amelia0607

Hi all. I have a quick question. I am trying to finish up my granddaughter's Frozen quilt.
I am going to quilt it with randomly spaced floating (not connected to one another) snowflakes.
I have already pinned the top to the batting but have not pinned on the backing yet. (Should've asked this earlier) Do I draw the snowflakes on the top now or go ahead and pin the backing and then draw the snowflakes? Which would be simpler or would it really matter?

Tartan

Usually the backing is taped or held onto a flat surface with clips and the batting and top are smoothed out over it. It is then pinned all together before undoing. I personally like to mark with white chalk and that can be done after sandwiching.
Whatever you decide to mark with, test on scrap fabric to see if it can be removed.

zozee

Ditto what Tartan said. Double check that the backing is facing away from you first, though. In other words, that the pretty side will be facing out when you view it from behind. Ask me why I advise this! (Fortunately, I caught my mistake BEFORE quilting once.)

I have used duct tape to hold the backing in place on the table. The backing should be wider all around than your batting, and your batting a little larger around than your top before you pin. Then smooth everything out really well and pin all layers together about a hand width apart between pins. Or use spray baste and forget pinning. Videos abound on youtube on how to use that stuff. I love it .

I like to use Crayola Ultra Washable markers. They come in a 10 pack for less than 3 bucks. I like that I can choose any color that shows up on the fabric--and that I don't worry about it running or reappearing or not coming out. It rinses out easily and completely.

Kas

I always press my top, then mark it, then baste. If I mark after basting, I have to mark around all those pins and the batting makes it too fluffy to get accurate marks. And yes, you should do all three layers at once when you baste instead of doing the top two then adding the back. It just cuts a step.

Jane Quilter

Ditto Kas. Mark on a hard flat surface before sandwiching, you might need to use a light box.

117becca

I thread baste my quilts. Typically I will mark the quilt before basting the layers together. However, depending on the design I've been known to mark the area as I come to it. I use frixion pen and then use the iron to make the ink disappear.

Bree123

I do the same as Kas. Depending on the loft of your batting & your marking tool, it can be quite tricky to mark after basting.

mjpEncinitas

I always draw the design on before I pin batting and backing on. Try it before you add the back. See if you're satisfied. Then add the backing. Sometimes if I change the design I will mark after basting. Good luck

lindaschipper

I'm not a fancy quilter by any means so I've usually waited until the top was sewn together before marking. But I'm working on a block quilt now and want to mark each block as it is finished. Will let you know how that works out for me.

citruscountyquilter

I mark my quilt after it is sandwiched. I glue baste so no pins to work around and I often use an air erasable marker which only gives me about 15 minutes of visibility so marking ahead of time is a lost effort.