i machine stitch binding to the front then fold to the back and hand stitch. i have been (lazy) a couple times and machine stitched both sides...when time was an issue and i didn't have time to do it right.. i always feel horrible when i cut corners and do that-- i think it looks like crap and ruins all the work i put intothe quilt in the first place to finish with a shoddy technique for the binding.
i'm sure it's just me- i just don't like the way they look when they are machine applied...always looks...like it came from walmart to me.
a quilt that was maybe a good $500 quilt, suddenly becomes a $50 , ashamed to give it away quilt.
i know some people successfully machine apply their bindings and like it that way...it's just one of those (things) with me.