I never thin the glue, use a brush, or worry about blobs....too much effort. I open the tip as far as it will go, holding the bottle about 12" up from the batting. Then I squeeze with both hands and go pretty fast across the fabric "trying" to get lines about 3" apart. It isn't an exact science....just washable school glue. Then I lay the fabric onto the batting and pat it down and let air dry....I do this on my pool table, so ironing dry isn't an option. I am a firm believer in not making things more difficult than absolutely necessary and this is so easy and fast. I fmq right through any hard spots or "blobs" with no problems. If you don't plan on washing the quilt when done, you might not like this method of basting. But I always wash when done quilting anyway, so it's perfect for me. Thinning and brushing on the glue seems like so much work and I can't imagine why you would go to so much effort. I am a student of the KISS method....keep it simple, silly!