Bias always for anything curvy because it's the only way to have it lay flat. Sometimes I like bias cut binding because of the design it makes (e.g., with stripes on diagonal). For just about anything else I cut on straight of grain.

And for my tree skirt, I used a silver fringe & sewed it to wrong side & flipped it. You could do that with a nice piped binding or just not bind it at all and save yourself the time & fabric. :thumbup:

I just finished a tree skirt and cut bias binding 2 an 1/2 inch. I did not have any trouble putting it on and use a walking foot. I pinned it all around. I found some very thin long pins with glass heads and they work good for this. I noticed I cannot use my walking foot with my clover binding clips because the clips would be in the way of the walking foot.

When I learned to quilt, 30 years ago, the popular thinking was bias binding was best. I still use bias binding, but only on scalloped edge quilts and other round projects. All straight edges, get binding cut across the weft of fabric and stitched together with mitered seams.

Wow! Lots of good information here. Quiltmouse, thanks for the link to the article! It never occurred to me that using striped fabric cut on the bias would look cool. I'll have to try that. I did watch MSQC tutorial on the continuous binding (tube method), but just couldn't wrap my head around that so I just cut strips. I am hoping for the best when I sew it on :-)

I only make and use continuous bias binding and I use the same instructions as Cari. I have checked every way of making binding and these instructions are the best I've found. I can make enough bias binding for a King sized quilt in about an hour and put it on my quilt and stitch it with my machine in another hour including joining the ends and topstitching it with my machine. Two hours to make binding and apply it on a King sized quilt is a winner for me. The binding is flat, smooth and goes on easily. It would be the perfect way to bind your tree skirt.

I use both but am using bias more and more. It is so nice to work with and it is stronger!