1) How small of a stitch do most of you use?
1.0 on a Janome
2) Problem solving. If you use a smaller stitch & your fabric on the back bunches up. What do you do if the stitch makes the paper fall off and you need to unpick the fabric?
I just carefully unpick with a very sharp stitch ripper. If the previous pieces of fabric are somewhat large thus may be loose and flappy ... I tack it down with long basting/machine stitches. And remove later. This can help to avoid fabric bunching up.
3) I was taught to put you stitch at 0 at the beginning & end of your square you're putting on. Sometimes this doesn't knot the fabric & it comes apart. Do some of you backstitch? Or what is a better way so the stitches don't come apart?
No need! Tiny stitches plus crossover of other rows of stitching will anchor your seams.
Likewise for regular non-PP piecework .... if it's going to have another row of stitching crossing it, you should be OK. In principal, the only place where a lock-stitch should be necessary would be on the final row of stitching on your quilt ... the borders.
4) Do most of you pin your pieces or just do it by feel?
No .. pinning can create bumps and not keep the fabric as smooth as you want.
If I need it held in place, I use long running/basting machine stitches, as mentioned above in #2.
Another question that's often asked is what paper do you use?
regular photocopy/printer paper.
How do you remove the paper? and when?
The fine/short stitches makes it pretty easy to remove the paper when the time comes. In fact, I sometimes find that the paper wants to fall off too soon. I keep a roll of painter's tape handy, for band-aids to keep it together til the time is right!
If I'm covering over a seam, once stitched and before the next seam, I take the paper off, just the 1/4" seam area and then do the next seam.
Thanks for your help!
You're welcome! and hope it does help.