505 spray
 

Two questions: Do any of you know, with any degree of certainty, whether or not 505 spray can be washed out of a quilt? And second, to what degree are the three layers of the sandwich repositionable once you've sprayed them? I'm guessing they would be, at least for a short time, but . . . ?

I use 505 spray for all of my quilts. It's always washed out of my Project Linus quilts with the first washing...no problems at all. Yes, I always wash my quilts before giving. Repositionable for a few minutes, in case you have to straighted out a section. Never have had to reposition it after an hour or more. I like to get my quilting done and over with.

How much repositioning? Taking the whole thing apart and moving things or a bit of shifting because you found a wrinkle later on. The spray glue is not permanent, so there is always the potential for repositioning. Yet, it also holds well over time. I can attest to this as I spray basted a king-sized quilt and then had to store it before finishing the quilting. Rolled up in a closet for months, I took it out and basted with nothing out of place.

Sounds like you are thinking about using spray baste. I like this method. I have not tried the Elmer's glue method. You can reposition, but not push to smooth out. There are many videos of the "best" way. I recently watched one in which 3 pool noodles were used. Looked good, but don't have pool noodles, yet. Gonna try this when I do.
Now, I lay down backing, then batting. Start in middle and spray/join in 2 sections, then 2 sections to the other end. Same for top.

I use the Elmers washable school glue - so I didn't know if your observation was for that or 505. I can smooth out with using the glue. I do push from the center out. My method is just a thin drizzle from the bottle onto the batting in a random grid approximating where I would put pins. I don't thin it out, roll it on every inch, etc. I think of it as replacing pin basting not spray basting. I have gone as big as queen size with no issues.

Just curious - after spraying either basting spray or glue - would a wood rolling pin be good to smooth the layers ? Working from center outwards, of course.

I prefer fluffier batting than say warm and natural style. I don't think rolling pin would work for me at all, need to lift up and reposition large wrinkles, can tug on smaller stuff around the edges. I use spray baste in sections, so am only dealing with about a foot or so of fabric each time. I use my long 6x24 ruler sort of like a squeegee to help smooth.

I think most of us over-spray at first, but it has been my favorite method (prior to getting my long arm). It shouldn't feel wet, you shouldn't really see much (this from a person with vision issues). If you have oversprayed and your needle is getting gunky while sewing, best thing I've found is to spread it out and let it dry for a week or two... On the other side of things, if you know you aren't going to get to it for awhile, I'd lightly roll it up and maybe keep it in a large garbage or plastic bag of some sort.

Odif’s site says it disappears when washed.
https://www.odifusa.com/catalogue/fa...orary-adhesive

I use this method for all my quilts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPaIzuoY6Bg I've only once had a problem doing it this way and it was one of the first quilts I did so I'm sure it was operator error.

To the OP's question, I've had side pieces with the backing on them that I trimmed off at the end stay on the strips for months and months without coming loose. I have repositioned after a day or so, but not longer.

Thank you, Thimblebug. This answers my question very well. :)