I'm a sad tale, but I walked into the store today and saw all that back to school stuff and my mouth started watering. Managed to make it out with only the glue and some pencils.

Here's one tutorial on using Elmer's washable school glue to baste:
http://www.quiltingboard.com/tutoria...e-t208057.html

There is a lot of additional information on this technique. You can find it by using the "search" option in the upper righthand corner of the board (when not in a thread).

Is there a time period in which the glue won't wash out or harm the fabric? I'm looking at a QAYG quilt.

You can heat set this glue for basting and it still washes out; just make sure you get the "washable" kind.

I too am in love with washable school glue. I am surprised that someone is not selling it as "quilters glue" and charging outrageous prices!

I love that I can get my "school supply fix" this time of year. Nice to stock up on stationary items at good prices.

Use washable glue. Any brand is fine. I get it on sale if I can for around $1.00 or less a bottle. I put my glue on the BATTING not the backing. By doing it this way there is no glue seeping through to the surface below. The batting is also heavier and so you don't have as much problems with wrinkles.

Here's the process I use: Lay the batting down. Lay the backing on top of that. Fold back half of the backing exposing the batting. Hold the glue bottle about a foot or more above the batting and get a fine stream of glue coming out. Work in a zig zag squiggle pattern with the glue. You don't need much. One regular size bottle of glue will do a twin size quilt and then some. Once the glue is down I fold the backing back over the glued part and smooth down with my hand. If I'm in a hurry I put a hot dry iron to it. Usually I just wait for it to dry and then move on to another section. I do mine on a table and the whole quilt won't fit on the table so I do it in sections. If you're using a surface where the whole quilt will fit then do the whole thing at once. Once the glue is dried flip the two layers over and repeat the process by putting the glue on the batting and smoothing the top over that.

Very easy. No taping. Can be done on a relatively small surface. No crawling around on the floor. No messy overspray. No sore fingers from pinning. You must wash the quilt after it is quilted to remove the glue. I wash in warm water with extra water. Cold water will not take out the glue.

I have a little trouble squeezing the bottle for the length of time it takes to do the job, so I experimented and diluted the glue until it would spray a fine spray out of a spray bottle. I used warm water...not sure if that made any difference but I think it 'softened' the glue a bit. I just sprayed, then rubbed my hand over the batting and joined the two layers together. I have done all of my last quilts this way and it is wonderful. I lay them on the bed and can get them REALLY smooth AND don't have to worry about overspray. When I'm done I take the sprayer part off the bottle and run some warm water into the sink and dipping the end into the warm water I spray several times to clean out the sprayer. Put it back on the bottle and you are ready for the next time.

I had a twin size play quilt basted with Elmer's School glue that was in the closet for over 2 years in a bag. I forgot about it. I found it when looking for a backing fabric I though I had in the closet. I did have it, on the back of that quilt. LOL. I put the whole thing in the washer on delicate and let it soak for a few minutes then turned the cycle on. The backing, batting, and top came separated just fine. I dried the batting separately. I used the backing for my new project and another one on the play quilt.

I think I might buy some Elmer's glue! I usually use basting spray but get tired of the overspray.

This is exactly how I do it as well. I usually put a few pins around the edges, so the glue isn't on the part I need to stitch the binding down. Hand sewing through the dried glue is possible, but harder than without it. I'm refining my technique with every quilt! :)