basting my first quilt top Q's

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01-29-2015, 06:28 AM

#11

Onebyone

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Elmer's washable glue is perfect for beginners. Everyone of my guild members baste with Elmer's. We use it for all our donation and fundraiser quilts. No one sighs at having to baste all those quilts now.

01-29-2015, 06:43 AM

#12

tessagin

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Location: Corpus Christi, Tx.

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There are so many ways to baste quilts. Another is spray starch. So many videos on basting. No bigger than yours is, if it were me I would thread baste it. I've done that and the Elmer's glue. I thread baste if I have no intentions of washing it before giving it. I have no pets that can get up onto the quilts.

01-29-2015, 10:07 AM

#13

Kitsie

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Join Date: Mar 2010

Location: Ridgefield WA

Posts: 7,765

I use spray basting - Sullivan's - for both and have never had a problem.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mdegenhart

Are you hand quilting this? you thread baste for hand quilting. You safety pin or glue baste for machine quilting.

01-29-2015, 03:13 PM

#14

Jitterbug

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Join Date: Jan 2014

Location: Georgia

Posts: 346

A lot of excellent answers above to help you choose what you want to do, I only wanted to say I really like your quilt. It's so cool and it really doesn't sing out that "first quilt" to me. Good luck on the next steps.

01-29-2015, 03:53 PM

#15

adamleefreeman

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Mdegenhart

Cute top & good job.

Thank you!
It looks good - from a distance!!!! (a far away computer screen is perfect!)

Adam

01-29-2015, 03:56 PM

#16

adamleefreeman

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Quote:

Originally Posted by NJ Quilter

My opinion...any type/weight thread is fine for thread basting. Any fairly large hand sewing needle that is easy to handle is fine to use. And as Mdegenhart says, about a hand-width apart in both directions. If you are machine quilting, glue is fine. I'm a hand quilter and don't use it so can offer to guidance there. And I mostly use safety pins for basting.

I suggest trimming off the edges of your borders to make them all square. Make sure your batting and backing fabrics are a good 3-4 inches larger than your top on all sides.

I baste mine on a table top. I use the big black binder clips to hold everything in place for basting.

Looking good so far. Good luck.

Great tips - thanks a bunch!
Also, FWIW, I'll be using the yellow patterned sash strip material for making my bias binding when all is said and done. At least that's my plan at the moment!

Adam

01-29-2015, 04:05 PM

#17

adamleefreeman

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Jitterbug

I appreciate your kind comments, JB!
Nice to hear that this experimental project doesn't turn folks off - believe me, it was a random inspiration that looks nothing like the "class quilt" top I had been struggling to tackle over the fall months.

That one I gave up on - after stitching together about 7-8 different traditional blocks. Meant to be a sampler, but I really disliked the material and just went "ugh" and set that aside. Might turn those blocks into little pillows for my dog or something....!

Adam

01-29-2015, 04:31 PM

#18

clem55

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Join Date: Jan 2010

Location: Lexington,Kentucky

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I h ad to be able to remove a baby quilt from my bed ( that was where I had to baste it together) and I placed the quilt on top of a cardboard folding cutting board. Used binder clips all the way around the edge of the cutting board, holding the top, batting and backing together to the board.. Then I pinned . I had to remove the quilt before I was done, so I just folded the cutting board with the quilt and clips, worked great.

01-29-2015, 06:55 PM

#19

barny

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Join Date: Oct 2011

Location: dallas tx.

Posts: 5,172

It 's looking good to me. Get that other one out and finish it too. You will be surprised how good they look when finished. You need the practice just like all of us do.