the back side of the quilt - how to make it behave
 

Is there a secret that I don't know about? I always get some agrivation with the back side of the quilts....how do you keep those little wrinkles from forming? I hold tight when I am sewing, and I try very hard to keep any wrinkles or folds out of the back fabric, but still I always seem to get some spots that I am not pleased with........I use a lot of safety pins when pinning the sandwich....what am I doing wrong?

If its not going on the frame I baste with spray adhesive like 505 that helps me and is kind to your needle doesn't gum it up. But I'm sure there's more solutions other people can give you.

I had the same problem at first too when I used pins to baste my quilt sandwich. Looking back now, I think I pulled the backing fabric TOO tight when clamping it on the table and that caused stretching and uneven areas that then caused tucks when quilting. I switched to spray basting instead of pins and have far fewer puckers in my backing fabric. So if you want to stay with the pinning method, be sure you have your backing smooth but don't pull it too tight. Seems counter-intuitive but try it.

I hand baste using Sharon Schamber's method. Check out on youtube. I do it on a table with pads. At first I rolled it on boards, now I just use 2 heavy boards to hold the non basting area down. I believe the herringbone stitch does the job. Neat back.

I've tried several different ways and so far i like school glue and a hot iron best. I don't clamp to the table anymore because i was going overboard and stretched the fabric so it wasn't laying straight when i was done. First i glue the top to the batting and then i spread that out on the table batting side up. I roll up the backing and glue that down in sections from one end to the other. This way i'm working on one side at a time and i don't have to be concerned with what i can't see. I do this before i go to bed or before i know i will be away from the sewing area for a while so it has time to dry completely before i sew anything.

I've just recently discovered (after my DIL told me :)) that if you can sandwich your quilt on your design wall, it's a lot easier to quilt and there are no bunches or wrinkles. I also baste with 505 spray. Now, how to figure out how to sandwich my kingsize quilt on my wall which is too small.

I hand baste.

I've done many quilts using Elmers glue, some as large as 96x96 and never a pucker or wrinkle on the backing. I think it is because you are spreading the glue onto the batting and then smoothing down the fabric....always seeing what is happening. Once I discovered school glue for basting, I've never gone back to the old ways, not even spray.

I also like the glue basting method. I've only done it twice and the results are successful. I thin the glue with water and apply it with a paint brush. I love not having to remove pins as I quilt. I'll continue to use this method.