As the cotton was carded on the carders, the quilter pulled the flattened, straightened cotton fiber off and laid it onto the backing. When the next batch came off the carder, the quilter pushed that batch as close as she could get it to the first batch, and so on. When there was enough cotton spread onto the backing, then the top was laid onto the backing and the whole thing was basted, usually on quilting frames that lowered from the ceiling. The frames could be hoisted up to the ceiling until the quilt was ready to be quilted and then it was time for a quilting bee! She would send out the word and folks from miles around would come and help her quilt the quilt. With all the neighbors helping, frequently, the quilt would be finished in a day. When lumps appeared in the quilt as it was washed, it meant that the quilting was not close enough together to hold the "pats" of cotton together. Hope this helps.