Took the plunge!!
 

Picked up a bottle of Elmers School Glue last week. It sat on my desk staring at me so I finally got brave, took my quilt that still needed borders off the design wall and glued the first border on. NEVER, EVER, will I pin a border again. Oh my gosh, it was so nice to sew a border on and not get stuck with a pin in the process! Thanks to everyone for posting about the glue!! :thumbup:

I'm working up the courage to give glue a try too. Glad to know it worked well for you.

I just bought my first bottle of Elmer's glue. I have a quilt top almost finished so I'm going to try it on that one. Glad to hear someone else just tried it and liked it.

Glue basting is the best!!!

I tried it, and loved the ease of sewing, but it was a bear when I had to rip out a seam.. Does anyone have advise on how to use the seam ripper easier?

When applying the glue just use little dots .... no need for a long stream of glue. This helps with the ripit-ripit

Check out http://sandyquilts.blogspot.com/2008...nd-quilts.html

Just little dabs will do when you're glue-basting!

I've just snowballed 400 corners using 3 dabs of washable glue stick per corner square. What a joy! No pins, perfect stability...I love it! Glue stick basting is also doing a wonderful job on my Winding Ways blocks!

I'm curious about the glue too, does it really wash out completely from the quilts. A lady at out quilt club said that the school glue was just starch and therefore should not be left in the fabrics as well as starch in your stash as it will attract silverfish and then you'll have a horrible time getting rid of them.

My washable glue stick does not list the ingredients, but I very much doubt that modern Elmer's school glue or other washable glues are now made of starch. In any case, glue-basting washes out when you wash the quilt, and is meant (at least in my humble opinion) to be washed out.

If you need to rip something out after glue basting, mist it with water. The glue dissolves and you can rip just as easily as any other seam.

I have been using it for so many things this past 18 months. Works like a charm. And, I agree, no sticks!

How does glue basting compare to using spray (aside from being much cheaper)? And do you really use the glue to baste an entire project, or just certain parts (seams/binding/applique)?

Give it a try it is really great!!!!

I just finished a quilt that I used glue to sandwich the whole thing. Unfortunately, there were a couple of areas that were a little thick with glue. Still had no problems sewing and it washed out with no problems. It's SO nice to not have to worry about fabric shifting when quilting!

Congrats on taking the plunge!

I have the glue but have been forgetful about using it until I get stabbed by the pins! Will definitely try it on next quilt.

You do mean Elmer's SCHOOL glue, right?

Yep! The washable school glue only.

Elmers has just this week come out with a School Glue Natural made of 90% plant material (corn). Says it can be used in any place the reg school glue can be used. I will bet it is more expensive!

Who will be the first to try for quilting?

I just saw on fons n porter pam mashie was the guest and she showed after you put on the binding then zigzag the seam with fuiseable thread in the bobbin then just turn binding to back and iron;elmers glue works just as good and cheaper then the thread i'm still learning but elmers glue is my best friend

The Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for Elmer's washable glue states:
Chemical Product and Company Identification
DESCRIPTION: ELMER'S WASHABLE SCHOOL GLUE
PRODUCT TYPE: Chemical Product and Company Identification
Whikipedia states:
Polyvinyl acetate, PVA, PVAc, poly(ethenyl ethanoate), is a rubbery synthetic polymer with the formula (C4H6O2)n. It belongs to the polyvinyl esters family with the general formula -[RCOOCHCH2]-. It is a type of thermoplastic

So contrary to the urban legend, there is no cornstarch in Elmer's washable school glue

Thank you for clearing that point up, Mcwillia. The urban legend about buggies and creepy-crawlies can now be put to rest and lots of previously frightened people can discover the joys of washable-glue!

I am a new Elmer's School Glue convert! Earlier, I had used it to match up open seams only. Just a couple weeks ago, I basted the batting and backing together in sections (roll up the batting first, drizzle the glue very lightly on the backing, one section at a time, then roll down the batting to the end of the section and pat it down gently. Repeat this until the backing is done. Worked like a dream!). This past week I used the glue for the binding for the first time. It is accurate and it is a timesaver! Thanks, everyone, for cluing us into Elmer's School Glue!

