Originally Posted by Diana Rainer
My problem has always been that apparently I'm not pulling them taut enough while pinning - and always get excess quilt top, while quilting it. How do you all get your quilt top/batting/backing taut? I learned about the spray adhesive for the first time on this board, but still would need to get it all tight enough before using that. Right?
You know, it's not necessary to have the batting or the top drum tight. In fact, I think that actually causes problems as the fabric is going to want to spring back into a more natural position after it has been stretched. All that is necessary when you layer is ensuring that each layer is flat, stays flat ,and does not develop ripples.
From what you described, it sounds to me as if the fabric in your top is stretching when you machine quilt. To prevent stretching of the top, I would recommend spray starching it before you layer. Starch will stabilize the top and will help keep the fabric from stretching while you are handling it. If you search back, there have been some recent threads on starching and spray starching quilt tops and backings. Starching backings helps prevent puckers from developing when you quilt.
Also, check if your machine allows you to adjust the pressure on the presser foot. If it does, lighten up on the pressure to allow for the thickness of the quilt sandwich.
If you have been stretching your backing drum tight, that could actually cause of the excess fabric you end up with in the top when you quilt. In that case, your top has been layered to a stretched backing. When the backing is released from whatever was making it taut, it relaxes and shrinks -- creating excess fabric in the top. You need your top layer to be matched to your bottom layer.
I think all the concern about making a backing taut comes from the past when quilters used old-fashioned frames. There was a tendency for large quilts to sag in the middle (from the weight), so one would compensate by pulling the backing extra tight before layering. In that situation, though, the quilt was never released from the frame until after it had been hand quilted. At that point, releasing tension simply allowed the quilt to "puff up" a little between the hand quilting stitches. That is very different from releasing the tension on the backing before the sandwich is quilted.
Just be aware that if you starch backing and top, and also use polyester batting, spray basting alone may not be enough to keep your quilt sandwich stable. Spray basting works best with cotton (or primarily cotton) battings and some people report that starch prevents the basting spray from holding. In this case, machine basting with the invisible thread in addition to spray basting might be a good idea.