{"id":64,"date":"2025-05-19T22:59:50","date_gmt":"2025-05-19T22:59:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/curiousquilter.com.au\/blog\/?p=64"},"modified":"2025-11-01T04:46:26","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T04:46:26","slug":"the-joe-cunningham-method-of-facing-a-quilt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/curiousquilter.com.au\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/05\/19\/the-joe-cunningham-method-of-facing-a-quilt\/","title":{"rendered":"The Joe Cunningham Method of Facing a Quilt"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/curiousquilter.com.au\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/03\/23\/quilt-experiment-finishing-a-quilt-with-a-facing-instead-of-a-binding\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"39\">previous pos<\/a>t I talked about my first experience with using a facing to finish the edges of a quilt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This week I talk about one of the methods I discovered that I\u2019m calling <strong>The Joe Cunningham Method<\/strong>, because that\u2019s who I learnt it from. Joe didn\u2019t invent this method, but it is one that he likes to use to finish his quilts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Joe Cunningham Method involves attaching a <strong>wide, double layer facing<\/strong> to the edges of the quilt. The fabric is then folded entirely to the back, creating a seamless, modern finish. While it\u2019s an effective way to frame a quilt without visible borders, the added fabric layers can make the edges feel quite thick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After experimenting with different widths, I found that even a <strong>narrower strip<\/strong> resulted in a bulky edge. I thought it might be easier to sew on the narrower strip, but it wasn\u2019t really, and I preferred the look of the wider facing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I decided to use a stay stitching on my facing strips, the same technique used in garment making, and here pressing is key. Although Joe doesn\u2019t use stay stitching in his method, I knew that this would help the facing fold to the back neater, so I adapted Joe\u2019s instructions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Want to learn more?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To see how Joe Cunningham\u2019s does it, check out his tutorial on YouTube. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<p class=\"responsive-video-wrap clr\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How to Use a Facing\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pV-yd2SHjaQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:2px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Have you tried this method before? I\u2019d love to hear your experience! <strong>Happy quilting!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">FAQs<\/h2>\n\n\n<style>#sp-ea-70 .spcollapsing { height: 0; overflow: hidden; transition-property: height;transition-duration: 300ms;}#sp-ea-70.sp-easy-accordion>.sp-ea-single {margin-bottom: 10px; border: 1px solid #e2e2e2; }#sp-ea-70.sp-easy-accordion>.sp-ea-single>.ea-header a {color: #ffffff;}#sp-ea-70.sp-easy-accordion>.sp-ea-single>.sp-collapse>.ea-body {background: #fff; color: #2c3061;}#sp-ea-70.sp-easy-accordion>.sp-ea-single {background: #2c3061;}#sp-ea-70.sp-easy-accordion>.sp-ea-single>.ea-header a .ea-expand-icon { float: left; color: #ffffff;font-size: 16px;}<\/style><div id=\"sp_easy_accordion-1742558267\"><div id=\"sp-ea-70\" class=\"sp-ea-one sp-easy-accordion\" data-ea-active=\"ea-click\" data-ea-mode=\"vertical\" data-preloader=\"\" data-scroll-active-item=\"\" data-offset-to-scroll=\"0\"><div class=\"ea-card sp-ea-single\"><h3 class=\"ea-header\"><a class=\"collapsed\" id=\"ea-header-700\" role=\"button\" data-sptoggle=\"spcollapse\" data-sptarget=\"#collapse700\" aria-controls=\"collapse700\" href=\"#\" aria-expanded=\"false\" tabindex=\"0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"ea-expand-icon eap-icon-ea-expand-plus\"><\/i> What is a facing?<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"sp-collapse spcollapse spcollapse\" id=\"collapse700\" data-parent=\"#sp-ea-70\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"ea-header-700\"> <div class=\"ea-body\"><p>A facing is a way of finishing a quilts edge, like a binding, but instead of wrapping around the edge of the quilt, it is folded entirely to the back, leaving a clean, borderless finish.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ea-card sp-ea-single\"><h3 class=\"ea-header\"><a class=\"collapsed\" id=\"ea-header-701\" role=\"button\" data-sptoggle=\"spcollapse\" data-sptarget=\"#collapse701\" aria-controls=\"collapse701\" href=\"#\" aria-expanded=\"false\" tabindex=\"0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"ea-expand-icon eap-icon-ea-expand-plus\"><\/i> What kind of quilt should I use a facing on?