Spray, glue, pin, hand baste, or boards? Which one do you prefer?
 

I've just completed another top to add to my collection of flimsies. I have to get them sandwiched and I dread that part of this wonderful craft we share. How do you do it and how do you talk yourself into this part of the process? I'm hoping to find some inspiration with your responses. Thank you kindly.

I spray baste my quilts and then I sometimes pin every 10 inches or so if I am not going to quilt it within 24 hours. My inspiration - mostly it is what I do right after I get the quilt put together. It never occurred to me to put it off, but that is because I am usually making the quilt for someone and it needs to be completed. Some day I hope to splurge and have one quilted for me by a LA person.

It really helps if you have someone help you do it. My friend came over to help me with one, she was amazed how easy and fast it went. (She always pinned before.)

LOL I usually dread it too, especially for larger quilts. For lap size or smaller, I use the boards like in Sharon Schamber's video, but I spray baste, not hand baste. The fabric is easier to handle if you cover the boards with flannel first. I just used a staple gun to attach the flannel to the boards.

I too have issues layering the quilts -- I think I have to start taking them to a longarmer. I spray baste my small projects and then wash them before giving them or using them.

In earlier years I thread basted, pin based and used the plastic tacks. Once I found basting spray I never looked back.
DH bought two pieces of insulation board at the home improvement store which made a 96 X 96 inch square. I bought wide flannel backing and hot glued the backing extra to the back making it taut. We ran a piece of duct tape down the middle on the backside so it folds in half. I have several folding tables and I pull them into the driveway (if it's cold I do this in the garage with the windows open) and put the board on top of the tables. I have a 72 inch metal "yard stick" that you find in the tool section at the hardware store. The quilt sticks nicely to the flannel & I use the "ruler" to smooth the middle. I then go around the outside of the quilt with T-pins. I spray baste and leave on the table overnight. Until I did this I had a lot of trouble with puckers, wrinkles and tucks. If I am making a small quilt I use the back of my design wall which is a smaller version of the big one. I can fold them both in half and leave them in the garage or just push them up against a wall in the exercise room. During the winter I put them in front of the double windows as insulation to help lower the electric bill.

All of my sandwich problems have been eliminated so far with washable glue basting. I use a table and can start in the middle if the quilt is big. I use it instead of pin basting not spray basting. It has never gummed up a needle. It always washes out. I'm about 12 quilts in with it. I drizzle a thin line in in a kind of grid on the cotton batting half at a time and smooth the backing over it - it's easy to reposition if necessary. Then do the other half. Sometimes I just flip it over and do the other side and sometimes if I have something else to do I wait til later. So far I haven't ironed to dry it faster but that is an option. Try it on a sample and see how you like it!!
a

Gosh Tartan! That sounds like an ordeal! Try it my way and see if it works for you. I've not had a pleat or wonky back since I started doing it on the table with glue. I do a lot of smoothing but it doesn't take long at all. Just be sure and center it all.

basting does slow me down :) but I push through

My favorite way is with 505 Spray - that stuff rocks. Unfortunately, I hate to spend the money all of the time to buy it.

I have tried the washable glue, because that cost is much better. I am not sure I am doing it correctly. It takes forever to dry (which is another plus with 505 I can quilt that immediately). Plus I am not too fond of the stiff spots on the quilt when it does dry. I am going to try this again but I may lose interest if I don't figure it out soon

The pin basting is what I use the most - doesn't cost me any extra. :) I do feel like the pins add weight and that makes it harder to move around while quilting

I just spread the layers out on my living room floor to pin or spray baste

Honestly I still do the safety pin method... I just don't trust spray or glue not to gum up my machine....

I pin baste on dining room table. No problem with puckers on back or front because I starch everything.

I would not be able to get down on the floor to layer my quilts. For small projects I use the basting spray. For larger items/quilts i use the school glue. I have some folding tables and use three of them and just drizzle the glue in back & forth drizzles about 3 inches apart, and smooth it all out with batting and backing and then turn over and do it on the front. Let it dry overnight and then start the quilting. I either put the tables up in the garage or the living room. Outsid if the weather is ok. I dislike this part of quilting also. I would like to quilt by check, however that gets pricey.

I use boards and either hand baste or pin.

I use pins with Pinmoors, seems to work well for me and very quick to install, quick to remove. Also do a fair bit of QAYG which tends to need very little to no pinning but it depends on the method

You left off one option... "basting by check". For my machine quilting projects, I pin baste. For my hand quilting projects, I take them to the LA and have her thread baste it for me (by machine). Super quick & well worth the cost.

