Like I've said before I had about an inch of glue left in my small Elmer's bottle. I thinned it
out and got enough to baste a whole quilt (77" x 77"). A little goes a long way. Good thing
you tried it on a sample. Now you know what to expect.

I'm a teacher and I've learned that with glue, a little bit of glue goes a looooooong way and you don't need much to make things stick. I teach my kids not to ever drizzle glue - that is flat way too much. To get a very thin line of glue, open the gap all the way (so you can easily squeeze the tube), touch the glue tip to the fabric at a little less than a 90 degree angle, and gently squeeze the tube to make a VERY thin line of glue. Keeping the tip of the glue to the fabric prevents using too much glue and keeps away clumping. I have 30 squares to glue baste today so I can quilt them. I used 1 tube of glue on the remaining 90 square. If would have used 2 tubes of glue on those 90 squares if I would have drizzled the glue. My mom felt the glued squares that were quilted and she said she couldn't feel the glue at all. Just remember to keep the glue tip on the fabric and make a very thin line of glue!

I don't have one of those special tips, but I've glue basted a couple things now. I did it the way an earlier poster did and held it up pretty high and squiggled the glue onto my quilt (my biggest was twin sized). I had a few globs, but had no problem quilting it in my machine and it all washed out when the quilt was done. I've also seen posts elsewhere on the board here where people have made their lines and then used a piece of cardboard or an old gift card to spread the glue out. Maybe that would help you.

i read on this board someone thins the glue then applies with a wide paint brush--i will try this next

I never thin the glue, use a brush, or worry about blobs....too much effort. I open the tip as far as it will go, holding the bottle about 12" up from the batting. Then I squeeze with both hands and go pretty fast across the fabric "trying" to get lines about 3" apart. It isn't an exact science....just washable school glue. Then I lay the fabric onto the batting and pat it down and let air dry....I do this on my pool table, so ironing dry isn't an option. I am a firm believer in not making things more difficult than absolutely necessary and this is so easy and fast. I fmq right through any hard spots or "blobs" with no problems. If you don't plan on washing the quilt when done, you might not like this method of basting. But I always wash when done quilting anyway, so it's perfect for me. Thinning and brushing on the glue seems like so much work and I can't imagine why you would go to so much effort. I am a student of the KISS method....keep it simple, silly!

Here's a tutorial I posted. This might help. http://www.quiltingboard.com/tutoria...ml#post6015629

Elmer's washable glue is one of the best things to happen for a quilter :):D! I also apply the glue with thinest lines possible across the top when I load on the batting and quilt top on top of the backing on the frame...being careful to keep that in the seam area. Then I can later hand sew the binding to the back without hitting the glue. If worse comes to worst, I can always soak the area a bit and let the glue dissolve. I will probably never do machine basting again, LOL.

I did thin mine about half and half with water. I still had a few stiff spots, but they all washed out easily.

Try using one of those sample credit cards or something similar to thin out the lines. Maybe that would help.

I have used Elmer's school glue several times and really like it. I thin it down by 25% so that it is easier to squeeze out. I just put down "dots" every 3 or 4 inches apart and smooth out. I have never experienced stiffness and the layers stay well fixed until I wash them out.