I pin baste the quilts I'm going to machine quilt. I know a lot of people use the basting spray but I've just not had a lot of luck with it. It seems to spray everywhere (stickiness all over the table) and the one quilt that was lap size came apart 1/4 of the way through the machine basting.
I use my dining room table, spread out the backing right side down and with metal clamps, clamp it to the table. Then I put the batting and quilt top on, and begin pin basting from the middle out.
If I'm hand quilting, I thread baste from the middle out.