Sewing binding by machine help please
 

I have the binding attached to my quilt and usually do the final sewing by hand. I KNOW there is a faster way to do it by machine. I tried once and was a complete failure. Luckily only had about 9" to take out. There must be a couple tricks I'm aware of. Oh, ok to send me links that showed YOU how to do this.

I do that all the time now as my fingers no longer cooperative doing it by hand. This is how I do it and it seems to work for me. I have included a quick picture showing the back and front of a recent runner I have done.

Cut Binding at 2.75 - Press in half
Sew binding to back of quilt at 3/8"
Fold over to front and press - I will sometimes us a glue stick to keep it in place on the top
Top stitch the top down close to the fold (The top half will be a bit longer than the back so the stitching will be about 1/8" to 1/4" away from the seam on the back.

Do you have a stitch in the ditch foot for your machine? It has a long tongue on the left and a piece of thin metal down the center with a little divot where the needle fits in. When stitching in the ditch, that divot moves the fabric away from the seam and after sewing, the fabric moves back to cover the stitching. Okay that's the original purpose for the stitch in the ditch foot.

I cut binding at 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 inches wide, fold and gently press, sew to the back of the quilt at 1/4 to 3/8 inches, fold to the front. Now set up your stitch in the ditch foot so that your needle is to the RIGHT of that little divot. On my machine, center is 3.5 and I need to move the needle to the right about 7 little clicks. Align the fabric along that long tongue and lower the presser foot. You will see that the divot is pushing the fabric TOWARDS the needle. I have found that it gives a nice crisp edge to my machine sewn binding.

Ginger, I do have a S n D foot for one of my machines. TY for this method.

Glue basting it works GREAT before machine stitching it down.

Don't skip the ironing step as described by eparys. It really helps smooth the turnover to the right side. I use my dual feed foot, but a walking foot works well, too. I use clips to make sure the corners are mitered neatly. It really is a very quick method and can look great. If you want to get fancy, you can also use a decorative stitch on the right side.

There are so many videos on YOuTube. I am guessing one or more would show you in "real time", haha, a method you could relate to. I cut mine 2 and a quarter inch, sew to the back, flip over and sew to the front. Once you get your method it is really pretty easy.

Everyone has already explained the way I handle my machine binding, but I would like to add I choose a bobbin thread the same color as the quilting thread or one that matches the fabric. It will either look the same as the quilting or blend so it isn't noticeable depending on which thread color you use. I also use a longer stitch when sewing the binding. On my machine I use 3.0 -3.50 depending on the look I want. I have on a few occasions used a fancy stitch.

I also used to sew it to the back by hand but now it's much faster if I sew it 1st to the back, then turn it over to the front. I glue mine to the back side all the way around only stopping to stitch the 2 ends together, then finishing the gluing and pressing down. I have a little Brother machine I put onto my cutting table so the weight of the quilt is not hanging on the floor. I use my 1/4" foot with a flange for the 1st stitching. Press it to the front and use those colorful clips all the way around the quilt. Then I change over to my edge foot with a center flange, move my needle to the right just enough so I catch the edge by maybe 1/16 or 1/18 from the folded edge. I make sure the corners have been folded over so the fold is on the opposite side that it is on the back side so it keeps it from getting too thick on the corners. I've been doing it this way for the past couple years. I stock up on Elmer's Glue when they put the school supplies on sale in the Fall. Also when gluing, I use a very thin line of glue as close to the edge as possible so my needle doesn't get gummed up.

Charismah's flanged binding
 

Charismah's flanged binding in the Tutorials is the way I do it. I love the little detail that the flange provides.

Quick Machine Binding with Flange

Bobbin thread to match the same that was used for quilting. Top thread to match the flange fabric. SITD or bi-level foot.