Thread basting tip
 

One of those tips, that makes you go...now why didn't i think of that!!! Thanks!

Excellent tip. Is the purple avatar quilt your first one? You really are off to a great start for a newbie! And nice that your husband is right there to help you get set up.

I don't thread baste (by hand) anymore because of the longarm, but I always got my best results and found pleasure in doing so before.

Yes, the purple quilt was my first (then I did do a small easy peasy teddy bear baby quilt in between the one I am now working on.) Thanks!

I keep forgetting to find my curved needle when thread basting! I hand quilt as well and like to thread baste larger (queen/king) quilts as it does help a bit with the weight. I baste on my cutting table which makes that part easy as well. Wish is was a tad shorter, though. Keep hinting to DH, but then, it's usually covered with stuff so how could he?

Interesting. Although, I find that curved needle hard to hang onto; have used it many times, but still...
I prefer to thread baste most of my large quilts though I have used basting spray, fusible battings, and pins.

Jan in VA

I have tried and tried the marble technique but have not caught the hang of it. So I use the teaspoon as I learned with Alex Anderson a very long time ago. It helps with safety pins. I use my old corregated cardboard folding cutting board that I used for garments years ago to protect the table top. Sometimes I pin and then baste.

A wonderful idea.
peace

I usually hand baste or pin the layers together, on my basting surface (dining room table), I use a table protector pad that I got at the thrift store. It is larger than my table, and it works well, protecting the table from the needle or the pins. I have used the large darning curved needle that came in my misc. needle pack from years ago. Never sewed a turkey shut before.

Another tip ... I hand baste with water soluble thread so I don't have to remove the basting stitches - just wash the quilt.

I looked for curved needles to make this job simpler, but the only ones I could find had pretty thick shafts, thicker than I wanted - they'll punch holes in my quilt.

What curved needle are you using?

Forgive me, but I don't understand how you can slip a mat under your needle while you are basting. When I baste, my backing is anchored to my table with clamps. It would be impossible for me to get anything underneath. Help me understand. I just can't get a visual on it. I'll have to try the curved needle. I also like the water soluable thread. Is it sturdy enough survive a lot of handling on a large quilt? I've heard about pinning then stitching in the ditch by machine with water soluable thread. I haven't tried it, but it sounded interesting.

Traditional Quilter

Yes ... the water soluble thread is sturdy enough ... as long as it is kept dry. I've even caught my hopping foot on a thread it and doesn't break.