I know it takes a tad longer, but for a finished look there just isn't any substitute for hand sewing your binding. There have been times when I've been in a hurry to finish a project, waited too long to start, and I've used the machine to add the binding. While it turns out okay, it just doesn't look as nice. Thread Heaven is a great product, I used it when I was seed bead weaving and have now found it to be useful in hand sewing as well. Get a cup of coffee, a nice comfortable chair, a good old movie and sew away.