I hate basting. I think that is the one part of quilting that just bogs me down. I'm good with making the top, with quilting, and even love doing bindings, but sandwhiching and basting - blech! One thing I will do occasionally is use the water soluble thread to thread baste. It's wonderful in that you don't have to worry about removing it as you are quilting since it disappears when you block your quilt after the quilting process. It is a tad pricey, which is why I don't do it with all my projects. Still, it is very helpful, especially if you are working on a deadline and need to finish up quick.
~Tiffany

Have you tried the spray basting? I bought a can of it to try, but as yet haven't tried it. I know one quilter who uses it and swears by it.

M

i use spray basting on practically everything. i sometimes add a bit of pin basting to that, but i probably don't need to.

i'm with tiffany. i have tops that have been done for more than a year but are gathering dust because i can only motivate myself once in a while to do the sandwich/baste part. when i'm in the mood, it do everything that's been waiting before i lose the urge again. LOL

Yes, I tried the spray basting on a smaller quilt and it worked well....I did it in the clubhouse in our community rec room. The next time I used it I used it in my living room. I had sticky spray residue everywhere...on the kitchen floor, the blinds, cabinets, etc. I'm not anxious to repeat the clean-up.

Since we live in FL in the winter, I actually thought about scrubbing the patio and trying to lay it out, out there. Then I decided that would not be real comfortable crawling around on the cement....with age comes wisdom...sometimes. :lol:

I'm new at everything quilting but do truly enjoy handquilting. Thanks for the tips.

I think I will try some thread basting to stablize it ...you are right this thing weighs a ton. I must have hundreds of pins in it.

You are right about the handquilting...it will be a challenge because of the small pieces..... BUT this one is going to be mine and hopefully a family heirloom after I'm gone. I am not in a rush ...it will be my reward to work on it after I get other things accomplished. My kitty Annie is very excited about "helping" me with it.

I'll work on figuring out how to post a picture. You all are so helpful and are getting me really motivated.

THANKS A BUNCH!!!!!

Hi M. Yes, I do spray baste. I find it is wonderful for smaller projects but takes a bit of work with the larger king-sized quilts. I do find that my fabric, especially from the back, will shift on me if the piece is too large and I am hand quilting. I ususally spray baste and then add some pins to make sure nothing shifts when I'm machine quilting. For the larger hand quilted tops I put them off until assailed by guilt (or I need to get it finished for a deadline) and then I hand baste it.
~Tiffany

I am an avid quilt spray user. I like using cheap flannel backed tablecloths as my "drop cloth". When they get too sticky I toss and get a new one--often find them for a dollar or two. Just have the tablecloth a few inches larger than the piece you are working on. The other thing I've learned with practice is that it does not take as much spray as one might think. I spray lightly and if it needs another squirt to stick well, then just do the small area that didn't stick as well as I wanted it to.

Hand quilting with sewn basting goes alot smoother for me. When it's pin basted you have to be so careful placing the hoop that you don't stretch or rip the fabric where the pins are. Moving the pins as you quilt might shift the quilt sandwich enough to get wrinkles in the backing wouldn't it?

I lap quilt and don't use a hoop so the pins aren't such an issue for me. I know when I have used a frame the pins are a problem and that's when thread basting is important. It is still my least favorite part of the entire quilting process! :P
~Tiffany