I machine sew to the back first, then bring it over to the front; then I use Elmer's School Glue to glue the binding to the front exactly how I want it. Then I use a decorative stitch--I like the serpentine best--about the width of the binding, with thread that matches the binding, and sew the binding down with that. I do this on baby quilts to get a strong binding attachment that looks good. With a dark binding, you have to look really closely to even see the serpentine stitch.