I never backstitch when sewing on quilts. No reason to since the seams are always crossed over with another piece. I think one reason some of us are having trouble with this problem, (at least for me) is that I am using a thread cutter on my machine and that doesn't leave any tails to hold on to when starting a new line of stitching. If I pull the threads up, then I'm OK, but I rarely do that. So the leader has been great for solving that. I start the stitching on the leader then cruise on to the quilt pieces with no problem. Yes, it does save thread!