Hand quilters do you back stitch when you are piecing of do
you use a running stitch? In Georgia Bonesteel's book on Lap Quilting she gives definitions of sewing terms. One was backstitching used in hand piecing. This is new to me. Anyone have an opinion?

She probably backstitched the first and last stitch so the pieces wouldn't come apart. The running stitch is fine intbetween.

I watched a Jinney Beyer video on hand piecing (it's a really *old* video now!). She starts and ends each piece with a backstitch to secure the thread. (A knot is optional if you backstitch.) She will also throw in a backstitch if a piece is longer than 3" or so (a backstitch every 3" basically). Otherwise piecing is all done with a running stitch.

When I took my hand piecing class, the instructor said to backstitch at the first and last stitch and also any time you draw your thread up. Her reasoning was because it creates a weak spot. Most of what I've read in books says first and last stitch, though.

Beginning and ending and at intersections too, is how I was taught :D:D:D

are you meaning hand piecing or quilting? i ALWAYS backstitch when piecing- i want my pieces to stay together-
i do not back stitch when hand quilting- i bury a knot.
but in piecing i load 4-7 stitches on my needle- pull through- do a back stitch and load my needle again- so every few stitches is a back stitch. I learned this from being a Jenny Beyer Fan...i love the precision of hand piecing.

Thanks for this valuablE info! I didn't know this!