Board basting question
 

Today I am going to try Sharon Schambers board basting method...I've never done it before and I have 2 questions:
(1) I can't seem to get the backing to roll tightly onto the board. It rolls on okay but is a bit loose. Does it have to be tight?
(2)My top is approx 50" x 60" and is made up of batiks fpp blocks from a Judy Neimeyer pattern. I have watched the you tubes and am comfortable with the procedure but I have found that my top just won't roll squarely and tightly onto my board. I suspect, well I know, it is because some of my blocks may be a bit out of square. Now is this going to be a problem for me? I'm sorta thinking that as I am unrolling it and baste stitching it can I smooth the odd bit out as I go....is this viable or am I asking for trouble?

This method is very forgiving. Yes you will be able to smooth things out as you go. It's not imperative that the top or backing roll tightly. I have stopped using boards as they were heavy and harder for me to store. I now use pool noodles. You can duct tape them together. So much lighter and easier! Plus I glue baste so that makes it even better.

I do the top first. place board near edge of table, fold top over and smooth in place. then holding, flip board over again and smooth. keep going until in middle of table. spray long sections as you go along toward you and flipping board.i tend to press the board a bit with my hands as i go. when done with that, pull that section off of tables if necessary. then go to the other side and flip over and over. then spray and flip toward you again as you go. then i do the sides if it is a big quilt. works well. my back doesn't like it but then it doesn't like it when i use fusible either!
my board is a six foot flat baseboard from the hardware store.

No, they don't have to be tight, but I do make an effort to keep them square on the boards. I tape the top and backing to the boards before I start rolling. Once your first row of pins are in smoothing the layers becomes easier. My king size didn't fit on 8 foot boards, but it didn't matter. It fit on the tables and that is what is needed.

I never tried the boards. I just keep doing it the 'old' way.

It is a very forgiving method. You could use painter's tape to hold the edge to your board and it will stay put better for you. I only board/thread baste now and am much happier with the results. I am a hand quilter, so don't use glue basting or spray.

I usually do wrap the boards with painters tape but recently, on a baby quilt, I just used the weight of the boards to keep everything tight enough. I do use herringbone stitches rather close together. I love her method as I never get puckers on the back.
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Thankyou everyone....appreciated.