Alot of opinions on this one! I machine stitch my bindings to the front, hand stitch to the back and miter the corners. I do not always have perfectly mitered corners but I try to do the best I can. I have a friend who always has her quilting on display for others in her home (UFO's, WIP's, etc.) Her quilting is very very very even and neat - almost perfect one might say... mine, on the other hand, is not so much... BUT I have fun and I enjoy my quilting and no matter if I get compliments or not I will continue to try to improve and do what I love doing - no matter if it's perfect(ly displayed) or not... :) I LOVE to hand stitch the binding on - if I LOVED to machine stitch it I would - we need to do what we love and do it how we are able to - - - my quilts may never make it to a show, but they are all loved.