leaving elmers glue on quilt
 

How long can elmers glue be left on a quilt? Also do you still have to quilt from the center?

Elmer's Washable School Glue is not glue but a heavy starch. It won't hurt the fabric.

I think starting from the center was to eliminate puckers on the back. I like to outline large blocks before I start to quilt and that helps too.

do you thin glue out first? I am a little scared I could go overboard using the glue instead of basting or pinning or spraying.

If you overdo the glue try not to do it close to edges of the quilt because it will be VERY hard to attach binding by hand. Your machine will go through it like it is nothing but you may have to use a really strong thimble to push the needle through.

I think I will try this on a tablerunner first then venture on to bigger projects. THanks

I used Elmers on place mats. I drizzled it on as sparce as possable, at least 3 or so inches apart smoothing any "globs" with my finger. Ironed dry. I did a simple cross hatch. Did not start in the center. It held up very well. I haven't washed the mats yet. Can't even tell the glue is there. Not sure if it will be a problem leaving it on so long, (sense Christmas) but can't see that it will be. I will use it again on other things, and have a full size top ready to try it on now. Hopefully in the next week or so. Good luck!!

I wash any quilt I use Elmers glue on as soon as the quilt it complete.

I've only done one large sofa quilt using Elmers to baste, but I had to put it away, unquilted for about 2 months before I got back to it. Didn't come apart or leave any marks/residue on my fabric. I washed it once it was quilted and it all came out. No problem.

I love using glue to baste quilts....so fast and easy....and no cleanup!....I start quilting wherever the urge tells me to....LOL...and never any puckers or shifting fabric....it simply is the best method for me!

Elmer's glue! Wow I never knew about this. Does it take the place of safety pinning?

Yes, the glue does eliminate the need to use safety pins. Keep a VERY LIGHT touch on the glue and keep it sparse, too. The washable glue will come out nicely once the quilt is done and washed. It is a great timesaver and easy on the hands, too. :thumbup:

Elmer's School glue is so cheap when school starts in the fall. .25 a bottle!

Never heard of doing this - can someone please explain the process for me? How do you apply? Do you glue both top and bottom to the batting? Do you put the glue on the fabric or the batting? Do you iron the glue dry?

Oh , please someone answer Nammie to 7 questions! As I have never heard of myself! The thought of no pins no basting would be so lovely!!

I spread the glue in thin lines about 3-4 inches apart onto half of the batting....the lines have a tendency to turn into dots of glue, which is ok....the smooth out the top/backing, patting down well, then repeat with other side....at this point it can either air dry or be ironed dry....then flip and add the other piece in same manner....by spreading the glue onto the batting, you always see if there are any issues with puckers/gathers and can be easily fixed before glue dries....any globs of glue can be smoothed out with your finger....never any shifting of fabrics, and will hold until you wash the quilt when done....may not be easy for handquilting, but great for fmq.

Thank you so much !! This is going to be fun to try!

I don't have a ton of experience quilting. I have completed 4 quilts and sandwiched another ready for quilting. After the first one I read about the Elmer's glue trick on this board and figured since it's washable what have I got to lose? It worked great and I became a believer. My problem is that I probably use too much thinking that 'more is better' so I am trying with each quilt to use less. I never had a lot of experience with pins, but that first quilt really left me bleeding....if you know what I mean! LOL