i have only been making quilts for 2 years now and i normally just have them hem but know i've been told it is best to bind them. my question is does it make the quilt worth more if you bind it?

I don't know if it's worth more but gives it a more finished look.

I agree...

You could try binding a smaler quilt and see if you like it, but it really is your choice on how you finish it :D:D:D

thanks for the replys. i made a quilt for a pastor friend and i wanted it to look good so i had it machine quilted with all cotton batting instead of polyester(now i will only use all cotton), so now i'm doing the binding instead of hem but i don't like the hand stitching. it will look great when i get done but wish there was another way

it depends on what you are doing with the quilt, utility quilts are probably fine being 'hemmed' but if you really want a nicely finished quilt to show off, the bindings are an important part of the finishing. it takes practice but each one you do will be easier and faster than the one before it and in no time you will amazed at how fast you can bind a quilt :)
when i first started it seemed like it took hours and hours...a week to do a queen size binding...now i whip them out in an afternoon...just takes practice.

You have two options when finishing the binding. Hand sewn or machine sewn.
You could try it on the machine using scraps, and see if you like it.
Mine are machine sewn only, but I only make quilts to be used daily, not for keeping as an heirloom :D:D:D

I believe that most of us use double-fold binding, so that adds a lot of fabric on the edges. A simple hem, or a single folded binding may get thin and fray much faster if the quilt actually gets used and washed.

On mine, I usually machine sew the binding on the front and hand-stitch it down with tiny stitches on the back. A few, I machine sew the binding to the back, pull it to the front and use a fancy machine stitch to secure it down. Fast and fun.

Here are links to two videos that show how to machine bind a quilt so that the binding looks very nice (these are parts 1 & 2):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wprg5vzkuGw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MRfADz_pyg

Since the binding of the quilt tends to show wear faster, using a "double fold" binding is supposed to make it last longer.
If you don't like hand sewing the binding, you can sew it on by machine.
Instead of sewing the binding onto the front and turning it to the back to handsew, sew it onto the back and turn it onto the front. Pin, baste, or clip it into place and then topstitch it a scant 1/8" from the inner edge. You will have a line of stitching on the back, but if you make sure you fold it over evenly, the back's stitching should fall right beside the binding on the back.
Check YouTube for videos on quilt binding by machine.

You don't need to hand finish the binding. You can attach it to the front with your machine and fold and pin it to the back and do a decorative stitch with your machine to finish it.

I always do attached binding. When I first started quilting I would bring the backing to the front and do a blind stitch on it. Now I attach the binding and hand sew it down on the back.
Make something simple like a potholder and practice attaching the binding. I make all my binding, I like the look of binding that doesn't even match the quilt, or strips are cool.
I no you can do it,
simple quilter

thanks for all the info and support. i finally got 1 side done only 3 more to go. i made a queen quilt and i wanted it to look professional but i couldn't afford the extra $50 to have the binding put on. my lqs lady said that she would show me how to make the binding and also to show how to put it on.

I like that it adds 1 more layer and last chance to pull a color forward, Have used most methods but like the look of hand finished to the back the best. Gets quicker as you go:)