iused to do it by hand on fine quilts. i found that quilts given to the children and g/c were never mended if they came apart, so i now sew them on the machine, so the binding will last as long as the quilt. my SIL has cats, dogs, uses the quilts on top of the bed and therefore washes them frequently...so i use the machine on hers, also.
i have an S stitch on my old Bernina that looks good. i don't care for the straight stitch or zig zag. other stiches take more time, but this one works for me and if the binding isn't perfectly even or the stitching exact, it doesn't show!