I use an "anchor cloth" or "safety blanket" when I sew. This is a small folded piece of fabric which you sew off of when you start a seam and sew on to when you end a seam. It saves a LOT of thread. And you do not get those annoying "birds nests" on the back of your pieced block. A 2" wide piece of binding cut about 1 1/2" long makes a perfect anchor cloth.