Hi, Wonder if this could be the answer to all your probs. Someone at the stitching club I go to bought this little gizzmo its call a Basting Gun. Basically it has a special ball-point needle that pushes threads aside and tacks the layers for machine or hand quilting and you get the special tacks with the gun. You can leave them in your quilt because they are invisible or cut them out. I have been hand basting my quilts but when I saw this I thought fab take the hard work out.
You can get them from Cotton Patch UK, think I should be on a commission :lol:
Let me know what you think