I too pin and roll rather than float.......I like it just a bit snugger than just laying there and i can control it better.......I also baste sides as I go and use clamps.....been doing this for almost 20 yrs now......then machine quilting was frowned on, now look how far it has come. We each have to find the way that works best for us.

I also float. I like to be able to reach in & really smooth the batting and fix seams that have flopped the wrong way. I also have better luck keeping everything straight by floating it. I purchased the long tape when Cindi first posted about it (last summer?). It really helps a lot.

What works best for me is to float smaller quilts, but pin and roll large quilts (queen size). I also use the longarm tape with all my quilts.

I'm a floater! I pin only the back on the take up roller leader. Then I float the batting about 2 - 3 inches from the pin line on the take up roller, then float the top on that. I also attach side leaders to the backing to keep it taut. That and the weight of the backing, batting and top provide plenty of tension until the last row or so. At that time, I attach the remaining backing to the next roller, tighten it up, and finish the quilt.

This method was necessitated by back, neck, shoulder arm and hand pain that happened when I attached all layers of the quilt to the frame rails. It took a couple of quilts to get it to work right, but since then this method has worked very well.

I usually float my tops also and the things to hold the quilt that Jamie wallen sells But when the quilt gets short enough you can't use them I do pin the top to the rail it seems to work pretty good for me.

I'm a floater also. I like the ability to be able to smooth the batting as I go along. I also use the clamps from Jamie or I've started using the magnetic strips I got from Harbor freight. It depends on the quilt which one I use. I also use the centering tape on larger quilts to keep them straight. Smaller ones can be seen sooner for getting off kilter. I also don't pin, I use red snappers to attach backing to the frame. I do, however, have to pin the bottom edge sometimes when I get down to it.

I've learned both ways from my LAQ friend. With my first quilt, she taught me leader everything, then baste both horizontally and vertically the entire quilt before winding it back to the top and start quilting. From the 2nd quilt on, we just leader the back of the quilt and float both the batting and the top. It think it's important to note that we baste the entire quilt with large 1 inch stitches before we begin quilting, so there are not surprises when we get to the bottom of the quilt.

I started out pinning my top as I was taught, but then heard from others about floating the top. It is much quicker to load the quilt this way. I use magnetic bars (found at Harbor Freight and covered with muslin) to hold the top in place on the bar next to me (called either the top or belly bar). I also use painters tape to mark the sides on this same bar. That way when I roll it, I can immediately square it back up. Works well for me. I don't have any cons.

Nan, Where did you get your "long arm centering tape"?

Cindy, What kind of magnets did you get from Harbor Freight? Can you post a picture on how you use them?