Sandwiching the the squares is the term that means temporarily securing the top square, batting, and backing by basting. There are several ways to baste your blocks.
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Here is a picture of several squares I have sandwiched and ready for quilting. I used a spray baste.
Spray bastes should be used in a well ventilated area. If you are in a small enclosed sewing room you might consider spraying your fabrics outside or in the garage. Do not use spray bastes around small children for they may inadvertently inhale the spray adhesive. I sew in a very large living area with several ceiling fans going and the windows opened. So you will see my pictures are taken inside.
I spread out a large piece of fabric I have set aside for just this purpose. You can use and old sheet also. When I am done with all my spray basting I can then wash and dry the fabric or sheet and put it away for the next use. The over spray washes out easily.
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Hold the can 8 to 10 inches from the fabric and spray lightly. You do not want a heavy spray this could cause problems and gunk up you needle and machine when you are ready to sew. After you spray the fabric touch it to make sure that is is slightly tacky.
From this point you can do several different steps in different ways.
This is how I did it. I then carefully centered my top square onto the batting adhesive side down. Make sure not to over stretch the fabric on the batting, this could cause puckering or bunching later. Smooth the fabric over the batting gently. If the batting goes down wonky or has a crease you can simply and carefully pull the fabric back off the batting and re position it as you need to achieve a smooth centered top piece on your batting. I then apply a warm iron to heat set the adhesive.
Be gentle and lite with the iron. Pick up and set the iron down on the fabric instead of using a back and forth motion. Then I spray the backing in the same manner as the front and apply in the same manner. I now have a quilt square sandwich ready to machine or hand quilt.
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Would anyone else like to chime in and share with us the other methods of sandwiching or basting the three layers together????
I will stop here for tonight and tomorrow will share another step that can be very helpful after sandwiching and before quilting... Can anyone guess what that will be???
Have a wonderful evening Ladies... Oh and In the spirit of the olympics and an inspiration to start in. Im giving a honorary virtual gold, silver, and bronze medals to the first three who post their orphaned blocks sandwiched and ready for the next step. I wonder will it be USA or Canucks or one of our other international friends.
