Well I finally broke down and tried the basting spray and I have to say I was just not that impressed. It is that June Tailor brand. I just had a small wall hanging that is not quite crib size. After allowing it to dry and set I found the quilt to be sort of stiff and not pliable. It is not real easy to navigate it through the sewing machine for FMQ. Also, I had to reposition it several times while drying because when I would rub my hands along it's length I noticed some puckers which I thought this spray would not allow to happen. Wondering if I did something wrong or if they are supposed to be stiff. I followed directions exactly and even saw several youtube videos of people spraying their quilts. I have to say I think I will just go back to pin basting even though that is a pain to do. Any suggestions for what I did wrong or what your experiences were?

I have never noticed stiffness with the June Tailor spray. Many people on the board prefer the 505 brand, but I've never tried it. I don't have a store nearby that sells it.

Try a can of 505, I really think you will like it.

I have never had a stiffness problem with basting spray, and I've used several different brands. My favorite brand, though, is 505. I think the June Tailor brand is the one that gets some complaints on this board. Could you possibly have used too much spray on it? It doesn't take a lot of spray (at least for the cotton battings that I use).

It's a good idea to secure the backing before starting. For a small quilt, I use painter's tape to tape the backing to my kitchen island. For a large quilt, I secure the backing (making sure it is flat and straight) to a large table with clamps.

Next step is to layer the batting on top of the backing. Once I am satisfied with the positioning, I peel back half the batting, spray it, then smooth it back down on the backing. Lift the other half, spray it, and smooth back down. I smooth from the center out to the edges.

Last step is the top, using the same method of positioning first, then peeling back half to spray half at a time.

I also, especially on large quilts, mark the center of each side for the backing batting and top to help me with the initial positioning.

The only time I have had to re-smooth a lot is when I sprayed the whole piece before positioning. That taught me to position first, then peel back and spray only half at a time.

I like your idea to lay your backing on for positioning and then peel it back and spray. Maybe I'll give it another try. I did mine vertically on some large sheets of cardboard and pinned the backing to the cardboard very taught. I remember the can said to spray the batting and position the backing to it and then flip it and spray the other side of the batting and position the top on that. I did the flattening out with my hand from the center, but I did start at the top and not the center pressing downward and then upward. So I guess I need to give it another try. Can't imagine doing this with a large quilt! This small one was so trying for me. Still don't know why it is so stiff because I did an even spray side to side all the way down. I will definitely get some 505 spray next time instead of this brand. Thanks for all the advice.

I use 505 and find it okay.

The June Taylor has a very long long time you are supposed to shake the can to get the contents fully mixed. Is it possible you did not shake long enough. Also less is better than more.
The first can I bought I bought June Tailor ...thinking a reputable quilter put their name on it....and ....used it and thought "I wonder what every body thinks is so wonderful?" I gave several more brands a try and June Tailor is the brand I like the least.

ck out utube on Patsy Thompson..She uses 505 and talks about it...

I use the June Tailor spray all the time and have never noticed a stiffness. Maybe you used too much?

I just tried 505 on a 68 x80 quilt and did not really like spray basting. It seemed like I used almost all of a 6.5 oz can for this top. At almost $6 per can that is too much money. I did a post recently on this issue. I guess back to pinning. I really do not mind pinning but think it makes FMQ harder.