It's your technique. Put a thimble on your middle finger and you can use the side of your finger to push the needle thru at the same time you pull it.

if it is only a smallish item---could you hem stitch both sides----to add strength a running stitch on the inside of the front binding crease [not through all layers ]this will also hold it in place ass you do the front

I use a quilting needle for sewing down binding. I found normal sewing needles too hard to push through (too thick) and straw needles too bendy.

Edited to add: I also use a ladder stitch, not a whip stitch. Fewer stitches. :)

Thank you everyone! I am going out today to buy quilting needles & corn pads. I am not confident enough to try & sew in the ditch yet but hopefully soon. I have amazed myself with these 2 table runners & really with no pattern to follow. I will post pics when they are done.

When I have a lot of hand seewing to do I get a small hole in my middle finger right next to the nail. Somehow I find that spot with each stitch. I keep trying a thimble, but none seem to fit and they fall off. It helps to wet my finger a little before putting the thimble on--makes it stick. Think I will try the corn pads.
Sue

there are little (thimble dots) that are adhesive you can put them on your fingers anywhere you need them to be...try changing to a finer needle, if your needle is too big it is harder to push through the fabric, since you should only be catching a few threads on the fold of your binding and the the quilt your needle should easily slide through, if it is hard the needle is not the right needle for the job.

You need to either smash the thimble just a touch so it's oval instead of round or try the silicone thimbles. They seem to fit better and stay on better.

A couple things to try...

First - what kind of needle are you using? I never knew it could make so much difference, but when I switched to a straw needle versus the thick one I was using, it was like sliding through butter. I think I have size 11 straw and size 10 sharps in my bag right now. And some undetermined really thick needles too.

Second - use some type of clip or pin to hold the next few inches of binding where you want it if you aren't already doing so - I ended up with a serious hand cramp from holding the binding so hard.

Third - test drive a few thimbles to see what you like. I'm finding that I probably need one on the thumb of my supporting hand along with the one on my middle finger as my thumbnail is scratched from catching the needle as it comes through.

Cheers, K

I recently had a very sore spot on my thumb from hand quilting and I put a little piece of masking tape over it while quilting - that fixed it right up.

I hem my bindings by hand using the blind hem stitch, and have done so since I started quilting. I don't have a problem with soreness of any finger. If you are having to push hard on the needle then you are probably not doing the stitch correctly. Look for a video of the blind hem stitch...it is really quite easy and quite fast. It gives your binding a really nice clean finish without seeing any stitches on front or back. I have gotten to 3 hours of hemming for a queen size quilt.