Basting Strips? Whaaattt???
 

Hi everyone! I’m about to start a new quilt and in going over the instructions, it calls for basting strips once the quilt sandwich is made and before the binding is applied. Huh? The quilt is made of blocks within blocks, alternating with stars within blocks and that doesn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary so I’m puzzled about the purpose of the basting strips. Not that I’ve been quilting all that long, but I’ve not heard of these strips before. And the really confusing part is they appear to be part of the design, like a very thin (3/4”) border and then the binding is applied. I confoosed.

Can you post a link to the pattern?

Could mean the basting strips that are fusible? There are rolls of it available in different widths. It's great for keeping binding in place before you sew it by hand or machine. It started out as Basting Tape but so many other uses came about some changed the name to fit the use.

Could this be meant as a strip of piping added when the binding is sewn to the front?

There are simpler ways to do this, without so many layers of fabric.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB0rc76kVV4

I think Onebyone has the right idea with fusible strips. I have not done this, but I understand that you can use strips of double-sided fusible for basting the quilt sandwich together. Usually, though, patterns don't give instructions for how to baste, quilt, or bind.

I'd love to but I can't. It's a paid-for pattern. Last time I did that, it was removed.

The instructions say: “Press the K and L strips in half lengthwise wrong sides together to make four basting strips. Align the strips with the edges of the quilt. Baste strips in place.

Prepare binding and stitch to quilt front edges, matching raw edges, mitering corners and overlapping ends. Fold binding to back side and stitch in place to finish.”

The color of the basting strips are a definite border type of thing that goes around the quilt, right before the binding.

If this is just another very small decorative thing…OK. But I don’t get calling them “basting strips.” It makes me wonder if there's a structural reason for them but I can't see what it would be.

Does the border look like this?
https://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.com/...-tutorial.html

From your description it sounds like they want you to make a separate flange before putting the binding.

If it's too complicated, why not just put a binding and call it done?

I probably wouldn't call it "basting strips" ...
... but the way your instructions read, you are creating a "flange" at the outside edge, next to the binding.

You are "basting" them to hold them in place, temporarily,
then they are properly sewn in place with the machine stitching of the binding.


Re EasyPeezy's link ... the flange and binding are one piece together, attached to the back of the quilt, then folded to the front, and machine stitched to finish.

Whereas your instructions ... the flange is created by the basting strips, and the binding is machine stitched to the front, folded to the back, and then, you hand stitch it on the back of the quilt.