My grandma quilted constantly in a large frame. I know she didn't baste, but she did start in the middle and work out. Never saw a pucker. I know if I tried it, it would be a catastrophe

The old quilting frame works the best for keeping the fabrics taunt while quilting. I learned how to do this at my church quilt guild years ago. It was most fun and I enjoyed it very much. I wish I had a group like that again. Hand quilting is beautiful. We seem to have lost that way..now its all done alone so it is a different process.

I agree 100%. I learned the same way! I moved away from the church that had the bee.. I was told there's a bee not far from my house, but they do it at while I'm at work :(

I belong to a handquilting bee and we have our quilts machine basted by a longarm quilting then attach it to a board on 2 sides so that it can be rolled as we work. The other two sides are pinned to another set of boards when we set it up each week. Before we started using a longarm quilter for basting we hand basted it before starting to quilt. Since we take it down and set it up again each week basting seems to help keep everything in place.

mltquilt

When my youngest daughter was going to get married, she wanted a double wedding ring quilt. So I had an Amish neighbor piece it. Then I had a quilting at my house and invited my Amish friends. They put the quilt in a square frame made out of boards. It was completely stretched out and secured to the boards, with no basting. They started quilting on all sides, meeting in the middle. Starting about 9:30 am, they had the quilt out by 3:30 pm. We all had a great time. The quilt was beautiful. such good friends and neighbors.

I do not really baste my quilts either. I lay the layers out across my pool table so they are flat. I pin the center and out to the corners. I start quilting in the center with my hoop and make sure the layers are right as I quilt by hand.

Kyia