you don't, you will have a VERY thick seam at the center of the star that will be very difficult to quilt or to get to lay flat.

Continue sewing the pairs of strips together (make sure you have the order correct - trust me - I've made this mistake and had to rip out seams) and pressing the seams open until you have a strip set with all of your colors together. (just a note - I know the colors of the strips above are in a different order than the pictures below.  When I took pictures, they were taken while making different strip sets; hence the difference in the color order.)

Once you have your full strip set, take it to your cutting table and line up your ruler at a 45-degree angle to the length of the strips.

Make your initial cut to get a straight edge at a 45-degree angle along the set of strips.  Once that is done, turn your strip set and line up your ruler as shown below.  Since our original strips were cut 2-1/8" wide, when we cut these "strips", they also need to be 2-18" wide.  If you chose to cut your strips either wider or narrower, you just need to remember to cut these strips at the same width as your original strips.

Follow the above strips until you have made strip sets for all the sections in your diamond.

Next week, I will post the next set of directions on how to sew these cut strips together to actually make the diamond shape.

Happy Crafting!
~Sarah at upstateNYCreations

"Wanna Know" Wednesday

For this week's "Wanna Know" Wednesday, I've decided to post directions on how to make a Spinning Star Table Runner.  Here's the finished piece:

Spinning Star Table Runner

Fabric Requirements:

-          1/2 yard Neutral

-          3/8 yard Green

-          3/8 yard Blue

-          1/2 yard Red

-          1/3 yard for binding (2.5” wide, double-fold)

-          1.5 yards for backing (no seams; 1 yard with seams)

* assumes 40” wide fabric

Cutting Directions:

-          Neutral

o   (A) – Cut two (2) strips 4.5” wide.  Cut twelve (12) 4.5” squares from the strips, save the remainder of the strip.

o   (B) – Using the leftover portion from step (A), trim the remainder down to 3-5/16” wide.  Cut three (3) 3-5/16” squares.

o   (C) – Cut one (1) strip 5.25” wide.  Cut three (3) 5.25” squares.  Then cut these on the diagonal twice to end up with twelve (12) smaller triangles.

-          Green

o   (D) – Cut one (1) strip 3” wide.  Cut six (6) 3” squares.  Then cut these on the diagonal once to end up with twelve (12) smaller triangles.

o   (E) – Cut four (4) strips 2.5” wide for borders.  From one strip, cut two (2) rectangles measuring 2.5” x 16.5”. 

o   (F) – From the remaining three strips from step (E), cut/piece the strips to obtain two (2) rectangles measuring 2.5” x 48.5”.

-          Blue

o   (G) – Cut one (1) strip 5.25” wide.  Cut three (3) 5.25” squares.  Then cut these on the diagonal twice to end up with twelve (12) smaller triangles.

o   (H) – Cut four (4) strips 2.5” wide.  Cut ten (10) rectangles measuring 2.5” x 12.5” for sashing.

-          Red

o   (J) – Cut one (1) strip 5” wide.  Cut six (6) 5” squares.  Then cut these on the diagonal once to end up with twelve (12) smaller triangles.

o   (K) – Cut one (1) strip 2.5” wide.  Cut eight (8) 2.5” squares for setting squares.

-          Binding

o   (L) – Cut four (4) strips 2.5” wide.  Piece strips into one continuous strip for binding.

Sewing Directions:

1.       Square-in-square blocks – Make 3 total.

a.       Take the 3 part (B) neutral 3-5/16” squares and the 12 part (D) green small triangles.

b.      Sew one (D) triangle to one of the edges of a (B) square.  Press seam towards the darker color.

c.       Sew one (D) triangle to the opposite edge of the (B) square.  Press seam towards the darker color.

d.      Sew two remaining (D) triangles to the remaining edges of the (B) squares.

e.      Continue for all three blocks.  Final blocks should measure 3.5” square with seam allowances.

2.       Three-quarter blocks – Make 12 total.

a.       Take the 12 part (G) blue triangles and the 12 part (C) neutral triangles.

b.      Match up edges of the blue and neutral triangles to form one larger triangle.  Sew and press seam towards the blue triangles.

c.       Take the 12 part (J) red triangles and the pieced triangles from step 2b.  Sew long edges together and press seams towards the red triangles.

d.      Continue for all 12 blocks.  Final blocks should measure 3.5” square with seam allowances.

