Quiltingboard Forums - quick question.

Quiltingboard Forums (https://www.quiltingboard.com/)

- Main (https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1/)

- - quick question. (https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1/quick-question-t220986.html)

I would thread baste

I pin about 6" apart, but I'm using the thin cotton batting. The thought of putting glue, spray baste or starch on my quilts just gives me the heebie jeebies. Yuck. But to each, his/her own....

I never have problems with layers shifting when using cotton batting. It's kind of "sticky" and both the cotton top and backing stick to it, whereas a poly batting is much more slippery.

I have spray basted and stitch basted using heavy duty thread. stitches are about 2 inches apart. have had no puckers.

To pin or not to pin...to glue or spray??????? ok. I HATE pins. they are a pain to put in and take out. I think I will spray baste and hope for the very best. when I am done I will let you all know how it worked for me. Thank you all so much. LOL I have more questions now than when I started. HAHAHAHA You are all the most wonderful group of people I have ever encountered in a chat room. I have learned so much. Basically you have confirmed my true belief...there is no right or wrong way...just what ever works best for me. THANKS!!!

I just spray basted a toddler quilt and I love it. No shifting. No pins.

Thanks to everyone for the pinning ideas. I wouldn't have given Elmer's Glue a thought, now I'm anxious to try it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prism99 (Post 6051296)

Are you machine quilting on a domestic sewing machine? If so, I recommend *heavily* starching the backing fabric (or the backing, if already sewn together) before sandwiching. Starch stabilizes the backing so it is much less likely to pucker or fold over on itself while quilting. My method is to use a 1:1 solution of Sta-Flo liquid laundry starch and water, "paint" this solution onto the yardage using a large wall painting brush until fabric is saturated, wait a couple of minutes to make sure the starch has penetrated the fibers, toss in dryer, and iron with steam. I also spray starch the top before sandwiching, to help stabilize the top.

Finally, I recommend spray basting instead of pinning. I actually ruined an expensive walking foot when it got caught on a safety pin I had missed taking out. Spray basting is better than pinning because all 3 layers of the sandwich are connected continuously; with pins the layers are connected only at the pins, and layers are more likely to shift.

If you do pin, then a rule-of-thumb is to have a pin every 4 inches in every direction -- about a fist width apart from each other.

Excellent advice which I will follow next time I sandwich a quilt. The starching, I mean. I love the spray baste--instead of pins or actual basting--but the backing will fold or pucker, I've found, no matter how securely you have it taped or clamped down. I've just quilted a smallish quilt on my DSM and to my dismay, found several folds in the backing, which I then had to unsew and iron out. I can see that starching in order to stablize the fabric would be a great way to reduce the chances of this. Thanks for this tip, Prism99!

Quote:

Originally Posted by LMB (Post 6053854)

To pin or not to pin...to glue or spray??????? ok.

Basically you have confirmed my true belief...there is no right or wrong way...just what ever works best for me. THANKS!!!

You hit the nail on the head, what ever works best for you! And, I agree, this is a wonderful group to work and learn with.:)

I was taught you can never have enough pins. I use the curved basting pins and that tool to un-clip them. DH bought it for me when he went to get the pins, the lady told him I would love it, and I do.

Anyhow, use a ton of pins and remove them when you get to the section you are quilting.

You can choose not to use pins, but use basting spray, but if using the safety pins, the rule of thumb is that you should pin so that when put your fist on the quilt you will touch pins on all sides, approximately 4-6" or so.