Another Spray Baste Question
 

I've been using 505 Temporary Adhesive spray in quilts now and then, and I always wash the completed quilt before giving it to anyone, particularly babies. More recently I've been using the same product for machine embroidery. It's great for keeping the stabilizer firmly in contact with stretchy fabric, such as a t-shirt. However, because these embroidered items are not sandwiched, after they are washed I'm able to see and feel the back where the spray was. I was dismayed to discover that the spray does not wash out as I always assumed it would. That means all the quilts that I have spray basted have gone into use with this chemical inside of them. It was only then that I noticed the product actually says you are supposed to dry clean to remove the spray! Who dry cleans quilts or t-shirts?!!!

I don't remember this from other brands of spray products and don't have any around at the moment for comparison. If you have some other brand, please check and post what they say about removal.

I do remember hearing that. Honestly, I've never worried that much about it. With all the chemicals used in the processing of fabrics and probably batting, I never felt this was a problem for me.

my [June] Tailor basting spray says it can be left in the quilt or laundered.

OMG, I haved used this product for years!!! Learn something new everyday!!!!

Good to know and good thing I just spot spray my quilt layers. My large quilts are dry cleaned since they are too big for machine but not my others... Maybe I'll go back to pinning or check out QuiltnNan's product.

I'm amazed how many people baste with 505. After making a small
sandwich and washing it, I never wanted to use it to baste my quilts.
I prefer to use Elmer's Washable glue. At least I know the glue will
wash away.

For all the people who spray baste using 505, have we heard anyone with concerns after laundering?
Not that I recall.

While I can't get inside the quilt to see if the adhesive is actually removed,
for sure, after washing/drying the quilt feels as though it is gone.

Sure, maybe I am living in a world of ignorance, but in the bigger scheme of things,
I'm not sure this is a huge concern .... at least to me it is not! :)

That is, unless and/or until someone convinces me otherwise.

I want to use Elmer's glue for basting. Is there a tut somewhere on how you mix it up? What are the portions of water - glue? And do you use a regular spray bottle.

Oh boy. Why did I open that can of worms? LOL

There are several reasons why I don't use 505. When I made that
sample with white fabric I could see the glue still in there after
washing. Maybe I did something wrong but I stayed away afterwards.
I also don't like the fumes. To each his/her own. :)

Here are a few tutorials. Remember there are no rules. You just have to try until you
find what works for you. I prefer to use clamps when basting my quilts.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate.

About diluting the glue...you will have to experiment. I think the longer the glue
sits on the shelf, the thicker it gets. Some use it pure strength. I like to add
a bit of water (maybe 3 parts glue, 1 part water). But I've diluted it a lot more
when I was running out of glue and it still works.

Not to worry, EasyPeezy ... cans of worms can be good ...
And as you said, to each his/her own!

Hearing what others experiences are, are important, and always important food for thought.
Our own experiences are the most important. We can weigh what is right, wrong and best for us.
And from all, we make our decisions as to what is right and works best for ourselves.

OK, my desire to explore kicked in and I went to the source of all knowledge, :D the internet. I use a basting product "SpraynBond" available at JoAnn's, Amazon, Walmart etc., and it clearly says that it washes out of fabric. I also found an article about two spray basting products and using school glue. https://growyourownclothes.com/2015/09/07/does-temporary-basting-spray-wash-out/

For machine EMB projects, I use a very light spray of Sulky KK2000 if needed. I don't spray the whole project, just enough to hold in place. It is temporary and can be removed by ironing the item.

A while ago my 5 year old granddaughter wanted a quilt for her dolly. I grabbed some scraps, including some offcuts of batting trimmed from the edges of quilts I had made and I made a quick little quilt. My granddaughter loved it and liked to sleep with it on her pillow until one day her mother noticed a weird chemical smell in her daughters' hair one morning. I never thought to wash the batting...had forgotten it may have had spray baste on it. As she is a "hot" sleeper, her scalp sweated through the little quilt and picked up the remnants of glue baste still on the batting. Totally my mistake for not thinking to wash the batting first I know. I still feel so cross with myself that I haven't used the spray baste since. I'm too worried I may not wash the quilt thoroughly enough to get rid of all the spray baste after it is completed and a similar thing happen again.

What I currently have is Tailor's Quilt Basting Spray, which I probably bought at Hobby Lobby. It says it works with cotton or polyester batting, and to spray on batting. Amazingly, it does not have any information as to whether it washes out or not! It says it's manufactured in France.

It seems irresponsible not to say whether or not it washes out so not sure I'll buy it again. I'll consult the website and see if more information is available there.

I do love the convenience of spray basting but I worry about the fumes.....and the fallout or over spray on furniture and floor annoys me. If I could do this outside or in a huge well ventilated space, I would, but I don't have that luxury......or equipment. I've used Elmer's straight out of the bottle but don't like the trails and clumps of glue. I may try another method of applying it. Darn, but these aerosol cans of glue are so much easier!

I have Dritz spray. It doesn't say anything about removal on the can.

I used June Tailor when I was volunteering. It was nearly impossible to get off the tables. It didn't dissolve with soap and water, clorox wipes or Windex. We had to use acetone to get it off the tables. I would not use it again.

bkay

I agree with QuiltE in post #7 completely. I love 505 and will continue to use it. As far as "Dry Clean", 99% of clothing I have that says this I launder myself and the items are just fine.

I just read on Amazon, which sells the Tailor Quilt Basting Spray, that if used on cotton, it's washable; if on polyester, it may, perhaps, need to be dry cleaned. My question is does that include polyester batting? Because I often use Mountain Mist polyester batting.

You know, the amount of 505 I use on a quilt is very slight. You don't need much to keep the three layers together and aligned. I have used it for years and never had an issue.

