I have found using silk thread works well when hand stitching binding. Invisifil is a brand of polyester 100 wt thread that also works well. If silk is strong enough to last in Kimonos for 100's of years it's strong enough to bind with.
I also would like more explanation of #3.
Finally when stitching corners to front of quilt make sure folded edges and raw edges line up perfectly then I drop the feed dogs to get a smooth slide under the presser foot and all my careful work doesn't get messed up.