Awww...trying to follow the link provided for "back basting" applique. I've never heard of it (which doesn't mean a hill of beans)..but I'm interested. Can you type the link out again?
And for your applique quilt, I would recommend a hand done blanket stitch after preparing your pieces with your preferred method. It IS very relaxing. If you are in a hurry, you can do it by machine. Satin stitching by machine isn't as easy as it sounds..you have to go very slowly to make sure the stitching is even and then on the pointy ends, you need to make adjustments so they look right..(well, IMHO anyway)