I have a Bernina 1530. I never tied off my stitches (I just do a few tiny stitches in the ditch) but always want to make sure I had the bobbin thread not nesting on the backside of the quilt. So I would park my needle a few inches off of where I am going to quilt and then pull my bobbin thread up. You can then manipulate the thread to where you want to do your tying off.