The best way is to baste the quilt together. With my carpal tunnel hands, I can't manage a hoop, so quilt by hand without.
I have made several quilts with the quilt-as-you-go techniques. The last one I did was to make 5 different panels, pin the top, batting & backing together and then quilt each individual panel on my sewing machine. I then join the panels with seam covering strips and zig zag the strips together.
I avoid ripping as much as possible!
Sally