I starch,, starch, and add a little more starch. Then I tape to the covering hung in the garage and spray glue. Then I add the batting, spray the back of the quilt top and pin the top row (pulling all the time) and smooth out over the batting. Once done, usually takes about 20 minutes or so, I add a few pins and start sewing with a walking foot (in the middle or there abouts). Hope this helps.