Hi Genden - Over the years I have only hand tied one quilt - which I found to be something of a fiddly process. As far as I know the quilt held up to use and washing. I have machine tied a number of quilts when I was pressed for time or was using extra thick batting. It is very quick to do, and produces a durable, neat quilt. Just a few stitches up and back, placed at regular intervals is all it takes I think I have used a 3 inch grid, and probably a fluffy poly batt. Check your batting package for info on spacing. I am a hand quilter also.