Thread: Seems too risky to me.

When I was a child I went to quilting bees with women who were born in the 1800s. The method they taught was to stretch the back, batting, and top on a 4 sided frame, then roll 2 (opposite) sides toward the center. The women would line up on those 2 sides and start quilting from the center out. As a section was finished the quilt would be unrolled, restretched, and the quilting started again from where they left off. They did beautiful work.

Originally Posted by Quiltlady330

In almost 40 years of quilting I have never quilted a project of any size either by hand or machine without basting it first. I use either safety pins, basting spray, needle and thread, or tacking gun. Several ladies in our local group tell me they never baste when they put it in a square free-standing quilting frame. They pin around the edge of the quilt and they begin quilting on all sides at once and not in the middle out as I'd been taught and always practiced.

Just curious what your experience has been with this type of procedure. I'm concerned because we are doing a very
special quilt for auction and I want it to be completed well without puckers or pleats on the back. It seems to me that we're really taking a chance on this happening when we don't baste. Am I being overly concerned about this?

I don't use a frame unless it's a round hand held one. I always baste like you do. I haven't had any problems yet. I don't think I would want to take it apart and redo it, so I will continue to baste. And I always start in the middle too.

Originally Posted by Barb1949

The old quilting frame works the best for keeping the fabrics taunt while quilting. I learned how to do this at my church quilt guild years ago. It was most fun and I enjoyed it very much. I wish I had a group like that again. Hand quilting is beautiful. We seem to have lost that way..now its all done alone so it is a different process.

I agree 100%. I learned the same way! I moved away from the church that had the bee.. I was told there's a bee not far from my house, but they do it at while I'm at work

When my youngest daughter was going to get married, she wanted a double wedding ring quilt. So I had an Amish neighbor piece it. Then I had a quilting at my house and invited my Amish friends. They put the quilt in a square frame made out of boards. It was completely stretched out and secured to the boards, with no basting. They started quilting on all sides, meeting in the middle. Starting about 9:30 am, they had the quilt out by 3:30 pm. We all had a great time. The quilt was beautiful. such good friends and neighbors.