I guess I am the obsessive one here. I tie off all my beginning and ending threads and bury the knot between the layers.

i have learned the hard way to sew around the entire edge of the quilt before quilting on my machine. The seam ends tend to come out all by themselves, especially the quilt has many, many pieces. I really stink at hand sewing of any kind...

This is what I am so afraid of because the parts are small and paper pieced with whip sitch pressed open. It is good to know so many don't backstitch! I think in this case I may run around the edge once because it may be more fragile than some. Thank you all! Merry Christmas!

Ah.... well that's a different question :) Once a top is complete I stay stitch all around the outside edge just inside the ¼" mark...you don't want your seams to start opening along the edges. Then I make the quilt sandwich and start to quilt.

I don't backstitch. I simply hold the fabric tight so it won't feed and sew a few tiny stitches in the same place and then turn it loose and sew.That locks the seam so it won't ravel out.

It must be the time of day, (early morning) too much coffee/or not enough:) Just had this mental picture of you laying the quilt on the floor and running around the edge. Sorry

I don't backstitch if the stitching is going to be in the seam allowance where the binding is attached. If stitching ends someplace else I tie the two ends of thread off and pull the threads through the bat a distance and clip off.

I never back stitch.

I agree and always do this.
Then again, I *have* to do this because it takes forever for me to get around to doing the quilting as I'm the sort of quilter who enjoys seeing how all the colors work together more than finishing a project.....there are many great artists who left work unfinished and nobody denies their genius!! :p :D

Jan in VA

If not going all the way to the edge, I do back stitch.