a friend told me when I got my LA to load with some inexpensive fabric (backing and bat too) and quilt it all the way through with one color of contrast thread, switch to another color and go over again, and repeat a 3rd time--voila--you now have a picnic quilt that will not blow away (too much thread). We use it when the g-boys come over and want to play on the floor--keeps them off the dog hair!