How do I bring bottom thread to the top when quilting?

I have just started quilting this year, and I have the process down pretty well except for one step.  I'm sure there's a simple answer, but I can't figure it out.  All of the tutorials I read on quilting say to first bring your bottom thread to the top of the quilt sandwich before sewing the first quilted stich.  How do I do this?

When you are hand quilting, you don't want the tail of the thread hanging off the bottom or top, so you make a knot at the end, and then, by pulling firmly but gently, you pull the knot from the top of the quilt into the middle layer, where the batting is. Is that clear, or do you need it explained differently?

Since you didn't specify whether you are machine or hand quilting, I'll give the machine quilting response.  All you need to do is turn the hand wheel on your machine so that it goes down into the quilt and catches the bobbin thread and then comes back up again once.  The top thread will look like it is stitched through the fabric once, but just give it a tug and that one stitch will pull out and it *should* bring the bobbin thread up with it to the top.  I find this a little finicky with my new Viking Sapphire because it cuts the bobbin thread so short.  This normally isn't a problem because I don't have to bring it up by hand every time I do anything like I used to have to with that old Kenmore, but it can make it hard to grab on to.  I heard someone at a sewing class the other night suggest a pair of tweezers for grabbing the sometimes very short bit of bobbin thread that gets pulled up.  But I find if it's too short the first time you can usually just turn the wheel and make another stitch and more of the bobbin thread will be unwound.  I hope this helps!  I know what you mean, by the way.  Sometimes instructions on the simplest things are often overlooked.