Originally Posted by amandasgramma
I've never used one....do they do well for putting a quilt on a quilting machine? So I wouldn't have to use so many pins?
They are an alternative to pins for basting. You do have to be careful to position them so you don't machine sew one by accident -- makes it difficult to remove later.
They can be awkward to use unless you can figure out a way to add space underneath the quilt sandwich. Quilters who use a gun often use that eggcrate stuff that is often used to cover overhead flourescent lights. That way you can just point the gun down, with the point coming out of the backing, and pull the trigger to insert the tag. The 1/4" tags are the ones preferred by most quilters, I think. People using longer tags sometimes use a technique that inserts the gun needle into and out of the top (like a pin) before pulling the trigger, so that both tag ends are on the top of the quilt. This makes a tighter tack that holds the quilt sandwich in place better if the tacks are so long they allow movement between the layers.
I actually prefer spray basting now to tacking, but tacking was a great improvement for me over safety pinning!