New to group. My latest project..
 

Howdy all! I am new to the group. I want to be a quilter so I have been watching lots of YouTube videos and even signed up for some Craftsy classes. I feel like I sew a bit and watch a video... Sew. Watch video. :-) My grandson will be a year next month and I decided to make him a dinosaur quilt. I bought a panel with cute fabric and thought it would be my background. Wrong! When I got the top pieced I decided it was on the small side so I cut into the panel... It's the border on this quilt. I guess my Plan B is to do denim on the back... My plan is to machine quilt it.

Any suggestions for pinning the top, batting and back together to prevent wrinkles?
Thanks in advance...
Kandy from Kansas.

nicely done and welcome to the QB. start by laying out the backing and tape it or clamp it to the surface or table. then lay the batting and smooth it out. i tape this, too. then lay the top. again, i tape this. then pin all over about a hand's worth apart. there will be many other ways explained soon, i'm sure.

This is the way I do it. Make sure the backing is face down...ask me how I know that!! Nice quilt, your grandson will love it, and welcome to the group.

Dina

Welcome to the group! There are many ways to prepare for quilting. Everyone has their favorite. There are also video on YouTube. You can go there and see what will work best for you. Some stitch, spray and pin baste. You will be consumed by this board. This is like an encyclopedia of quilting.

Your GS will love it. It's really cute.

Very nice quilt. I'm sure GS will love it.

Darren

Welcome to the group. This is how I got started - making a quilt for my first grandson. I have grown in my passion for quilting and find in retirement it is what gives me an opportunity to be creative and a way to show someone I care as most of my quilts are gifts.

I use Elmers Glue to sandwich the layers, be sure it is the washable kind. There are some good how-to tuts on this site. I used to hand baste the layers but found the glue method cut my time by at least half and the results were as good or better.
Welcome to the Board. Love your guilt, the greatest thing new quilters bring is their fresh perspective. Love the creativity in your quilt! Had to laugh about your change in plans, seems to me quilts take on a life of there own and start bossing you around.

Look up "Elmer's School glue" in the box with the magnifing glass on the top right of each page. There has been a huge movement toward using the glue because it allows mistakes to be corrected easily (a damp cloth will disolve the glue if you get a wrinkle and you can redo the area so it is perfect). It is non-toxic, inexpensive, easy to lay down a THIN dribble (but not a tragedy if a blob happens), sews easily (must be washed after the quilt is done to disolve the glue), AND it is the easiest way to sandwich a quilt. Some of us also put the batting into the dryer to soften it before using because it takes out any wrinkles or stiffness and makes it easier to work. Try it, you'll like it!

That's such a cute little boy's quilt! Nicely done!

Welcome to the board. That is a very cute quilt for your DGS. I also like the Elmer's school glue it is so much easier than hand basting or having to remove pins as you quilt.

Welcome to the board!!! I also use Elmers School glue to baste! LOVE IT!!! No more pins for me!!!

Welcome! For years I crawled around on my hardwood floor pinning the three layers together and then crawled around some more to hand baste the entire thing. It was the part of the process that I dreaded. Then I discovered spray-basting and my world changed. Lay the backing face down on your flat surface then lay the batting on top. I lift up the batting diagonally from the edges and spray underneath it to the center. Pat it down. Next lay your quilt top on the batting face up. Again, lift up the corners diagonally and spray underneath from the center to the edges. I still use my hardwood floor - if I overspray I let it dry, then take a cloth with orange spray cleaner and it wipes right up.

Then I bring the entire sandwich to the machine and start quilting. Haven't had a single pucker since I discovered the spray.

You may find the denim too heavy to quilt. Why not try some flannel? If you don't wash it first, it won't be as hard to use, and after it's washed it will shrink up nicely like an old fashioned quilt. This is adorable!

That is a great way to use plaids and prints together.

Welcome to the Board. That quilt is going to be loved tremendously! Others have given good advice to your question, so I'll just say...enjoy!

Welcome to the board....Nice quilt...I like to use spray glue to hold my small projects together.

Welcome to this board. The quilters on here are wonderful and a marvelous source of information. I use my ironing board, raised to its highest position and with a sheet of plywood over it, about 4 x 6, to spread my backing, and clamping it, then add the batting, clamp it, and finally, the top and clamp it. You should have a smooth top and you can stand up to baste it if you choose to pin baste it. (My knees won't let me get on the floor anymore.) Have fun! Your first quilt looks great, by the way.

One more suggestion to you: Make a label for the quilt and quilt the label into the quilt. Also, start now keeping a log of your quilts--giving pertinent information and maybe even including snippets of fabric from said quilt. I wish I had done that years ago. Include a picture of the quilt as well. You will be glad you did.

