I don't back stitch as I'm a chain piecer. I use a shorter stitch length (2.0) and that works for me. Now that I am doing more machine quilting, I'm going to start back stitching any seam that will touch the edge of the quilt. A lot of my Project Linus quilts don't have borders and I've had to fix a few of the seams between blocks before sandwiching. I'd hate for one to come apart after donating it!