I use elmer's glue to attach my binding to the front before I take it to the machine to sew it on. No pins to get pricked by. Then while watching TV at night I'll hand sew it to the back, about an hour or two each night till its done. Never could stitch it down using the stitch in the ditch method. Always looked messy as I can't sew a straight line to save my life even using a foot with the flange in the middle to keep it straight. Plus I don't mind hand sewing while I'm watching TV as it keeps me from munching instead..