A Preference for Thread Basting

I still like to thread baste to prepare my quilts for quilting, especially when I am in my small space at our winter home (I make mostly small quilts). I made a hard foam folding board (48” x 13 ½”-54)” that hides under the sofa and comes out when I have several things ready for basting. I can lay it out on the bed, turn it for accessibility to all sides, pin the backing to assure it is straight on grain and smooth before layering the batting and top. Yes, it is faster to pin or spray or fuse and sometimes I use those methods but I use basting time to study the quilt. How do the fabrics and colors interact to create the design? Would different values or styles of fabrics yield a similar or different result? What type of quilting will complement the pattern design? Free motion or walking foot? What color(s) of thread might I use? I was probably supposed to think about those things before starting the quilt. I do feel like I get a smoother backing and I haven’t tied up my pins if I don’t get to the quilting immediately. The only downside for me is the small callous on the end of my finger—a thimble might help that!

Project pictured is a bed runner, 28” x 84”.