Originally Posted by J Miller

There are a lot of methods to back tack your stitching. My favorite is this: When I start a stitch I hold the top and bobbin thread so it will not wad up underneath, then after three or four stitches I stop, raise the needle, raise the foot and pull the fabric forward about 3 stitches worth, then lower the foot and start sewing again. Makes a very nice back tack. At the end of the seam I do it again.
Does the same thing as using reverse or a back tack setting.

When doing decorative stitching I use a hand sewing needle and pull the top thread to the back and hand tie them off. This is because many machines will not back tack properly when using cams or other types of stretch stitches.

I grew up watching my mother and later my wife sew. They always back tacked the start and finish of seams. Not doing so seems strange to me as I've had lots of seams come unstitched if not back tacked.

Joe