Tacking means sewing together pieces of cloth with small, temporary stitches. It can also mean changing direction while sailing by turning the front of the boat through the wind.
Tacking when sewing feels like preparing something. Tacking when sailing feels like moving and changing.
Examples:
I am tacking the fabric before sewing it.
The sailor is tacking the boat to change direction.
She is tacking the cloth to make a dress.
We are tacking the fabric to make a quilt.
Tacking the boat is hard work.
Tacking the cloth makes it easier to sew later.