Just about all the quilts I make are wall hangings. Most have the traditional bindings, but some don't. If they are small and really more of an Art Quilt, I'll do a different edge. Machine zigzag over a yarn, for example, on the edge. Hand stitch the edge w/ thick yarn or skinny strips of fabric. Sometimes I'll have a heavy interfacing between the layers instead of batting and that will give me ideas of more ways of finishing those edges. There's lots of ways to deal with the edges. If I don't want a binding to show on the front, I'll put one on but have it all pull to the back. I did this on a large New York Beauty wall quilt, where a traditional binding would look odd. If your quilt will be laundered, then you want a traditional binding on it, I'd think. But my wall quilts have never been washed, so I don't consider that to be a decision maker for what type of edge to put on.