A couple of years ago I did several pot holders out of Christmas fabric for a craft sale. I found a tutorial online and I followed it to the "letter". The secret is pinning the binding to the pot holder and I mean a lot of pins. I also swore I would NEVER do another one. My friend hand quilted the centers; bells, leaves, Christmas tree. They are beautiful. Didn't sell a one! Yep! Didn't sell any.
Putting a binding on your quilt is a whole different "ball game". If we want our quilts to be "long lasting" it really is important to do a good job on the binding. All of the answers will help you with that. Good luck.