First, you might want to consider the use of the quilt. If it is a baby quilt or a quilt for a child and is going to be well-loved, washed and dragged around the house, you might want to machine stitch the binding to make it a little more secure as well as speed up the process. When it is machine stitched, you also are less likely to get upset as you see the quilt wear out and think about the hundreds of hours you put into the quilt.
Another consideration is whether you feel competent to machine stitch the binding and make it look good. If this is a quilt that you are giving to someone else, or will have on display in a way that others will look at it and have an opportunity to study the quilt, you will want to finish it and be proud of your finishing.
With some practice you will be able to machine stitch and catch all of the edges of the binding, giving your quilt a great finishing edge while saving your time. Also consider using a special stitch on your machine, such as a running stitch or a blind hem stitch.
If you use a running stitch, try using and edge-stitch foot and change the needle position to the right. The guide on the foot will run in the ditch of the binding seam and the needle will stitch on the folded side of the binding. You may also want to start by stitching your binding to the back and folding it to the front. When using a blind hem stitch, use invisible thread and stitch in the ditch.
Happy Quilting!
Penny Halgren
www.HowtoBindAQuilt.com
P.S. If you are looking for answers to your binding challenges, check out the Ultimate How to Bind a Quilt DVD Mentor