I have read the messages about glue basting and have a question. Almost all of my quilts end up on the wall instead of on someone's lap. I have never washed a completed art quilt. If I were to glue baste, which sounds really useful, would it be a problem to leave the glue and not wash it out????? OR, is there a way to remove the glue without washing the quilt? Since I make art quilts, I seldom to never prewash my fabric..... I am very worried about bleeding.

One more thing - I have only recently joined this quilt board, but have been reading it for months and cannot believe how much I have learned from all of you. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience!!!!!

I would be hesitant to use it if I wasn't going to wash it out. If you have bigger dots it can leave a hard bump and mine smelled a little like glue before I washed it. And I do think bleeding might be a problem.

I sandwiched a quilt just yesterday using Elmer's school glue. I clamped the backing to my 30 X 72 table. I laid the batting on top and checked to be sure it fit as planned (no surprises at the end). I re-rolled the batting and started laying down dots of glue and unrolled the batting as I went. I turned the piece over and laid dots of glue on the batting side and pressed the quilt top on in smoothing with my hands. By putting the top on last I could be sure that it was straight and had straight lines and square corners on the blocks. I thinned the glue with 25% water so it would come out of the bottle easier. The process took about an hour. I let mine air dry on the table while I did other things in preparation for the quilting. I have done my quilt sandwiches this way several times. Those heavy, cumbersome safety pins have joined the relics bin for me! It washes out completely.

I found 4 brand new bottles of Elmer's School Washable glue at a garage sale yesterday for .10 each. Snatched those puppies up. I'm going to try it today on a quilt that's ready to be FMQ. :)

I seen the tutorial for Elmers Glue on the board but forgot to save it. Could someone please post the link again. Thank you so much for all your help. I so appreciate everyone here. You are my extended family.

I haven't tried it but I am planning to do that soon..as soon as I remember to buy the glue.

Okay. I'm convinced. Will try the glue method the very next time because it sure sounds easier!

I took the plunge on Friday and started using Elmer's Washable glue. I am doing a QAYG on a log cabin. I am Stitching in the ditch around each round. Before I started using the glue, I was pinning the sandwich. But at about the 3rd round, the blick started shifting and ended up skewing the block (see block on right). I was totally frustrated and invested in 4 bottles of washable glue. Remembering the phrase, "A dot is a lot," I applied a small amount of glue to the backing, added the batting and pressed. Then I drew very thin lines of glue on the seam allowances on the back of the block, placed it on the batting, smoothed it by hand, then pressed it until it was dry. When I SID, the block stopped shifting and was not skewed. I was so impressed with the glue. The blocks are just as flexible as the few I did without the glue. I'll definitely be using glue to fuse backing/batting/top in the future.

The block on the left is done with glue, the block on the right without. Visually, there are no differences other than the left is not skewed (ignore my sloppy cutting of the batting though).
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I am still trying to work up the courage to try it. I need a partner in crime ;-)

You have heard Paula Dean say that "...butter is your friend."? Well, Elmer's Glue is my new best friend! It has made matching seams and points so much easier. It has made sewing pinless and painless. Give it a try on just a block......you might like it. :)

I love your enthusiasm! I felt the same way after using it to "pin" rows together. :-)

I use spray to baste the quilt sandwich, but I use glue to baste the binding, applique and anywhere else where I would usually pin or thread baste. Some members have said they use the glue to baste the sandwich and I may try that later, but I like 505 so much I may just stay with it.

Working on applique - SO - I used Elmer's to hold things in place. I'm a believer now!!! Will use Elmer's whenever I have to pin.

Thanks to everyone for encouraging us to try it!!

Using Elmer's glue sounds like something I would like to try but I don't wash my quilts. I like the smoother look. Eventually they get washed but wonder how the glue will look if it isn't washed out for awhile. Will there be lumps or bumps where the dots of glue are? Will it noticeably stiffen the seams? Someone tell me I'm worrying about nothing :)

Thank you all for the great information. I'm going to give this a try on my next project.

I used the washable glue on a t shirt quilt w/o fusible and utilized a lightweight fleece backing. It sure was easy. Knits tend to curl and crawl, I had starched heavily before cutting and using the glue helped me when sewing the seams and putting the backing on. It was scraps leftover from a quilt with logos that will be donated to the local nursing home. It has been washed on regular cycle and is nice and soft.