about the only thing that (might) happen is maybe a little build up on your needle- it's not going to do anything to your machine & if you do find it's gumming up your needle all you have to do is put a little (drop) of machine oil on a paper towel & wipe the needle down---that will keep any build up from happening- works for iron on fusables--the glue tends to be (cleaner) to work with than fusables.

I understand your hesitancy, but there are dozens of posts on here by people who love basting with school glue. Don't you think someone would have complained by now if it gummed up their machine?

Tate

I don't know if anyone would have complained - its possible no one has had their machine cleaned after using this method - that was my original question. There is another thread on this board with comments from a service tech, noting that there is residue inside of machines that he cleans after someone uses the spray basting method. So, if that can be found in the machine, I'm wondering if the glue will also find a way to get inside. (that is assuming people use the spray after it is dried, which I am sure they do) Thanks for all the replies!

Maybe the spraying was to close to the sewing machine? I let my glue basting quilts dry before quilting them. No problem yet.

Yes, I've had my machine cleaned/serviced after using the glue basting method....no problems or residue, or at least none reported by service tech.

It's never a good idea to spray any kind of glue near any kind of machinery. Think of the spray as a gas - it penetrates nooks and crannies of anything within range. That will gum up the insides of your sewing machine.

Once the glue is dry, it could flake off the fabric while you're sewing, but would be more like dust. However, if you are in a very humid area and don't have air conditioning, then the glue dust might soak up some moisture.

Having said that, I've used both elmers and the basting spray and have had no problems. MY DH cleaned my HQ16 in January and it was almost immaculate inside - almost no dust. It did have some thread caught in the mechanism that lifts the needle up and down, but even that wasn't causing a problem - yet!

Just another note about the Elmer's process. I am working on a large quilt that I am doing in sections. I got one section added to the quilt only to discover that it was "off" by 3/4 of a inch. It was very obvious to me and I decided to fix it. It required that I break loose some of the glue joints. I did this very easily with my fingers. I had used 80/20 Hobbs batting. Since it was only a narrow area near the seam line that I needed to change I did not re-glue it. I was really pleased at how easily (though time consuming) I could repair my error. I've never had a problem washing it our after the quilt was finished.

If you are not in a hurry, you can moisten the area and the glue will soften, making it easy to adjust. Just allow to dry again, the glue is still there.

On Its Sew Easy show this past Wednesday they used those packets with alochol(sp?) to sew right
thru the paper and all to clean your needles. I thought that was a great tip to remember.

At first I used too much glue. Later I found out that a little dot goes a very long way. I always set the glue with a hot iron before sewing.