Originally Posted by
Sailorwoman
I plan to use a couple of sheets of plywood but I don't know whether to lay them on the floor or prop them up against a wall.
Why not invest in a couple of inexpensive saw horses from the hardware store? If you can get the plywood in a single sheet (e.g., 4'x8'), you could lay it on top of the saw horses and have a raised platform. It is also helpful to invest in some clamps (4 would probably be enough) -- just make sure they are thick enough to work. These are the ratcheting clamps I got that are very easy to use:
http://www.menards.com/main/tools-ha...914-c-9135.htm
The saw horses and plywood are very easy to store in the garage, and they allow you to work outside on a raised surface.
For a large quilt, I would mark the center edges of the backing, batting, and top. Lay down the backing first, then align the batting on top making sure that centers match. Once you are happy with the alignment, peel back half of the batting and spray baste just half the quilt. Fold the batting over the sprayed area until you are happy with it (a yardstick helps for smoothing out), then fold back the other half and spray baste that. Once the center part of the quilt is basted in this way, add the top, again matching centers, and again folding half of it out of the way when spraying. Once the 3 layers are secured in the center, you can slide the sandwich to one side to finish that side, then the other.
I found it difficult to get everything aligned correctly when working on a wall. It's especially difficult if you have weak arms, as I do. My arms got very tired.
"Regular batting" doesn't tell me much. A number of people have problems spray basting quilts using polyester batting and non-505 basting spray; often the spray doesn't do well with polyester. I have used all types of spray on primarily cotton batting (Hobbs 80/20 and 100% cotton) with no problems. Those who use 505 spray seem to have no problem with polyester batting. Over time I came to decide that 505 was worth the extra cost, and that is the only brand of spray that I use now.
I personally do not like heavy quilts, plus they are more difficult to handle if you are machine quilting on a domestic sewing machine, so I would not add an extra layer of flannel (which also adds complications to the spray basting process and increases the chances of tucks and puckers when you quilt).