Questions:

When hand quilting with a hoop, do you loosen or remove the hoop from the quilt when you are finished for the day and then re-hoop when you begin again?

Does hooping the quilt stretch the batting?

Never hand quilted before but I know you pin and baste and then start from the center, so I was just wondering on the placement of the hoops!

I know it's an inconvenience to remove the hoop each time you set the work aside, but it DOES HELP! I've only used a hoop on wall hangings, but leaving it on until that section is done leaves curved bumps in the quilt!

I'm lazy, I never unhoop until I need to quilt a new area or am finished and I've never had a problem with creases. I also never pin baste a quilt I'm going to hand quilt (the thread will get tangled in the pins--pins are usually only used in machine quilting). If you look up Sharon Schambers video on hand quilting she has a basting technique that allows you to start quilting anywhere you want to--you don't have to start from the middle.

I am like Bernie, I don't move the hoop until I am ready to start quilting a new area. With poly batting it rarely leaves bumps or imprints and when it does they go away after a day or so. With cotton, because cotton "remembers" I have had hoop marks but they also went away after a while, just takes longer time. Once I was handquilting a cotton bat and I thought I had permanently dented the batting but it was completely nonexistant after washing. I wouldn't recommend leaving the hoop in for really long periods of times though (like more than a week in one spot).

Is that on Youtube or something like that???

It is on youtube. She uses boards to help sandwich the quilts and she uses a herringbone stitch to baste. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhwNylePFAA

Thanks, virtualbernie!!!! :D

I just watched the video and it's great! Makes a lot of sense.
I've basted the other way for years and I like this one a lot better.
I'm getting ready to baste a wall quilt and the timing for this video is perfect! Thanks a lot :)

I certainly loved it! This is the only way I baste now.

I'm guilty of never unhooping too, but have never had a problem because you have to have some slack...so I never stretch the part I'm quilting. I only pin baste for machine quilting and thread baste for handquilting...am going to definitely check out the video...thanks :)