Beth! You are just the person I'm looking for, then. What do you love about it? What makes it a better method for you?
I just finished the block I was working on. It WAS nice not having all those pins, and the whole thing was super portable. But, I feel like I spent almost as much time back basting it as I did actually doing the applique, and that the ol' outline and pin method would have been loads faster.
Next time I try it I'll use thread with more contrast (I was afraid of lint or that the color would "bleed" onto my white background piece) and will use bigger stitches where I can.