I always trim the edges of my quilt straight before I bind. I cut the strips 2.5", miter-join the ends, fold in half, and iron. I sew the binding onto the quilt with 1/16th of an inch of the quilt showing past the binding edge. I use a 3/8" seam allowance, and miter the corners. I have found there are at least 11 ways to create or sew on binding to create interest.