Favorite Basting Tools & Techniques
 

Hello,

I would love to hear what people's favorite basting tools and techniques are. I am finishing a quilt that I thought I could get away with not basting (horrible idea). Before I go out and start getting new tools I'd love to know how you baste and why you picked that technique. Thanks in advance!


-Lydia

If not going on the frame I now glue baste. I hated pinning and thread basting.

Spray basting with Mettler Web Bond.

It depends on the item. Small pieces will either tack base or spray glue. Lap quilt upwards either pins,( those expensive curved safety pins not the lower priced ones) or spray glue. The method also depends where I am doing the sandwiching. My friend doesn't allow spray glue in her classroom area. I must admit I love using the pins and removing every time I go past one. So liberating when you see a few pins left. If I use glue I always wash before I give it away to remove the glue.

I still thread baste by hand and prefer the technique on larger quilts. I began this years ago when I had one 6 foot folding table to work on and a dozen jumbo bulldog clamps to help layer the quilt. I take long 1.5" stitches with a contrasting waxed quilting thread, such as YLI, in rows about 4" apart horizontally across the quilt, never diagonally. moving the quilt and clamps to fit the quilt to the table. For me, this method holds the quilt very well through hand or machine quilting and much manipulating or the fabrics and I'm not exposed to the spray or its stickiness. I just enjoy the process.

I spray baste placemats, wallhangings, etc.

Jan in VA

I prefer to use the 2 inch safety pins. Most of mine are the straight style, but I plan to replace them with the curved style as funds allow. I recently finished a queen sized Lone Star quilt. I had over 600 safety pins in it. That took me 3 days to do. May have got it done sooner, but I have back & hand problems. I use my kitchen table....it's a retro from the 50's that was my Grandmothers...the ones with the formica tops & chrome frames. It seats 6 closed, 8 open, so it's good size to work on. I also agree....removing the pins, as you sew alone, gives you a sense of accompolishment :).

I used to use curved safety pins and my kwik clip. But I started using glue basting with elmer's washable school glue.

I pin baste smaller (baby to double/queen) quilts. I thread baste king size quilts as that many pins adds too much weight while I'm hand quilting. I do as Jan in VA does with clips and move the quilt around on my cutting table - like the ones sold at JoAnns - until done. When thread basting, however, I go in both directions - horizontally and vertically. With both methods I either pin/thread about a hand-width apart.

I spray baste with 505 basting spray, usually on a table tennis table outside, if the quilt is too large, I do half at a time. I have done up to a queen size like this and never had a pucker

After pinning to my "Stryofoam" wall I apply Elmer's School Glue diluted to 50
% and applied with a paint roller. Quick and cheap.