ckcowl

do not 'pull tight' your minky- you want to smooth it- but not stretch it- then baste very, very well. you (can) use spray basting if that is your preference- then baste the edges to hold it well- personally I prefer thread basting (lines of large stitches in a grid) some people like 'pin basting' -- with minky you need to make sure you are using really good, sharp pins-- what ever your basting method- baste very well (at least every 4" in a grid- more is good, less- not so much) smooth- don't stretch-- loosen your top tension just a tad= lengthen your stitch length a little bit on your machine. put together a small practice piece with what ever your top is and a piece of minky on the back- batting if you are using batting (make your practice piece like your quilt-except much smaller) and practice - making adjustments- until you are comfortable with your results and ready to move to your quilt.

Peckish

I agree - be very, very careful not to pull it taught. I made a baby quilt with a minkee back and sent it out to a pro longarmer. When I sent it to her, it was square. When it came back, it was a rectangle. It was a commission quilt, and I was upset that the minkee had been stretched, but the customer who commissioned the quilt was very happy with it and didn't care, so I let it go.

grammy of 6

I have made 2 quilts with minky as the backing, and both came out fine. I used Elmer's glue on both, and quilted on my regular sewing machine. Guess I was too naive to be scared.

michelleoc

I've made a lot of quilts with Minky on the back. Every time someone asks for one I groan because I don't like working with it, but the results are always great. Here's what I do. I lay the minky on the ground and measure batting and my quilt top to make sure I have enough of everything. I use Elmer's washable school glue to glue the batting to the minky and then I glue the top to the batting. let it dry for a day. I have a quilt sandwich with cotton, batting and minky to check the tension. I quilt with the minky on the bottom and use Machingers and quilt like I do any other quilt. Try to ensure that the quilt isn't hanging off the sides of the table. The drag can really mess up your FMQing. Good luck and have fun!

AnnieSue

Elmer's glue would be perfect. I never thought of that. Thanks.

trennag

I have done two quilts backed with minky. The first was a baby size with cotton batting. I just heavily pin basted and stitched in the ditch with my walking foot. I didn't stretch the minky just laid it out and made sure there were no wrinkles. The second quilt was a t-shirt quilt with no batting. I did the birthing method and this quilt was a little more problematic. The t-shirts plus the minky made it very slippery. However once it was turned I used the digital dual feed foot on my machine to stitch in the ditch again and it turned out fine. I did pin along the blocks again to minimize shifting.