What bothers me is that there are probably no studies even showing that Elmer's washes out. Many quilts are washed on delicate and then dried. My own are agitated manually, ala Harriet Hargrave, then rinsed and spun a few times on low speed. How can we know that when the glue washes out of the top, it isn't still in the batting?

charlotte

the way I tested it was to make a sandwich of scraps and not bind and then wash it in a laundry bag and in my experiment it washed out. Sometimes in my quilts there is a stiff part where I got a little too ambitious with the glue once it dries it doesn’t affect the quilting process. Those quilts I give a little presoak and the glob disappears. Maybe others have different experiences.

That's great to know - thanks!

charlotte, tending to overthink things

I never knew it was still in my quilts until I saw and felt it on the inside of tshirts I had used it on - even after they had been washed a couple of times. Obviously, it's in the quilts whether we see it or not, unless you have them dry cleaned. There's no way I'd do that. I wouldn't want dry cleaning chemicals in baby quilts either. From now on I'm pinning or using spray baste that says it will launder out.

505 specifically says to use dry cleaning to remove it. I use very little of it on my embroidery projects, precisely because a little holds very well, and still it does not come out in a couple of machine washings, and I'm not babying these t-shirts. I usually would use a gentler cycle with quilts than I would with t-shirts.

I glue baste these days. It's really easy. I just stream a little all over the quilt. You don't have to saturate it at all.
I suppose you could dilute it too but I haven't. I heard about it right here on the board. Elmer's Washable is good stuff and cheap.

I prefer diluted Elmer's school glue as well. I liked 505 but you sure don't get much for your money. Plus the smell was really awful. But people make sure it says school glue. I bought some white craft glue at the dollar store and the results were hard clumpy lumps.

Thanks for this information. It makes me realize that some of the t-shirts I've been embroidering have some polyester in them and they may not react the same with 505 as cotton quilting fabric. I plan to do some testing before using it again.

This catches my attention because one reason I prefered 505 over some other brands I have tried is that I don't smell it! I know there's at least one other that not only smelled bad but gave me a headache every time I used it. Now I can't remember which one that was, just that it definitely was not the 505, which I've been using for a few years. I have not been patient enough to wait for the school to dry, but probably should rethink that.

Not any more! June Tailor has changed it's formula and now requires dry cleaning, is very sticky and has strong smell. I'm now looking for an alternative.

I use a cheap paint brush about 2 inches wide to spread the glue after I drizzle it on the fabric and then I get no lumps./

I had some leftover blocks from a quilt, so I sprayed the back of one and put another on top. Left them dry a day, put 4 safety pins in, and tossed it in the wash. Was surprised, there was no difference. The 505 was still there, the blocks were secure. I did peel them apart after removing pins, and with an iron, rebasted them. I was surprised None of the spray washed out. Not sure how I feel about that, but for the price, may try the washable elmers glue next time. Love using it on bindings.

I use Elmer's School Glue to baste always. I dilute it about three parts glue to two parts water, and shake it like crazy to blend. I move the bottle very quickly over the quilt to keep the lines thin. I'm much less likely to get blobs of glue that way. And the less glue you use, the easier it washes out. I bought a gallon of Elmer's at an office supply store for about $13, and poured it into empty 4 oz. bottles and diluted it.

The only issue I ever had was when using a dimpled minky backing from JoAnn's. The glue would not stick to that particular brand of minky, and I had to use the 505 spray. I use only Shannon Cuddle now, and Elmer's works perfectly.

Funny, I have never noticed this. It's so much easier than pinning a large quilt. I always assumed it washed out.

I agree the scent on the June Tailor, I recently bought a new bottle and it about knocked me out. I'm sensitive to scents and thought maybe I got a different brand... no, although the bottles had changed it was still June Tailor but the new one is more strongly scented than it used to be.

Looks like a good time to try glue.

I have a can in front of me and here is what is sys:"QBS will remain adhered to the fabric for several weeks.After this time, or upon washing, the adhesive properties will diminish or be completely removed. Avoid large splatters, any over spray can be removed with a number of popular non-staining organic cleansers." I purchased this one for JAF.

juliasb, does it also say to dry-clean? (and that is 505?)

Since I still have both cans, I checked the June Tailor. For the most part, the text is pretty much the same (and both are suitable for both cotton and polyester) until you get to this point on the back. The old can stopped after positioning the fabric and it being tacky. After that the new can says:

Laundering will remove or diminish adhesive properties. Dry clean to remove completely.

I know I over-sprayed in the beginning and I think most people do. There's a fine and rather precise balance for me to get enough spray to hold everything securely but light enough to dissipate. If I'm giving the gift on a timeline, I like to be done complete with first washing two weeks before gifting just to make sure most of it gets out. Too much and too soon a wash and you can get sticky lint/thread worms on the quilt.

The last project I did with the new can that smelled so strongly to me I let sit for a week before I began and it held together pretty well. I was using pretty puffy batting and don't feel it held too securely to it so I did put in a just a few (like 10-12) pins until I got a couple of stabilizing rows in. It's been about 4-6 weeks now I think and I'm finishing up the hand sewing of the binding (no, it doesn't really take me that long! been busy on other things) and I no longer notice any odor. If there is anything report after I wash it, I'll report back.

I don’t have a large table to layout sandwich.....nor floor space. Using 505 helped me keep big wrinkles out of backing. I do wash quilts before I give them away. Now that I know that isn’t enough, I will start experimenting with Elmer’s. Thanks, everyone, for information.

I sometimes use Pellon 987F Fusible Fleece too. This thread got me curious about using it. I came upstairs to do a quick check and it says, “Fabrics backed with Fusible Fleece can be machine washed (warm) and dried (medium setting) or dry cleaned.” Doesn’t say anything about if adhesive remains after washing, and I’ve not tested it.