Kwiltr, I love your coffee can idea. I seldom hand stitch bindings any more. I really hated doing it, so on a quilt for myself I tried sewing the binding to the back, folding it to the front and topstitching really close to the edge. I thought it looked just fine. I chose a bobbin thread color that disappeared into the backing. My mitered corners are neat, and I think the binding is more secure. I cut the bindings at 2.25".