Quote Originally Posted by WhollyHamaca View Post
Right -- who needs reverse! I do it just a little differently, non-stop "on the fly" without lifting the presser foot: I start about 1/2" in from the end (so any ravels or thread ends don't get balled up and pucker the end) and hold onto that back edge and the loose thread ends while I sew the first few stitches. Then, with the machine still running, I just pull the fabric toward me a little so it sews back over those few stitches, then I release it so it keeps going forward as usual. Same thing at the end of the seam. I've never yet broken or bent a needle doing this, but I usually run the machine pretty fast except when sewing through thick cross-seams,and I don't pull hard. Quick and easy way to "lock" the seam ends on my old-faithful thread injector. No guarantees, but it works great for me!
Glad you mentioned that instead of me. I was waiting for it to come up but decided I would take the safer root. Also on the somewhat riskier side... locked stitch lines are _required_ only when they are stand alone lines. If you have another stitch line crossing them you can often get away without backstitching or overstitching. I overstitch out of habit. But once that crossing stitch line is in place the line under it is pretty well locked up. Reverse is handy but not essential.