When I first bought my longarm I absolutely hated pinning the quilt on. I stuck myself countless times. I decided to make a second set of leaders with velcro, much like the zippered leaders but with the added capability that you could adjust them side to side if they weren't quite straight. I used the velcro leaders a time or two, then went back to pinning, and now I don't mind the pins so much (though I still get stuck occasionally). Different ways work better for some people than for others. I still think the velcro or zippers is a great idea, and may use it for my next large quilt, or if I think there's a possibility I will want to take the quilt off the frame before it's finished.