I prefer hand stitching the binding, because I don't like the little bit of the binding on the back that doesn't get caught in the machine stitch. ( I call it the ledge). I, too, use the ladder stitch, binding clips, thread heaven, anchor the thread around the eye of the needle, and one more thing: I thread several needles on the spool just as I do for hand quilting. Seems to help speed up the process a bit. But then when machine stitching it down, I've been known to miss entire inches of the binding in the back and it takes as long to correct that mess as it does to put it down by hand.
