I think I've finally worked through my binding problems/frustration. I made three placemats (there's a fourth but I ran out of fabric) with mitered binding. Only had to take the first one apart twice before I got it right; the third I seem to have nailed on the first try.

Now for the excitement of whipstitching the binding to the backs. :P Need more TV on DVD...

Next up: Mitered border strips. I plan to run through some practice pieces--maybe pillows?--with borders the width of my Journal Quilt borders so it's automatic when I attach them for real.

I guess that's my over-arching goal this year: basic workmanship. It's not something I paid much heed to 5-8 years ago when I was making a lot of pieces, and after three years of machine sewing hiatus seems like a good time to pick it up.