I cut my binding strips at 2-1/4"; machine-stitch to the front with a 1/4" seam allowance; hand-stitch to the back. If you use more than a 1/4" seam allowance, wouldn't that make the blocks on the outer perimeter a wee bit smaller than the other blocks? I have a Janome 6600, and I use the AccuFeed to sew on the binding, and move the needle to make the seam 1/4".