Staggering is not necessary. However, if you do not stagger and place ties 2.5" apart, the longest distance between ties will be 3.5". (Think of 4 ties as being a square 2.5" on a side. If you measure from top left to bottom right, this distance will be 3.5".) According to the following website, Hobbs wool should be quilted no more than 3" apart:
https://www.generations-quilt-patter...distances.html

In this case, you would want to add a tie in the middle of each square in order not to exceed the recommended quilting distance of 3". Adding just that one extra tie per box would make the batting much more likely to survive multiple trips through a washer and dryer.

Prism99,
Thank you so much for the helpful information and link for quilting distance. After reading all the information and doing a mental scramble to find a way around the dilemma of 3” quilting distance for Hobbs wool, I decided to measure the distance that I had previously ballparked. Lesson learned—always measure. The distance is 2” so I will be fine, but I can’t guess, then try to work around a problem.

Thank you Krisb for the links. I love learning new things, and had never seen either of these methods before!

Grandma used the “tie on the needle” method.

I’ll attempt to explain: take a stitch and leave a 3” tail. Repeat stitch. Now you are ready: hold tail with one hand and circle the tail once and come through the loop you just made, bringing loop to a closure by pulling on needle. This completes first half. Hold tail again and with needle, circle tail opposite way from before, bring needle through loop and pull needle until loop closes up securely. Cut thread, leaving a tail equal in length as other tail. Done. In essence, this is a square knot.

Where do I buy a needle that long? I would like to try "tying" a quilt like that.

I've a quilt that was hand tied in the 50's...still in good shape; made with scraps of wool suiting materials ans lined with a flannel blanket and backed with flannel.... it is so heavy . It was tied using cotton crochet thread, Mom put the thread in and eveyone ( 4 if us) did the ties.

When I tie a quilt I use a Basting needle.

My opinion--don't use yarn. It's pretty only until it's laundered and it tends to fray or something, making the quilt a victim of "premature aging". I prefer embroidery floss, crochet thread or perle cotton. I did one recently intending to use black perle cotton. Changed that to ecru before I got very far. The black looked like spiders!!

I think that needle is a doll needle, although I don't know how large the eyes of those needles are. Check them out the next time you are in a craft store.

Thanks nuffsaid. I certainly will