Originally Posted by
Tashana
Two most important things to remember:
-glue MUST be Elmer’s School Glue (because it is washable)
-glue must be 100% dry before you start quilting
Lay your backing on the table and straighten. Lay your batting on the backing and straighten. Lay your quilt top on the backing. If the quilt is too large to fit on the table, center it as much as possible. Find which way you have the least amount of hanging over the table. I usually put the width of my quilt to be the lengthof my table (60”). Using safety pins, pin your quilt through the middle of the quilt widthwise. Roll the top on one half to the safety pins. Move the roll of the quilt all the way to the edge of the table leaving a large area of batting exposed to give yourself more working area. Apply Elmer’s School Glue I thin lines, or drizzles on the bating in the width of 12”-18”. I make a grid about 2”-3” apart. Fold the top over the glue and straighten with your hands from the middle outwards. Keep doing this until you reach the top edge of the quilt. At this point, the glue has not set yet. Straighten your top with your hands, removing any possible imperfections. Dry by pressing with dry iron. Some people do not do this, but rather leave it to dry overnight, but I am the impatient kind and I use my iron. Repeat the same procedure with the other half of the quilt. Once it is COMPLETELY dry, remove the safety pins and turn the quilt sandwich so the backing is facing up. Straighten your backing again. And repeat the same procedure as with the quilt top. If you will be applying your binding by hand, go easy on the glue at the quilt edges. Although it does not bother the machine needle one bit, it can be tough to get the hand sewing needle through it. I just use a metal thimble, since I cannot seam to go easy on the glue. Wash the quilt after your are done to get rid of the glue. Basting your quilt this way, will make sure that both your top and your backing are straight. Batting that has good consistency, such as W&N, works the best. I hope this helps. Happy Quilting!
That's exactly the way I do it. Just follow Tashana's great directions and you'll be fine. The important part to remember is to use SCHOOL glue (any brand will do, it doesn't have to be Elmers) that will wash out (the bottle will say it is "washable"). FYI: A gallon of school glue should baste enough quilts for Cox's Army (am I dating myself here?). I use only about 2 ounces of school glue to baste a twin bed sized quilt.