I machine sew to the front and hand sew to the back. I only recently started this. I've noticed that by machine sewing the whole binding, the binding looks flat and gets slightly distorted using the machine. You'll be surprised at how fast it goes by sewing by hand. I do the ladder stitch and use the Americana thread from Joanns that I pick up for 50c a spool when on sale. Do a small table topper or hot pad and check it out.

I prefer a binding where the stitching doesn't show at all so I machine sew it on and then hand stitch the binding back around the quilt--pretty conventional method. I've never had any of my hand stitching pull out and some of my quilts were made years ago and have been machine washed regularly.

I prefer to machine stitch to the front and then handstitch on the back. Made a baby quilt for a grandchild that had turtles on it. 4 & 1/2 yrs, and many, many washings later, some of the turtles are (machine-appliqued) are coming loose but the binding (handstitched) is still going strong.

I hand stitch to the back, using glue to hold it down instead of pins or clips, using hand quilting thread, and a ladder stitch. The thread is strong,, and the ladder stitch is almost invisible. Very relaxing while watching tv and you feel so good about the finished product.

Hand sewing, done properly, does not lack strength.

Remember the corset that Scarlett O'Hara wore to reduce her waist to sixteen inches? As you can imagine, such a corset has to withstand a great deal of pressure. Historically, many of those corsets were completely hand sewn. And they held together extremely effectively.

Bespoke men's suits are often 95+% hand sewn (including the crotch seam). No problems with them coming apart!

For a binding, I do the initial seam with a simple running stitch (same as the quilting stitch). I glue the binding onto the back of the piece and sew it on from the front so that I can follow any line or pattern that might be in my border on the front (looks better). After I wrap the binding around to the front, I use a slip stitch to sew it into place with the fold just barely covering the original seam line.

Compare the size of your sewing thread to a thread ravelled out of your binding fabric. Chances are that both threads are very similar in size. There's no point in doubling your thread to make a seam that will be stronger than the actual fabric used in the binding.

You don't have to worry about the hand stitching holding up. I am using a quilt that has to be 15+ years old & the binding is still holding up fine. The fabric seems to be wearing thin in some places though.

I sew it down by machine on the front of the quilt, then fold it over to the back and hand stitch it down with what is called the ladder stitch. I also glue my binding on first with elmers school glue. It works great and looks good when finished. Learned this technique from Sharon Schambers you tube videos.

Good Luck

Suzy

I do both, depending on the quilt. Whichever I do, I always use the glue basting. I started using that and just love the consistency of how it looks and lays.

I think it depends on the quilt. When one machine sews the whole quilt what is wrong with machine stitching the binding?

I sew down the one side of the binding and pull it over to the back and then hand stitch. I like hand stitching it down as well. Enjoy it.

Maybe there is someone else who likes to sew binding down and you can swap pressing or something else. I do a lot of binding for others because I love it and being handicapped they help me with pressing, (which I also am not too good about it). I did about 7 chairty quilts at Christmas.

Binding is one of my favorite things about the quilt process. I use what is called a ladder stitch.

I always machine stitch my binding. I cut 2 1/4" binding, press wrong sides together, in half, sew raw edges to wrong side of quilt. Fold to front, sew close to folded edge and miter corners.
I enjoy doing it this way & is much faster for me.

I have done both. Machine sewing is definately faster, but no matter how careful I am, or what method I use, it never looks as good as when I finish it by hand with the ladder stitch.

Thanks for sharing this video. It has helped me too.

This is the binding technique I use:

http://www.lorettaalvarado.com/binding.htm

This is how my DM taught me, I could never get the corners right, but I now use the double fold binding.

I always use doubled hand quilting thread, and match the color of the binding as closely as I can. I bury the beginning and ending knots in the seam.
I machine sew the strips of binding on all four sides first.
Also, I use straight with the grain cut binding. Either across for small quilts or long length-wise cuts for big quilts. No joints ~ one long piece. It doesn't wander, and wants to stay straight, I think straight cuts are much easier to sew than bias cuts - except for scallops or curved edges, of course.
I use flat-head straight pins to hold it in place, with the points away from the direction I am sewing. I pin one whole side at a time - pins only about every four or five inches.

I prefer machine stitching. It takes me way to long the other way.

I, too, love this machine stitched binding technique. I use it most of the time now.