About 30 years ago I made a patchwork quilt, and tied it. (It was suppose to be for a full but ended up to fit a king.) Any way, after years of use, kids playing on it, washing etc it has seams split so I usually sew a patch over the split and use the decorative stitches to attach the patches. It's not an heirloom, just a loved quilt, so the top looks better with the decorative stitches and that is so much easier than hand piecing each one.