Let the fun begin
 

It is crawl on the floor day as I get ready to glue baste my lap quilt. Not fun but a necessary step before machine quilting. I really like using my pool noodle to roll up my top on so I can roll it out over the glue. I am ironing as I roll it out but have to stop and clean my iron of glue residue once and a while. Does anyone else find that the Elmer's washable glue kind of puts a bit of scum on their iron? I could let it dry by itself but I like the nice flatness ironing gives it.[ATTACH=CONFIG]560399[/ATTACH]

I feel your pain tartan. I hate to get down on the floor to pin baste. My knees just won't take it anymore.

My knees are still ok for getting on the floor but it's my back that feels the pain the next day! I've never used glue on my quilts. I like the idea of the pool noodle to roll your quilt on. Lucky for you it's only a lap quilt & not a King Size. :)

The pain of basting was one of the main reasons I talked myself into getting a longarm. I can get down on my knees and scoot around the floor okay, but getting up again - that's the problem!

I found fold in half 6 ft black folding tables at Walmart. Two of them we less than $70. They fold down to 3 ft and can go behind a piece of furniture, back of a closet etc. I bought them one at a time and I am very thankful-there are many problems with basting on the floor - accuracy being a big concern and I spray baste so over spray is a also a concern. I don't have room or $ for a long arm so DSM quilting is what I do - I'm going to learn to use rulers hopefully next summer when I have time to really work on it. Good luck with your lap quilt I am looking forward to seeing the pictures!

This is EXACTLY me, Dunster!! Getting down is not a big deal... getting up again... well, let's just say that takes awhile!

I've had my longarm for about 6 years now, and never regretted it for even a second!! I was so tired of pleats and puckers and warps and wobbles on the back of my quilts, and I felt guilty paying a LA'er to finish my tops, that I finally found someone who would let me put a machine "on lay-away". It took me 2 years to get her paid for, but she was well worth it!
I have a handful of regular customers, but since I still have a "real" job, I'm not really pushing that too much right now. She has paid for herself in the number of quilts I have finished since I bought her, plus I've done several consignment quilts that I would not have tackled without having the longarm.

once again Dunster, you speak for me!

Oh dear! I am so sorry to hear the backing might have polyester in it. I have found that is a problem with too many of the broadcloth fabrics. I hope the nightmare i is over soon. I feel your pain.

Dina

I use my cutting table to baste my quilts. I just lay the backing fabric over the table, make sure it's smooth. Then I lay the batting, smoothing as I go. Then I lay the top, getting it smooth. Pin from the center out, checking for smoothness. When the part that's on the table is pinned, I slide off to get to another part. I check smoothness of the backing, batting and top on the new part and pin away. Works for me. Sometimes I will spray the backing before laying the batting on it, but I always pin the top unless it's a small quilt.

using this method, I don't have to get down on the floor, I can baste any size quilt I want and I've never had problems with puckers, pleats, etc. I do all my quilting on my DSM.

Rob