Have any of you done this before?

I'm watching Sewing with Nancy, and she is showing how to use a fusible .. for instance, heat n bond lite, transweb or any similar that has paper on one side and fusible on the other. She puts just a bit, maybe an inch worth of fusible, and fuses it down about a fist apart, on both the top of the batt and on the fabric on the bottom (probably not explaining this right, but I think you know what I mean) then she removes the paper, presses all over with a hot iron and voila ... it is fuse basted! She is showing it on a small project but I can see how this would work great on lap quilts etc.

Wow what a great idea.

I've never pin basted a quilt. I was taught to use spray baste and that is how I've always done it. I can't wait to try it with fusible interfacing. I have lots of it cuz I buy it when it is 50% off at Joanns, usually around holidays, and use it all the time when creating fabric postcards. I think it would be tremendously less expensive than a can of spray baste.

So if you have done it, please explain your experience. If you haven't b4, do you think you will give it a try?

Wow, I have never heard of it but it sounds like a great idea. Can't wait to try it out, basting is the hardest part of quilting in my opinion.
Thanks for sharing.
Kat

I saw that program also. I have not tried it yet but thought it looked like a good idea- if you do it please let us know who it worked :D

I do it all the time for bindings as well as other stuff. Works well. One note : heat and bond lite stains some batiks ( found out the hard way) .
I hate pinning and use fusibles ALOT in place of pins on some parts of projects.
I found wonder under is the easiest to sew through, heat and bond lite is a bit stiff ( that why I use it only for bindings, that I will machine sew) . Steam a seam is a great bond but is a bit stiff and can be harder to sew through.

Thanks Lori for your input!

I also have wonder-under but don't use it often, guess it is cuz my last batch I was challenged with the paper releasing before I even got to cut it for use... maybe it was an old piece of yardage. I'll have to look at my transweb, it probably is lighter as is the wonder-under.

I have not checked this out yet, but I am thinking she is using either a cotton batting or warm and natural etc. If you pressed a poly batting, you would flatten all the loft or maybe even melt the batting it seems.

In my old days of sewing we used stich witch, it on a roll like tape would be, has anyone used it for application or
anything. It seams thin enough.

No probs for me, I don't use poly batting ... just warm and natural or even flannel.

Don't you get little 'dimples' where you put the fusible pieces? I can see fusing/spray basting the whole thing, but it seems to me that you would be able to discern where the fusible was used and where it wasn't...

I wondered that too. Thanks for asking.

Not having seen the show you are talking about, I can’t tell if you really meant to say they used fusible interfacing…or if they actually used fusible web. I don’t know why anyone would want to add interfacing to a quilt sandwich, let alone on both sides, so I have to guess they used fusible web, which is solely an adhesive.

With that assumption in mind, fuse basting sandwiches has been used by many art quilters for years, most often with Misty Fuse (a very light, paperless fusible web) because it's so easy to cut or tear into small pieces and space around before fusing. Some fuse the entire front and spots on the back a hand-span or so apart. Art quilters, however, are not always concerned with the drape of their work, so spot fusing would probably be the way to go for utility quilts.

I personally think a random pattern is better, less predictable, but evenly spaced strips would work just as well...maybe not line the front ones up with the back ones though to avoid any chance of fusing to the fusible on the other side. You really don't need any more coverage than you do with pins.

With paperless fusible you don't have to fuse it twice, just toss it down and press lightly one time. You can also remove the paper from WonderUnder, etc. and treat it the same way as MF. You aren't trying to make a permanent fuse, just enough to hold it together while you quilt it, so don't smash it down with a hot iron. Five seconds should be enough, more like tack fusing.

And as for the 'dimples' question, I've never had that happen, but can't say it's not possible. I do know there is a risk of fusing to the scrim of any batting that has one (W&N, W&W, Legacy, and others) and that will very likely cause dimples and pock marks. Because the scrim should always be on the backside of your quilt anyway, this, combined with a light hand with the iron, should avoid a problem. It is, however, probably worth testing beforehand on a small scrap sandwich. The results will depend on both the batting and the fusible used, along with time and heat of the iron.

I love this technique. No basting headaches, nothing to remove after quilting, no aerosol fumes or overspray, no tucks or puckers...what's not to love??! :D

HI ... guess I typed 'interfacing' cuz that is where the fusible webs are found at Joanns. But yes fusible web, like wonder under etc. And Nancy did a fast tack, without explaining if she was doing it fast for the reasons you mentioned or if she was just in a hurry for the tv camera.

I haven't tried it yet but agree about nice to not have fumes and over-spray, wrinkles, tucks or puckers. I've heard of Misty Fuse but never used it, I'll be sure to see if Joanns carries it. Thanks.

I'm glad that I saw the episode.

And thanks for the recommendation of a 'fast press tack'!