I haven't read all the other threads, but this is how I like to attach binding. It is different than what most books recommend, but IMO much easier in terms of achieving accuracy every time.
First off, I do *not* trim the quilt to 1/4-inch bigger all around. Instead, I ***mark*** that line with a Sharpie permanent marker on the quilt top.
Next step is to zigzag near that 1/4-inch mark to secure all the layers. (I pin first if there is any chance the layers might shift on me as I sew.)
Only after sewing do I trim the quilt, and then I only roughly trim it to an inch or two beyond the Sharpie marking. At this point, if for some reason I realize my Sharpie lines are not exactly squared, I can easily adjust those markings so my quilt becomes correctly squared.
To sew on the binding, I align the cut edge of the binding strip with the Sharpie line, sewing my seam 1/4-inch from that binding cut edge.
Only *after* the sewing is completed and checked do I finally trim the quilt edge to where it needs to be. (For example, I would check to make sure I hadn't run out of bobbin thread halfway through!) At this point I can adjust exactly how much I want to trim to get the binding filled appropriately -- not so tight it is difficult to hand sew the binding on the back, but not so loose that the binding isn't fully filled with batting.
Hope this helps someone!