Think of gluing as an alternative to pinning or thread basting. You don't pin or thread baste everywhere so you don't have to have complete coverage with the glue. I make a wavy line every three or four inches and that is plenty. I use it straight from the bottle or if it gets too hard to squeeze the bottle I'll add a little water and shake it up. It is no where near 50/50, much less. If you hold the bottle a few inches off the batting then it will come out in a thin stream which is all you need. I always put it on the batting and not the fabric. If you put it directly on the fabric you will get some soaking through to your table surface. The batting absorbs it so no damage below.