If the glue is dry your machine won't gum up. At least mine never has. Dry glue is the key.

I usually pin baste but if it's a larger quilt (queen/king) I've gone to thread basting because it cuts down on the weight so much. I'm a hand quilter and all that extra weight is a pain to manipulate after a while. I use my cutting table to sandwich though. I center everything - regardless of quilt size - and use binder clips smoothing each layer as I go. When I finish the center section, I slide everything in whichever direction and repeat the process. It can get tedious on larger quilts but it beats crawling around on the floor!

Alyce do you use the washable school glue that is white??? Brand name, is it important???

I can't handle the odors of the spray, much less not liking I can't breath........Thanks,

I actually enjoy the pin basting process with some nice music in the background. Not so fun layering/centering it all.

Oh my, thank you all for your input. It's soothing to hear how you all do this particular part of quilting. I've tried all of the ways to baste except "baste by check". I haven't heard about that one. LavenderBlue, its good to hear that you actually like to pin. I'm thinking of school glue this time around. I haven't had much experience with the process but maybe it would be fun to try. Fun is the key word. Mind set needs to change and think of this as a fun process!!
Thanks again for your comments. And yes, it's been fun to read them.

I use 505 basting spray or Elmer's school glue. To me hand basting or pinning is like using a wringer washing machine.

It's my least favorite part of the process. I've been using the Hobbs 80/20 fusible batting, not the Fusiboo from Joanne's. I don't make anything bigger than maybe 40x55 otherwise it may be hard to handle the fusible.

I pinned about 8 quilts out of 230 before I found spray 505 and Elmer's Washable School glue. I love the spray - fast no drying time and expensive, I then discovered washable glue and used a ping pong table to iron the glue mostly dry. I also used a homemade glue with flour and rubbing alcohol - cheap and once again I ironed it mostly dry. Then let them dry over night. I have never had any trouble with anything gumming my machines or needles up. I was lucky enough to have a husband that supports my quilting and I have a long arm now but 505 and Elmer's were my best friends prior to that.

505 for me - have also used the Mettler web spray. Would not be a quilter if I had to hand baste or pin. Do mine usually on two foldout tables, or on my design board.

This is almost exactly how I do it, and I highly recommend it! I haven't had a single pucker since I started doing this, and my back and knees thank me!

I buy Elmer's washable school glue by the gallon jug and I have some squeeze bottles I fill up from there - they are easier to squeeze than a small-sized Elmer's bottle you'd buy at the store and hold more. I hold the bottle up high and drizzle the glue on in big loop-de-loops. If I see a big gob of glue (usually right at the start) I just use my fingers to spread it out a bit.

Elmer's dries very well, it turns into a sort of crispy film that sewing machines have zero trouble sewing through. I've sewn through Elmer's with machines of all ages and types - never had one bog down (not even a Featherweight) and never had a needle get gummy. Once the glue is dry there's no chance of it being gummy unless you get it wet again.

Love it. I will never crawl on the floor to baste a quilt again!

i hand baste. i can do twin size at home w/ no problem. queen/king size i take to church and use tables in one of the rooms. i turn on the radio and just go to it. I can sit in a chair w/ wheels and just roll from one side to the next . A king size quilt takes me 4 hours maybe???

I'm very thankful I have a long table and the space to use the board method. There's absolutely no stress involved -- no bending, kneeling, reaching, squeezing, fretting or dreading. In fact, I look forward to basting now because it's so relaxing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhwNylePFAA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_EjBGz5vGQ

I have asthma and the 505 spray irritates me so I pin. I wait until I have a few ready to go and use a meeting room at the local library. They have a ton of tables in a large room so I always have enough space for my quilts, no matter what size. I listen to a book while I pin and enjoy the alone time :) I know someone else who does the same thing, using the meeting room at her church.

I spray baste with Sullivan's.
Here is the way I've been doing it lately and it works wonderfully! Shows how to layer a large quilt on a small table, and uses wooden skewers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iw4sibuP8n4

ever since I started using my cutting table for basting I don't mind sandwiching my quilts at all.

I drape the back over the table, smooth it out, put the batting on it, smooth that out and then put the top on smoothing it out. I don't bother clamping. Then I pin baste, once the section that's on the table is pin basted, I slide it off the table and start on the new section. I check to make sure that the backing, batting and top are still nice and smooth and then baste away. I've never had problems with tucks, etc. when using this method and I've done queen sized quilts this way. It's a lot easier on the back than getting down on the floor.

