I have a quilting machine but many baby quilts & some throws just look & feel better tied. I like to tie baby quilts especially because they are 1. smaller 2. gives more texture 3. Faster to finish if "birthed" or bound by turning the backing to the front instead of binding.

I've used the tacking stitch on my Janome for the border. It works really
well and there are no tails. It looks like a little asterisk.

I tack most of the stuff I do, but it's never a big project. When my sis in law made a quilt for her son's graduation, we tacked it. California twin sized.

I "tacked" this one with an eyelet stitch my machine did.

You can also tack (tie) using a hand embroidery stitch such as a fly stitch or any other that you like (cross stitch, french knots and feather stitch also work well). You can even tack with a small chain stitch flower.

Just run the connecting part (and the knots) in between the layers and you'll have a more 'artistic', less 'rustic' look to the quilt. The choice of fiber used also has a big effect on the overall look...perle cotton or silk buttonhole twist are far more refined looking than yarn or floss.

Tacking doesn't have to look utilitarian or like an after thought. It can be just as beautiful as machine quilting and should never be looked down upon as amateurish.

Brava! You said it well. :D

Whether I tie/tack or hand quilt depends on the quilt. Unless quilting is going to make the quilt stand out, I tie. I've used floss, thread, and buttons.

I've tied quilts & tacked some using a stitch on my machine. I have been improving my machine quilting & FMQ skills & really prefer to quilt that way. I'm just not big on hand work. I don't even do my binding by hand- all machine & I'm getting fairly decent at it. To each her own!

Me too.
This is what I was always taught by my grandmother: The all-over stitches that hold the three layers together, whether by hand or machine, are called 'quilting' and what categorize a quilt as a quilt. If a pieced/wholecloth top was tied or tacked, it was called a comforter, spread or bed throw because there was no quilting involved.

Mind you, this was many, many, many years ago and things have certainly changed! I think whatever way you choose to do it will be the right way :) It is a very personal choice for each quilter. Do what you like! I think the only way it would matter is if you were entering one in a contest and had to follow 'rules'. ~shudder~

I tie a lot of my fleece quilts that have flannel on the back. It keeps them nice and soft. Some quilts just "ask" to be quilted; depends on the design of the quilting. Baby quilts shouldn't be tied, so I usually just do a straight line quilting. All depends on how you are using them.