Multi day process
 

Reason #1 - I am very lazy
Reason # 2 - no room.

Reconnected with an old HS friend, she also makes quilts. She sent me a top she wants hand quilted. It is 104" x 104" !!
I happened to have some 45" wide batting, end of a roll, just enough for the quilt. So yesterday's job was cutting and sewing it together - by hand. On the floor. My feet fell asleep.

Found a 120" muslin backing at Joanns, less than $21!! Woohoo!. Now today I have to iron it, iron the top, and hopefully baste the quilt together, although I am not making any promises. My living room, if I push back the love seat and remove the coffee table, will allow me to baste half of it at a time. I have done this before in my previous house.

Mentally getting ready to do it all is the hard work. It is a sampler type quilt, so quilting it will be fun as each block will be different. And she want to machine quilt the border and bind it herself, so that's good. Maybe next time I will insist that it be sent to me already basted .

Ooh, good luck with that job, one I wouldn't want!:)

wait wait there is an easier way to baste than on the floor. let me see if I can find a you tube rather than explain it. But wait for me before you baste on the floor. Jane Quilter

here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcF0_hqbOrk

I put new floors in my house years ago, and I use 2 10 ft boards from that. Good luck> This is the only way I do mine.

Thanks Jane but I wouldn't have room to maneuver two 114" boards in my place. With my luck one would go through a window. It is a great way to get the whole process off the floor, if you have room.

I'd never get a quilt basted if I had to use the floor. I use my cutting table. I center the backing; batting; top as normal over the table. Clamp each piece with binder clips as I go. I then thread or pin baste the center section. Move the basted section off to a side and repeat the process. Far, far easier than moving furniture and crawling around on the floor!

I feel for you ptquilts, I have a dining room table to work on. I also have muscular dystrophy, so I could never use the floor. Consider it a blessing that you can. Jane

Ever have one of those days when you wondered why oh why did I agree to do this?

You are lucky you can still get on the floor! I can't. It is so nice of you to hand quilt it for her and that you already had the batting and found a great buy on the backing! Post a picture when it is done. I would love to see it.

I'd insist on pre basting too, but it's too late now. Schools and librarys off rooms to baste too. or a church basement. that's what I used to do. good luck with it

Am I missing something? What is with the boards? You could much easier and faster have laid that backing out flat, then the batting, then the top, without winding and unwinding off and on those boards!

I use spare beds to baste whenever I can... but I spray baste as much as possible so I don't have to worry about pinning or stitching down through the bed. The last time I had a really big quilt, I had to layer it on my driveway! I swept it as clean as possible, first. Had to have hubby's help as we peeled back layers, sprayed the spray baste, and then pulled the layers back over and made sure they were smooth. But even that didn't take nearly as long as prepping a quilt for quilting as shown in this video.

I have used the "board" method for about 20 fairly large quilts. My boards are 84 in. long. Actually the prepping time is not nearly as long as it seems on the video. I agree video makes it seem very long and painstaking.

I actually added a step: I roll the backing on one board and the batting on the other one. I spray baste these two layers. Then I work with the basted backing/batting on one board and the quilt top on the other board. It's actually quite fast and it's very easy to keep the layers smooth. Having all the layers rolled onto the boards gives everything a certain tautness that eliminates any possible wrinkles.

Like anything else, the first time takes a little longer, but after 20 quilts, I am definitely a fan of this method.

Why on earth baste on your knees? Buy a couple of folding tables, lay out the batting, stream Elmer's School glue on it, smooth on the backing. Let dry, turn over and do the same with the quilt top. (I usually press to set the glue immediately so I don't have to wait.) Done. Fold up tables and put under bed. I use the fold in half 6ft tables from Lowes. They have handles and are easy to carry and store.

Well today I got the top ironed, and laid it out on a spare bed where hopefully it will stay unwrinkled. Almost got the back ironed but it was getting dark and the lighting in this place is terrible. I rent a furnished (off-season) ski condo in the summer, and everything I own fits in my minivan, so buying a couple of tables is not an option!