Occasionally I will spray baste (for that I usually pin the backing to my design wall, spray it, smooth on the batting, spray it and then smooth on the top. But I've found that sometimes the top will still move more than I like if it's a large quilt, so I often will then put some pins in it to make sure it doesn't move.

And sometimes I'll use a fusible batting--if it's only fusible on one side then I iron the backing to it and pin baste the top to the batting.

Rob

I safety-pinned my first quilt and I thought, "There has GOT to be a better way." Then I read about washable school glue and like many people on this board, I was hooked. Now I will admit that most of the quilts I make these days are baby quilts, although the last one I made was a queen-sized. Still, it's cheap, easy, and doesn't hurt your fingers.

Here are my answers to the most common objections. "Will it gum up my machine?" No, just look at all the comments on this board. "It takes so long to dry." I let my quilts dry overnight and they're fine. "I would never use glue on my quilts." Well, fine, but again, read all the positive comments on this board. The only reason I would not use washable glue is if I were going to hand quilt or if it is for a wall hanging that would not be washed.

And, to answer a previous question, any brand of WASHABLE school glue should be fine. I used to use the two-for-a-dollar glue at the Dollar Tree, but lately it seems to be even thinner than it was before. I bought a bunch of Staples brand washable school glue back during the back-to-school sales.

Tate

I do pin basting in much the same way that rryder described. I use my cutting table, too. I mark the centers of the backing, batting and top simply by folding in half, length wise and cross-wise and sticking in a quilting pin to mark. First lay out the backing and then the batting, then top matching the center pins, and smooth each layer as I go. I do use blue masking tape if needed to hold the backing in place while adding the other layers. It is not as time consuming as it might sound here. Then add the pins, about a hand-width apart, starting in the middle and working out. While it is on the table, I might just walk by and add a few pins or I might stand and pin a lot. Depends on what else is going on. I don't mind the process at all. It gives me a chance to "pet" all the components and think about how I want to quilt it. I do FMQ on my DSM. So far, so good, I haven't had any problems with tucks or wrinkles while quilting. Also, I am not in a hurry to finish a quilt. Speed is not in my nature.

I have a large glass topped patio table on the sun porch that measures 77" long by 50" wide. This is what I spray baste on and then I safety pin every 10" or so. Never perfect no matter how I smooth it out, but it does somewhat save my back and knees.

I do it the way Tartan does it. But I use spray. The knee pads help with my titanium knee joints!!

I mostly spray baste. Getting the quilt ready for FMQ is my least favorite part of quilting also but is the best feeling when done and I like to do the whole quilting process myself so I can say I did it myself. Do what works for you.

The wonderful ladies on this quilting board have helped me on my quilting journey in many ways. Layering the quilt is one of them. My first stop each morning to see what I can learn that day.

I use my dining room table, boards and pins. I use to go to church and put folding tables together. Tape the backing, layer the batting and then the top and pin. I tried spray basting a few times and didn't like it. I have never tried the glue method.

Then I read about the board method. I used finished molding so as not to have rough spots on the boards. I store them under my living room couch. I pin about a fist apart the complete quilt. It takes a little time but it no longer than a special trip across town to church to do it.

I have a 104x90 inch quilt that I am quilting now. Took me an a couple of hours to pin but it holds to gather. fine. I am doing ruler work on the quilt and it holds together well as I move the quilt around the sewing table.

Now I can layer the quilt by myself and I am off to do the part I enjoy, machine quilting.

I tried Elmers but it didn't seem to stick very well. I must be doing something wrong. I'm getting ready to sandwich one today so I'll try again. Normally I use Sullivans spray which works very well but it is expensive. I try to get it on sale when possible. Thanks everyone for all the great info

I use the washable glue, like Stitchnripper, and love it! Of course I always wash my quilts and have never had a problem.

I glue smaller quilts on the ironing board......large if I have to on the picnic table......

Yes, usually Elmer's washable school glue that is white. It seems to dry clear, but in the sandwich I can't tell. Please try the glue on a sample. I wonder why people are "afraid" of it. It is cheap, nontoxic, many of us say it doesn't gum up a needle if you let it dry, it has always washed out, etc. Just try it on a sample and let it dry and see how you like it. also, it replaces pin basting, not spray basting, in my opinion, so I don't dilute it or spray it on or paint it on. Just a thin line in a sort of grid pattern. Sometimes I do a meandering pattern. It stays until it is washed out. I'm working on a quilt now and the machine is having zero problems with the glue. I'm having problems with the thread, first time using this kind, but, it is hard to even know the sandwich is held together with glue. If you squeeze out a glob just smooth it with your finger. It washes off easily!! Please try it and let us know!!!