Pin basting is faster than basting with thread, but not as fast as basting with a fusible product. Like so many other quiltmaking methods, your basting choice will depend on personal preference.
First, Choose a Quilt Design
Before you begin pin basting, you will need to choose a quilting design. If you aren't sure where quilting lines should be sewn, take a look at the work of other quilters. Attend a quilt show in your area or join a quilt guild. Most quilt guilds have show and tell at their meetings, which will give you a chance to see, up close and personal, how others are quilting their quilts. You'll find that many quilts are shared in the About.com quilting forum, an excellent destination for inspiration and information.Quilting magazines and quilting books offer lots of advice about quilting designs. Flip through them, looking closely at the different quilting designs that are being used and discussed. Try the local library if your own collection of books and magazines is limited.
It can be challenging to plan the placement of quilting lines. It sometimes helps to lay your quilt on a flat surface and use a contrasting color of yarn to preview their positions.
The yarn can help tremendously when you are ready to pin baste, because it allows you to avoid placing your pins in the areas where you will be machine quilting, and that means you won't have to stop and remove the basting pins as you quilt.