I'm not a spray baster and will leave those questions to others, but yes, if you hate pinning you should definitely try another basting method!
Washable white glue is another popular way to baste - I've done that one, and for a while I liked it better than the pins. There's also hand basting and basting guns, the latter is the one I'm trying next. Just thought I'd throw out some more ideas in case you're interested.