Yep I'm a knot and bury gal myself. Even as I piece together I pull the thread through and knot several times before cutting off the excess. Takes longer but I feel better about it not unraveling.

I'm with Tartan on this one.

I do a bit of both. If I am doing SITD I either backstitch or stitch in place, then cut the threads close (sometimes, obsessively, I'll bury the thread after stitching in place, but I won't bother knotting it then). For the tails left after FMQ I will knot and bury, and as an added precaution I will weave the end through the line of stitching (between the quilt layers). I think this helps reduce the chance of it starting to unravel, and (bonus) it hides the tail from showing through your fabric. I don't do that every time, especially if my quilted tlines are very dense.

I don't show my quilts so I am mostly concerned about appearance and longevity. Having had to unpick quilting a few times I can attest to how strongly back-stitched layers want to stay together!

Alison

I also don't fine the time to bury threads as cindi first mentioned. I am surprised that so many member do this technique with machine quilting. I can understand when doing hand quilting. I do a very small backstitch and I have won many awards in some very large quilt shows. Not doing any more competition anymore due to my disability.

Well, I usually backstitch a couple of stitches but on the quilt I'm doing right now, I'm making a knot on the back and clipping the threads. Like someone else said, it's my quilt and I don't mind...... besides, the machine I'm using on this one doesn't do backstitch. It's a 1916 Singer model 128 handcrank..... fun to sew with but no backstitch.

I agree.Life is too short and they aren't better.I take a few stitches in place.Some patterns I don't even do that.Sometimes the pattern crosses over it's self and locking threads isn't necessary.

When I took my first machine quilting class, the teacher had us bring up the bobbin thread, so it won't make a bird's nest on the backing, then take 3 -6 stitches in one place to secure the threads and the same at the end of the stitching. To me it's less work and by pulling up the bobbin thread in the beginning you can trim both threads at once. Hope this helps.

I too leave my ends long and tie a knot then bury them. If using silk or thick threads (bobbin work) you must do this, or the ends will come undone. I don't find it to be so time consuming. I will stop and tie off a couple at a time, instead of leaving them all to the end. I've tried to make small stitches at the beginning and the ends of my fmq and don't like the end result, it looks messy, I think. I use a quick threading needle for thinner threads and it goes fast to do a few at a time.

I stitch in place 4-5 stitches, and then continue on for machine quilting. Most of my quilts are for charity so I want to make sure I have secure stitches for the little ones.

I take several tiny, tiny stitches to start & end. If my end is going to be back where I started (outline of a square)...I don't lock the first few stitches...I take the last tiny stitches over the start stitches. If I were doing a wholecloth quilt...I'd knot and bury any stitches that were not in a seam, or at a junction of other lines.
Marge