Hi Jacklynn! I have yet to machine both sides of any binding and be happy with the results. On this bag, I first sew the sides to the outside, then sew one edge of the binding to that (the pattern says to sandwich it all into one seam, but again, I seem to spend more time ripping things that slip when I do it that way). I do the second side of the binding by hand, as I do in all my quilts. One fast tip… get the side bindings machined on, then just turn the binding at the top edges where the last zipper will go, and baste them down in the zipper seam allowance by machine. That way, you can move on to the zipper and its binding without stopping for hand work in between. I love the hand finishing – I find it meditative, and it gives me a reason to watch a bit of telly in the evenings!