Hoping to get it finally basted tomorrow! Fingers crossed!

Those of you who are suggesting spray basting or Elmer's glue basting, the OP is planning to hand quilt. For sure Elmer's won't work for that. I know that some hand quilters ***lightly*** spray baste, but I would be worried about over-doing the spray and then having every hand stitch harder to do than it needs to be.

I would see if I could find a longarm quilter to machine baste it. If not, don't baste on your knees without good knee pads. You can damage the knee cartilage on a hard surface. Ask me how I know.

I try to only make 6ft wide quilts as I have a table just that width and I spray baste in sections done the length.

I just dont see how you get the layers of a king size quilt taunt by laying them on a soft bed or even a floor or falling over the edge of a small table working from the center out. Ya'll are better than me.

You are amazing to do all that on the floor! Do you have a public library or church nearby where you can use some large tables for basting? I use the special iron on adhesive tape (available at our local quilt shop) to put sections of batting together or I zigzag them with my sewing machine on the largest zig zag. I don't hand quilt, though, so the tape might not stay together with a lot of handling.

Sounds like you and I have a lot in common! I can relate to the hard work involved here - recently took on a project of refurbishing an old quilt. This lady's idea and mine of 'heirloom' were clashing in my brain! This was one I would have just thrown into the burn pile, but gave her my promise it could be repaired. I have to take the entire quilt apart, slowly, very slowly as the material was pretty well rotten. Once it was completely taken apart, I removed the torn spots, put back all squares and then quilted it all. The binding was replaced with scraps that were removed. Although this was a nightmare for me, she cried when she saw the finished project. I think I'm retiring from refurbishing older quilts.

Hope you learned, next time to ask what size?? When I was quilting a large quilt, I would book the time for when the classroom at my LQS was available. Never got down on my knees.

I don't have any trouble getting down on my knees........................... it's getting back up that is the problem!! So while I am down, there, might as well baste a quilt!

We have a giant heavy glass patio table on the enclosed sun porch that I baste on.....it's still difficult to baste a queen or king size quilt on. I'm wishing you luck in your basting.

What a sweetheart you are to do this for a friend.

Using a light hand, I use Elmer's on all the quilts I hand quilt. When I have run into glue, it's no worse than hitting a seam. Of course, it is necessary to smooth out any blobs.

It might be worth taking it to a longarmer to have basted. They can do it quickly and not too expensive (maybe $40-$50?)

This is the way I sandwich my quilts, but you have to have room to do so. Some longarmers will sandwich/ baste a quilt so you can do the hand quilting. I would ask that the "customer" have this done before you get the quilt. You wouldn't have the frustration of piecing the batting, shopping for the backing, etc. Just my humble opinion....

My body will not do floors any more. I go to the church and shove tables together and that works great or go to your local library and ask if there is a space you can use they are always happy to help. Think any large meeting areas they usually have the tables there already and a call or two and you are on your way. Good luck!

mostly done with the basting now, here is a photo of this lovely top.

Only this morning I watched this tutorial. Really good info that I can use.
https://youtube.com/watch?v+jnke_KzeTI8
She shows layering a large quilt on a small table.

The house I grew up in had no place with enough room to lay out a quilt to baste. So we'd wait for a nice day and set the frame up outside, lay out the backing, batting and top, and then start basting and rolling the quilt up. Once that was done, the quilting was done using a big hoop and a comfy chair.

Could you use (rent) a table at your local library or at a local church? Anything to avoid having to work off the floor!

Do you have a local church, library, quilt shop, or recreation center nearby with tables that can be pushed together for laying out your quilt? It would really save your knees.

All basted, it wasn't that bad! Sometimes thinking about a job and psyching yourself up for it is worse than doing it.

One more thing, my friend sent some thread in a sort of hank - the way yarn used to come. "Rice Silamide, waxed for hand sewing, Conviently (sp) put up". Who on earth thinks a big hank of thread (currently draped around my lampshade) is more convenient than a spool!!

I either go to Senior Center to lay our my quilt or the tables iin my church to do it. Makes is much easier