3.       Assemble Spinning Star Blocks – Make 3 total.

a.       Layout sewn pieces from steps 1 and 2 along with 12 part (A) neutral squares.  Arrange in the pattern shown.

b.      Sew pieces into three strips, pressing seams as follows:

                                                               i.      Top & bottom rows – press towards three-quarter block.

                                                             ii.      Middle row – press towards three-quarter block (red).

c.       Sew rows together.  Press seams towards top and bottom rows (away from the square-in-square block).

d.      Continue for all three blocks.  Final blocks should measure 12.5” square with seam allowances.

4.       Assembly

a.       Take four part (H) blue sashing strips and assemble the strips with the Spinning Star Blocks to create one long row.  Press seams towards blue sashing.

b.      Take four part (K) red squares and three part (H) and sew together to create a long strip.  Repeat to make the 2^nd long strip.  Press seams towards blue sashing.

c.       Take the two long strips from step 4b and sew to the long strip of Spinning Star Blocks from step 4a.  Press seams towards the outer strips.

d.      Take two part (F) border strips and sew to the top and bottom of the sashed block section.  Press seams toward border strips.

e.      Take two part (G) border strips and sew to the sides of the sashed block section.  Press seams towards border strips.

5.       Finishing

a.       Layer quilt with backing and batting material and quilt as desired.

b.      Trim quilt top to be square.

c.       Sew binding (L) onto quilt top per usual method.

Happy Crafting!
~Sarah at upstateNYCreations

"Wanna Know" Wednesday - Perfect Corner Binding Tutorial

In 2010, I took a quilting class (even though I already knew how to quilt and bind a quilt) and learned a new technique for getting the corners of binding JUST right.  Hopefully the pictures and text will be good, as this is the first time I'm trying to do something like this.

 First, you want to start out machine stitching your binding to the quilt top.  The example I have below is for a double-fold binding where I cut the strips at 2.5" wide.  My seam allowance is a little more than a 1/4" as I wanted the binding to be really full.  However, this technique works for any size binding...any seam allowance (and no math involved).

So line up your raw edges of your fabric to the raw edge of the quilt and start stitching with the desired seam allowance.

As you get closer to the corner, you'll want to stop stitching to setup for stitching to the corner.  Now, most binding tutorials have you measure from the corner back towards your needle and make a mark to define where to stop stitching.  The distance from the corner is the width of your seam allowance.  The way this technique works is that before you get to the corner, stop stitching.  Take your folded binding and fold it straight up towards your walking foot.  You'll want the folded edge of the binding at the edge of the corner of the quilt.

Next, while holding your binding folded upwards towards your walking foot, fold the binding again at a 45-degree angle towards the left.  Take a look at the picture below.  I've placed a pin in the folded section to help hold it in place while taking a photograph.  You should be able to see the folded piece that makes the 45-degree angle.

Next, while holding the binding in place, start stitching again and stitch as close as you can to that 45-degree line.  When I get within a stitch or two of the fold, I usually stop the foot pedal and I manually advance the machine with the hand-wheel.  I haven't had the needle catch the fold yet, and I hope it never does! :-)  The picture below will show how close I get to the folded section.

Because we stopped EXACTLY where the 45-degree angle was, we automatically stop at a distance that's the same as our seam allowance from the edge of the quilt.  It works EVERY time.  I've tried it with up to a 1/2" seam allowance and I still got a perfect corner.

Once you get to the folded section, lift up the pressure foot and let the folded piece go straight again.  Back-stitch with your needle to secure the stitches and cut your threads.

Next, fold your binding upwards like the picture below.  This is how you "normally" do the binding corner.

Once its folded upwards on the 45-degree angle, you can fold the binding straight down towards you.  The raw edge of the binding should be lined up with the raw edge of the quilt.  Here's a close-up of the corner.  I usually use some straight pins to hold things in place until I start stitching.

Finally, start stitching again by placing your needle in at approximately the location where the 45-degree angled piece starts underneath.  It doesn't matter if you're a little over it, but I've found that if I start stitching from the edge, it makes it hard to turn the binding when I hand-sew it to the back.

Hopefully this was easy enough to follow.  If anyone does run into problems (or has questions), feel free to contact me.