Welcome to the Quilting Board. I love the quilt you made for your grandson.

I just sandwiched a quilt last night. I ironed the top and the backing before I started. I used a Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 batt. I like the Hobbs 80/20 batting best because I can position it easier than a 100% cotton batt for some reason and if there are any lumps in the batting they smooth out without a lot of trouble. I was able to get my quilt sandwiched and pin basted last night without a lot of cursing.

Good luck.

This is what I do, too, only using my dining table instead of the floor.....since I can't get down on the floor. Well, I can get down, getting back up is the problem. :rolleyes: I wish I liked Elmer's washable glue method better (I love it for joining seams instead of pinning) but the one time I used it I got lots of globs and it didn't adhere as well as the spray. Also, squeezing that bottle for such a long time made my hand cramp up. Probably I needed to thin it a little, and next time I'll try that.

You're getting excellent advice here from all these other experienced piecers/quilters. I'm in the process of quilting all the tops I've made and as I do so, I realize I was not as careful, as precise, or as particular when making those earlier tops as I have been since I began reading this board. I'm self taught and there is at least a lesson a day available in the messages on this board. It's a good thing! as Martha would say.

Ditto !! :thumbup: I love this board

Welcome to the board! Very cute quilt you've got there, looks like you're off to a great start in your new addiction...er, hobby! No, wait, I had it right the first time.... ;-)

I agree about the denim and the flannel. Or you could try Minkee. It's wonderful as a quilt backing. and you really don't need batting.

Welcome to QB - what an adorable quilt - your GS will love it. There are many ways to sandwich a quilt, as noted by the replies. I like to lay backing out, tape down with masking tape, then the batting, then finally the top. Each layer should be smoothed out, then taped before adding quilting pins to stabilize the quilt so you can quilt it. Since I machine quilt this method works for me, however, you can go on You Tube and others for other options, watch them, then pick one you think will work best for you. There is no right or wrong way, just what works best for you. Congratulations on joining the huge community of quilters, it's going to be such fun.

Welcome! Your first quilt is fantastic. Keep up the good work :thumbup:.

Welcome to this board and to the quilting obsession. I learn soo much here everyday. I would encourage you to rethink your backing fabric. I did a denim quilt and it was so heavy and firm. Flannel is more manegeable and softer. I think you might even be able to find flannel that looks like denim. What ever you do-have fun!

Welcome to the group! You have a cute quilt started. Just keep getting ideas and using your imagination. Sometimes it is hard to tell how something will turn out in quilting! That is what makes it fun. Anxious to see the completed project.Mariah.

I use safety pins and work from the middle outward making sure its all smooth as I go. sometimes when I turn it over to check I will find a wrinkle and then I unpin and fix that area.

I do like your quilt and it will be treasured. I also like to heavily spray the backing with starch and iron before doing the quilt sandwich.

I use an old bed sheet taped tightly to the floor in case of over spray. I've pin basted and hand basted. Spray is the best for me. Good luck!

Welcome!!! Excellent advice here. You may have to try several methods to find the one that's easiest for you. We all were new once.....many patient members here anxious to help make your project a success. Very nice job on your first quilt...you should be quite proud.

Great Job! Welcome to QB :thumbup:

Welcome from N. Texas. Try the Elmer's glue. I haven't done that yet, but the board has persuaded me, so this p.m. will try it myself. froggyintexas

Welcome from New Jersey; wishing you a happy quilting future. My preference for putting the layers together is basting spray. Second choice would be a basting gun or safety pins. My never choice is basting stitches but I have friends who do it that way with good results. So, read all the suggestions, try different methods, and you'll find the one that's right for you.

Hi, and welcome to this awesome Board! You'll learn something every time you sign on!

I had the experience of quilting a denim quilt, and it was awful. So awful that I gave up on it. Yes, I really wanted denim on the back of this quilt, and I ended up picking up some beautiful quilter's cotton that looked like denim but of course was much lighter. Only then could I quilt through 3 layers and end up with a "denim" look to the back.

Then I took the backing that I had pieced actually well enough to be a top, as I had planned a reversible quilt. This was genuine denim, and heavy. For a batting, I used some Birds eye diaper fabric (you can get it by the yard at the on line Fabric store) and it was very light and just enough to cushion the seams. I used flannel for the backing. It was an incredibly warm quilt because of the denim.

Best of luck to you, and welcome aboard!

Thank you for the tip about the batting... I was wondering what to do with it... I didn't think I could iron it. Thanks a lot. This site seems kinda hard.

You'll be addicted before you know it! Welcome to the board--great source for inspiration and support.