I have done both all pins or all spray baste, and both. But I recently got one of those little guns that shoot a super thin plastic thing through the whole quilt. Sorta like what hold a tag to knew clothes. Only much much smaller. I loved it. No shifting and stopping to pull out safety pins or mess from over spray. The hardest part was going over the quilt and finding all the little things to get them out. Silly me didn't use a contrast color.