I always make continuous bias binding and cut it 2 1/2". The bias binding is just a little more forgiving and easier to handle for me. I press it in half and sew it to the back of the quilt and then flip it to the front and machine stitch it in place (straight, zig zag or fancy). I don't even pin it as I go, just roll it over with my fingers and eye ball it (I'm pretty accurate!) Because it is wider than some quilters like (my buddy Connie cuts hers 2" which I can't handle) when I stitch it on the front it is a little wider than what's on the back and the stitches land on the back of the quilt and not on the back side of the binding. If I use matching thread, nobody even notices my stitches and no one has ever said "Oh no, she machine stitched her binding". I can bind a King Sized quilt in an hour if I have the binding made.