After finding Penny Halgren’s pin and thread basting tips, I discovered a newsletter I’d received awhile ago from Konstantin’s Quilted Paradise.  There you’ll also find information about pin basting and thread basting and the types of materials to use for each.
These are such simple techniques that experienced quilters often don’t remember their early quandry or realize beginners might find it challenging until they know which to use when.
Check out Konstantin’s explanation here: www.quiltedparadise.com/n/065-qoz.jsp or at www.quiltedparadise.com/issues.jsp and click on issue number 65.

One of my readers mentioned she’s attempting to make a baby blanket for her niece from a pre-printed panel.  She wants to hand stitch the design.
Do I put the top, batting and back together, then do the hand stitching through all three layers.  Or do I just stitch the top layer, then put it together? 
Then she wonders, if she puts them together to stitch, how does she secure them.
ANSWER: You can quilt it either way…quilting just the top piece of fabric or quilting through all three, depending on the effect you want.
If you hand sticth just the top (the pre-printed …read more