I have seen quilt that were tied and not done very well , the stitching in the top was broken during the tieing and they started to come apart. I think too much yarn and too large a needle was to blame .. but that's only a guess. I prefer to machine tack inplace of tying .... and incourage some to try it in place of traditional ties .... its faster , just as forgiving ...and no concerns about breaking the piecework treads at intersections.