basting my first quilt top Q's
 

Hey everyone!
I have a few questions as I prepare to baste my 1st quilt top. It's just a funky lap-top or craft quilt size project - pics later of the hexagon blocks - but I'm fearful at this point.

1. I am new to sewing not only quilting - this is about a 36"x40" top, and I have very little floor space to lay out my sandwich. I have a large enough table to do this - but if I can't get it all thread-basted in one day, and I have to remove (carefully) the project until another time, will I still be able to keep it all lined up?
2. Is it realistic to consider Elmer's glue basting for a newbie - or should I focus on traditional long-stitch basting stitches by hand? I feel better about the thread, but glue.....seems quicker....?
3. Would anyone recommend a particular thread weight/type and needle type for basting by hand please?

thanks so much - off to work with my 5th grade students!!!

Adam

See if this works - my funky top - don't mind the errors!

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Your top is completely sewn together, correct? It should only take 30 minutes to an hour to thread baste a quilt that small. You take huge running stitches in a grid, with the rows about a hands width apart.

Cute top & good job.

Are you hand quilting this? you thread baste for hand quilting. You safety pin or glue baste for machine quilting.

My opinion...any type/weight thread is fine for thread basting. Any fairly large hand sewing needle that is easy to handle is fine to use. And as Mdegenhart says, about a hand-width apart in both directions. If you are machine quilting, glue is fine. I'm a hand quilter and don't use it so can offer to guidance there. And I mostly use safety pins for basting.

I suggest trimming off the edges of your borders to make them all square. Make sure your batting and backing fabrics are a good 3-4 inches larger than your top on all sides.

I baste mine on a table top. I use the big black binder clips to hold everything in place for basting.

Looking good so far. Good luck.

If you are machine quilting, you definitely should try glue basting as it is very fast and easy. If you will be quilting by hand, you will want a different method like pinning or spray. Whichever way you choose shouldn't take long at all for that size quilt. Glue will take the longest if you let it air dry (using an iron to speed dry the glue shortens the time considerably). Good luck!

I also thread baste for machine quilting! I use a color thread that is not in the quilt, machine quilt right over the basting, then pull out the basting stitches starting from the middle. No problem for me.:)

Jan in VA

What a cute quilt!!!! I use pins (bent safety pins, in case the idea is not one you are familiar with)for basting, but whatever you use, it won't take too long to do this cutie! It won't take much longer than grading a couple sets of papers. :)

Dina

I love your funky quilt. Sure is a lot cuter than the first one I made!! I use to take my quilts into my former LQS and pin baste them in their classroom (when available). The purpose of this pin basting is to make sure that there will be no puckers on the back of the quilt. After pinning, check the back to make sure there is aren't any puckers and the back is smooth.