Originally Posted by
Onebyone
How interesting. I've never basted on a frame so never thought about this.
It's not exactly basting in the usual sense of putting in large stitches that will later be removed. The typical sequence is to load your backing on the longarm, then place the batting on top, and run a line of stitches across the top of the batting, securing it to the backing and also providing an absolutely straight line. You then line the quilt top up with that straight line, and run another line of stitches along the top of the quilt top, within the seam alowance so it won't show after the quilt is bound. Using the channel locks to run a line of stitches down the sides of the quilt, through the batting and the backing, gives you a line to align the top with, again assuring that it is square on the frame.