:cry:

I have been struggling over two weekends to sandwich a large quilt. I have a ping pong table for this purpose, however its not quite large enough so I have to do it in two sections. I was careful to stretch the backing and make sure everything was right. I used a combination of the spray glue and pins to hold it all in place.

Initially last weekend I thought I had it right and started from the centre to quilt, but then I noticed that the backing was really loose, so I went back to the table and re-pinned it, and started stitching again. But it still wasnt right.

This morning, I took it back to the table (for the third time) and really took my time to re-pin it again. What dawned on me this time is that the spray glue had not worked. I used almost the full can, and the backing fabric was still flapping in the wind. the only thing keeping it all together was the pins.

I did a bit more stitching, but have come to the conclusion that I am going to have to unpick all the quilting I have done and get new batting. There are little tucks all over the backing and it looks bad.

I have not used this brand of batting before - it was bamboo (which I have used) but I got this batting as a giveaway with a magazine subscription. Never again, I should have known better.

Is it possible that the glue would not stick to the batting? Is it the batting that is c rap? The batting is not even sticky, after all the glue I used.

I am so depressed, I did have 6 weekends to finish this quilt before taking it to its new owner in Sydney. Now I cant even start until I have unpicked the lot. This has never happened before. :(

What brand basting spray did you use??
I have found 505 the best and I didn't like the Birch spray I bought once as it just didn't stick.
I have used 505 on cotton and poly with no trouble.

I used Helmar 101. I have used it several times before without any trouble. This was a brand new can.

Maybe try spraying the batting, not the backing or top :D:D:D

Yep, did that

Were you able to stretch the backing taut before you starting assembling the three layers?

Yes - I did everything the same way I always have. Its either the spray glue or the batting or a combination of both.

I intend to throw out the batting (after I have unpicked it :cry: ) and buy something better.

Maybe there are oils in the bamboo? Thread basting might be the way to go, half at a time since it drapes over your table.

not all batts are created equal-
and not all sprays work on every fiber-
don't dismiss the batt as - c-r-a-p just because the adhesive you are using is not doing it's job-
i've used bamboo batting a couple times and love it-
on the other hand- i pretty much hate most of the adhesives i've tried.
505 is pretty good= most people seem to have pretty good luck with it.

when i was having problems with my batting not even getting sticky i had better luck spraying the fabric- then smoothing it over the batting- then turning that over and doing the same to the other side.
when pinning i pin every 3-4" in a grid- takes hundreds of pins...for a large quilt. i've only done this once--i hate pinning.
it sounds as if you've about tried everything-
and i know you stated it was a brand new can of adhesive...but like everything else- that does not mean it's not (old) adhesive.
i am always recommending to people when you try new batts cut off a swatch (i put together a batt journal with 6" swatches. i keep notes about the batt itself- i also will take a small part of that and try fusables= or adhesives if i want to use them to see how it goes...can really save time and aggrivation in the long run.
sorry you are having such a time-
wish i had some answeres for you= but other than not all materials work together- every time...
you will probably have to either switch batts- or switch adhesives- or skip the adhesive and pin-pin-pin
of course the alternative to hundreds of pins is to stitch baste...that's my method...i really hate using pins-they are a pain...basting for me goes much much faster and i get much better results.
good luck i hope you find a way to get it together without much more hastle

I just layered a quilt using bamboo batting. I used the Sulky adhesive and it stuck just fine. You might have gotten a can of bad adhesive.

Mary