I can see doing this with a baby quilt, or smaller but for my larger quilts I would think using 505 is easier. I would not want any puckers and how do you reach the center?

I think it kind of depends on how much room you have to layout your quilt. I don't have any! Honest! I have 5 cats and 2 dogs, there is no place to "lay out" a quilt. I actually use my design wall which is covered with corrigated plastic---old political signs--and I pin my quilt to it.

But I digress, you work in sections, I do it even for smaller quilts. Lay out your backing, mine is pinned to the wall, tape yours to the floor? (I don't know I've not done it that way) Lay out you batting, pin it at several spots to keep it from shifting, roll back a 1/4 to about center, put down your glue lay your batting on top. Repeat with the kitty-corner 1/4 then the other 2. Repeat with the top just have your glue going perpendicular to the glue you put down first

Yup, just thin lines. I don't use any fancy tips, just the plain orange tip that comes on the bottle.

Whoa!!!! Veronica, I don't think you were following what is being said! Yes, Elmer's school glue for basting AND binding.

Many of us use glue sticks for appliqueing (sp?) many small pieces together (I used them for the humming birds and the flowers in my avatar) but for piecing???? I don't remember reading that. And yes, it does wash out when you do the final wash.

I have asthma and simply cannot use the canned sprays.

I tried something different the other day. I was in a very big hurry. I had washed and dried the backing but hadn't pressed it yet.

I "commandeered" some very large, flat boxes from work and laid 2 of them on the floor. I had to use my bedroom floor and close the door to keep the critters out.

I put the backing down and sprayed some starch on it, then put the batting down. Then I sat down right in the middle of it, and smoothed it out. I didn't take too long and didn't get overly obsessive about it. So far, so good. My knees weren't hurting, and that's what mattered to me. I sprayed more starch on the batting and put the top on, sat on the quilt, smoothed, etc.

Then I flipped it over, and it looked like a wrinkle convention happened on the backing. No problem, because I didn't take much time to really do it, so, I started tugging and messing with it, and then I remembered the "board method". I left 1/2 of the backing where it was and rolled up the other half on a board that I had (hand quilt frame). I re-sprayed starch on the batting and un-rolled the backing/board and pressed it as I went. Flipped it around and did the same to the other side (my iron cord wouldn't reach!). Ta da! Turned out really really well.

Turned the quilt right side up, and pressed the top and put safety pins to hold it every square. I didn't have a whole lot of faith with using starch, but I didn't want a thousand pins either.

It held together really really well and didn't take as long as I thought it would, but my knees were starting to hurt. Should have put my knee pads on! I am almost finished with the quilting, and I haven't found any puckers on the back. I don't know that this method would be a good one if I basted today and waited 6 months to quilt it, but it sure went from floor to sewing machine just fine! And I couldn't tell that using the cardboard as an ironing board hurt my tile vinyl floor any.

I figured if quilters could use Elmers Glue, then I'd give spray starch a try. $1/can.

I posted this on another basting thread, because I had to share the happy news!

I have used it twice now and am very happy with the process and results. I laid the batting down, smoothed it out, drizzled a very thin bead of Elmer's school glue in a grid about where I would put pins, then smoothed the backing down. Let it dry and moved to another part of the quilt. I was doing this on my dining room table and didn't want to iron to dry fast. After doing the backing, turned it over and proceeded with the top the same way. It was very easy to sew through, didn't gum up the needle, and washed completely out. I'm going this way from now on.

When it comes to Elmer's glue for basting the key word is SCHOOL, not just white glue, but SCHOOL GLUE! Despite all the times it has been mentioned, some of you out there are still using any ol' Elmer's glue!!!!!

I use 505 on all of my queen size quilts...never use pins...works great and I can hang it for a week or two until I am ready to Quilt (FMQ) never have puckers. I do use elmers stick glue for my bndings. Love it...

[QUOTE=COYOTEMAGIC;5011843]I use Glue Sticks for all my applique work. I love it because I can pick up and move around any piece that is not in the just right position for about 30minutes before it sets firmly enough for me to machine applique it. Once set it doesn't gum up your needle either. I hate the stiffness that the different heat bond products can give items.

Coyotemagic, thanks for your response. I have always used heat-n-bond lite for applique. While I find that the resulting stiffness can enhance some projects, I often don't like it with more delicate projects. Now I know what I can use to delete that stiffness. I imagine using Elmers School Glue will speed up the process. I have used it for spot gluing, but never thought of it for applique. :):):)

DO NOT USE DRITZ!!! HAD BAD PROBLEM WITH SKIPPED STITCHES....THOUGHT IT WAS MY MACHINE...TOOK TO THE DEALER. Samples without the Dritz were great.....finally took a sample of my quilt that I used the DRITZ spray on, to the dealer, he tried my "quilt sandwich" with Dritz and it started skipping stitches. He said their is a "drag" on the needle just enough to keep it from forming a stitch with the bobbin thread. He also warned that the spray could be building up on the needle and other machine parts. I STOPPED USING IT RIGHT AWAY. My machines are Janomes, so the Dritz may work fine for your machine. Janomes don't like it.