somewhere, several years ago, I saw a video that showed leaders made of red and white ticking being loaded to the poles. If you are going to pin the backing to the leaders, ticking with the stripes going horizontally would really work nicely because you would have a line to guide you in the pinning process. The main thing is to get the leader attached to the poles and the backing perfectly straight. My leaders are made of canvas and my Nolting came with them already attached with some type of tape that is extremely strong. I need to ask exactly what type of type it is because it is remarkable. I staple my backing to the leaders and because they are canvas they are strong enough to handle the rough treatment without damage. Stapling is the fastest and easiest way to attack leaders to backing IMHO. PM me if you would like info on doing this.