No, you are not cheating. I have a quilt made by my grandmother back in the 40's. It has the backing folded over to the front for binding. (She used a good cotton for the backing so the binding has held up okay.)
My quilt is getting a little worn but I still love it. I have seen other quilts that my grandmother made and some of them have the regular binding on them. My grandmother was a very smart lady and if she thought it was okay to do it, then it was okay.

Tying the quilt is okay too. My mother and grandmother have done it both ways. Some of their quilts were tied and some were quilted. (My grandmother quilted most of hers, but that was in the day when a group of her friends would come over; they would drop the quilting frame from the ceiling and all of them would sit around the frame and talk while they were quilting.....or maybe they quilted as they talked... :)
I have an idea that the quilting was just an excuse to get together. Gee....if I had that type of quilting support, I would quilt it too.
In later years, my grandmother tied several of her quilts because her friends had gotten ill or had died...(she lived until she was 95).

Your quilting style is just fine and don't worry about the quilt police. Enjoy yourself. :thumbup:

I'm sure your quilts are lovely, They are made with love.We all improve as we go.
My mother was much the same as yours sound she was the most unhappy person I have ever known.Could not understand why her 8 children didn't visit more. At the time I was 2000 miles away.

Folding the back over is the way most were done and is still used by many. :D

I don't think you are cheating at all. I know I've seen directions for doing the binding in a quilting book this way. I do remember one instructor saying that this kind of binding would not last as long as the separate binding because of the separate binding being double folded and thereby more durable so is this a concern? If not, why not? As to tying or quilting a quilt to me quilting means you need to do something to keep 3 layers together so you stitch by hand or machine, tie with yarn or floss, sew on buttons, use a decorative or non decorative stitch in place of where you would put the tie. It''s all quilting. Otherwise too boring and predictable. JMHO.

Because you do it differently than another person doesn't make their way right and yours wrong....In my opinion it is always better to have a done quilt than an unfinished one sitting around no matter what techniques are used in them.

I do it any way I want. I do baby quilts with the wrap over because I usually love the backing material, and I want it all around the front. So earier, but so cute. I'm working on a quilt as you go. the backing material, and sashing is the same material, so it doesn't make sense not to wrap around with the same fabric. Other quilts like wall hangings, I use muslin on the back, so I make a binding that sets off the quilt.. No rules, it just what ever you like.

PS. if that cheating, then wouldn't using a pattern be cheating. So I don't think so.

Thats how I do it, always turns out ok for me, and it is only cheating if youuuu think it is

The first quilt I ever made had this type of "binding". That was about 25 years ago, and the quilt is still in decent shape.

Tell her you wanted to be "authentic" and make it like the old quilters did. It is a perfectly accepted way of binding the quilt. It saves fabric. Be sure your turn over is consistent and even with nice fine stitching. Tell her it is from a book of a very famous wuilter of the 19th century and you are being frugel and not wasting fabric.

There is nothing wrong with binding your quilts this way and at least you get yours done and can use them! It is sad when someone will criticize you (and your own mother no less,but some do) and all they do are the tops. Perhaps her tops will end up at Goodwill or sold on an estate sell for a few dollars. You see it all the time. Keep quilting the way you want to and be happy with your quilts. They are made to be enjoyed and loved.

Don't let her steal your joy!! I do a lot of mine that way. I feel it is best to not waste when you don't have to!!