<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"sp-collapse spcollapse spcollapse\" id=\"collapse701\" data-parent=\"#sp-ea-70\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"ea-header-701\"> <div class=\"ea-body\"><p>This finishing method is often used with modern, contemporary quilt designs and wall hangings. However, I think should not be overlooked as a finishing choice for more traditional quilts.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ea-card sp-ea-single\"><h3 class=\"ea-header\"><a class=\"collapsed\" id=\"ea-header-702\" role=\"button\" data-sptoggle=\"spcollapse\" data-sptarget=\"#collapse702\" aria-controls=\"collapse702\" href=\"#\" aria-expanded=\"false\" tabindex=\"0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"ea-expand-icon eap-icon-ea-expand-plus\"><\/i> How do you create a facing?<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"sp-collapse spcollapse spcollapse\" id=\"collapse702\" data-parent=\"#sp-ea-70\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"ea-header-702\"> <div class=\"ea-body\"><p>To create a facing, strips of fabric (<em>facing strips<\/em>) are sewn to the quilt\u2019s edges from the front and then folded to the back and secured by hand stitching. Unlike binding, the facing stays completely hidden from the front.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ea-card sp-ea-single\"><h3 class=\"ea-header\"><a class=\"collapsed\" id=\"ea-header-703\" role=\"button\" data-sptoggle=\"spcollapse\" data-sptarget=\"#collapse703\" aria-controls=\"collapse703\" href=\"#\" aria-expanded=\"false\" tabindex=\"0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"ea-expand-icon eap-icon-ea-expand-plus\"><\/i> Why use a facing?<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"sp-collapse spcollapse spcollapse\" id=\"collapse703\" data-parent=\"#sp-ea-70\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"ea-header-703\"> <div class=\"ea-body\"><p><\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><\/p><li>Provides a clean, edge-less finish.<\/li><p> <\/p><li>Ideal for quilts where you don\u2019t want a visible binding, especially wall hangings.<\/li><p> <\/p><li>A great alternative if you wanted your binding to match the quilts border but forgot to cut it at the same time - or lost it and can\u2019t find the same fabric! \ud83d\ude33<\/li><p><\/ul><p><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ea-card sp-ea-single\"><h3 class=\"ea-header\"><a class=\"collapsed\" id=\"ea-header-704\" role=\"button\" data-sptoggle=\"spcollapse\" data-sptarget=\"#collapse704\" aria-controls=\"collapse704\" href=\"#\" aria-expanded=\"false\" tabindex=\"0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"ea-expand-icon eap-icon-ea-expand-plus\"><\/i> What are the downsides to using a facing?<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"sp-collapse spcollapse spcollapse\" id=\"collapse704\" data-parent=\"#sp-ea-70\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"ea-header-704\"> <div class=\"ea-body\"><p><\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><\/p><li>The double layer of fabric makes the edges thicker. You be the judge if you like that or not.<\/li><p> <\/p><li>If you dislike hand-sewing, this method might not be for you.<\/li><p><\/ul><p><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a previous post I talked about my first experience with using a facing to finish the edges of a quilt. This week I talk about one of the methods I discovered that I\u2019m calling The Joe Cunningham Method, because that\u2019s who I learnt it from. Joe didn\u2019t invent this method, but it is one [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,7],"tags":[9,12,15,14,17,10],"class_list":["post-64","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-binding-and-finishing","category-quilting-techniques","tag-facing-techniques","tag-minimalist-quilting","tag-quilt-edges-binding","tag-quilt-finishing","tag-quilting-resources","tag-quilting-techniques","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/curiousquilter.com.au\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/curiousquilter.com.au\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/curiousquilter.com.au\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/curiousquilter.com.au\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/curiousquilter.com.au\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/curiousquilter.com.au\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":111,"href":"https:\/\/curiousquilter.com.au\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64\/revisions\/111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/curiousquilter.com.au\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/curiousquilter.com.au\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/curiousquilter.com.au\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}