Basting problem :(
 

Hi everyone,

I came to sanwidge my latest quilt last night, and I havedecided to use quilting safety pins every other square.To my eye the back looks like it has wandereda little bit and is quite baggy.Im notlooking forward to hand basting it but would you guys recommend this over thepins?I have two weeks to get itquilted, bound and washed.Also I havehad to rethink my quilting style on it so Im not best pleased lol

Maybe you should re-do the pin basting, making sure to tape the backing down tight onto the table surface? That makes it hard to pin, but will result in a non-baggy backing. Easier solutions would be to spray baste it together, have a longarmmer baste it for you, or use a non-baste frame, the kind with separate rollers for the top and backing. Good luck. You're on a tight time frame. Hope you work well under pressure. I don't.

I have only pin basted for almost 30 years. You need to get the back down snug but not so tight (like a drum) because when you release the backing, the top will appear puffy. That is because when cotton fabric is stretch, it will retreat back to it's normal shape. Before I put the top and batting down, I run my hands over the backing to make sure it is not too tight or too loose. Do you have a quilt store that you can go and show them your problem?? I have always found shop owners can explain what you might have done wrong. Your LQS should be you best friends especially when you are just starting to quilt.

Unfortunately such a shop doesn't exist here in sunny*sic* Barnsley :( but the last quilt I made I thread basted and it worked lovey... maybe I am using the pins wrong? It may be quicker in the long runt use thread until the next one

YOu need a LOT of pins. A common check to make sure you have them close enough is make a fist and place it anywhere on the quilt. You should at least be touching 2 pins. So need to pin about 4to5 inches (sorry don't know how many cms this is!) apart. Every other block probably isn't enough.

Righto, that's my job for after the saddle fitter appointment! many many more pins!

The directions on your batting/wadding should inform you how close to baste. There are many ways to baste. I like the Sharon Shamberg method. She has a couple videos. It really is not hard to do and I find it fairly quick. I have a 6 ft. long table and my kitchen table to work on and a work bench. I keep my cutting mat underneath so I don't prick my surface.

I used to pin baste and it takes a lot more pins that what you would think. I don't know how big your squares are but probably one pin per square is not nearly enough.

I glue baste now which is so much easier and faster and you don't have the weight of the pins to deal with when you are quilting and wrestling it through the machine. There is a lot of discussion about glue basting on this board if you do a search.

I will also put in for glue basting. Eliminated many, many issues with basting the sandwich!!

I always pin baste. As someone else said, the pins should be a hand width apart, or closer. I use blue painters tape to hold the backing to the table, then layer on the batting. As I smooth the batting on, I use clamps to hold in place, then place the top, replacing the clamps onto the top. Kind of hard to describe. The clamps are actually wood working clamps but work perfectly for me. Then do the safety pins which I notice that I start out with a hand width between and then soon turns into to even closer than that!

We have lots of information on using washable school glue if you use the search feature on the top right. You can type in glue basting or basting with Elmers and see what comes up. I'll never go back to pin or thread basting and when it is dry it does not gum up your needle. And washes completely out. Good luck. I hope you find a way that works for you.

Elmer's School glue is my new best friend......try it you will like it.

Keep the backing taut ( not tight tight) and pin a fist width apart for pins(about 4") . It takes a lot of pins but gives a good finish.
glad to find another from UK here.

I used around 500 quilting pins for my last quilt which measured 65 inches x 88 inches and even then, would've whacked more in if I had 'em! If memory serves me, I think it worked out to about 5 pins per 8 inch block. Mind you, taking them out whilst quilting can be tedious!!!

Agree with what others have said. Also, make sure to start basting in center of quilt & work your way out. Think of quilt as being in 4 quadrants. Pin from middle out in A quadrant. Then repeat in the diagonal quadrant. Continue until it's all pin basted. Then you usually want to add a quick thread basted stitch along the edge of your quilt (less than 1/4" from edge -- some people don't remove as its hidden in binding, but I always remove it). This basting line to make sure the edge doesn't fold under & get caught in the quilting (ask me how I know).

I used about 425 in current quilt that's 68x68" and ideally I could've used another 25-50. I like the curved pins. They make the process go faster for me. Good luck!

I gave my pins away quite some time ago. Yeah! I use Elmer's school glue that I thin down with about 10-15% so it is easy to spread. I let it dry overnight and then quilt. I never messes up my machine and is easy to handle. If I am doing a quilt that will not be washed such as a wall hanging I thread baste with the Sharon Shambler method.