Washing a Quilt Sandwich before Quilting??
 

I basted a quilt sandwich last night, to dry over night. I have always had great results basting with washable glue with cotton batting. But since I am out of cotton, I pieced together some leftover polyester batting. I was pretty sure that glue basting would work equally well, but this morning I noticed that the glue just sank and dried hard into the polyester batting and didn't really adhere to the top or backing. I went a head and just pinned it. I'm wondering if I can wash it to get the glue out before quilting? I was thinking of using a gentle/hand wash cycle. I used Elmer's washable school glue.

I wouldn't wash the sandwich before quilting and binding, my opinion.

listen to us, don't do it.

Thanks! I won't wash it without quilting and binding it.

NZ, can you spot soak out the glue before quilting (I'm guessing you are worried that the needle will drag at the glue clumps?).

I would not do it. I once machine washed a finished hand me down quilt top. It was hours of work pressing just to block it all back to where it could be quilted. Not to mention the strings everywhere that had to be trimmed. Never again for me that is for sure.

I think you should have finished quilting and binding your quilt before putting it in the washer. This way it would all be stabilized and secure.

I prewash my fabrics before making the quilt top. I would not wash it again until after it is quilted and the binding on. I don't want seams to ravel or pull out. After it is quilted, those seams are secure.

another vote for not washing until bound

This is good for me to know, NZ, I mean to try glue basting but I usually use poly batts. Spray baste has been my chosen method.

I'm with the others. The times I have dealt with washed flimsies makes me recommend (strongly) to not do it!

Not in this case anyway, the only times I will consider it is with bodily fluids/stinky/sticky stuff on the outside. I'm looking at you, cat!

If you ever really really have to, just treat everything super gently. Put the top in a large sweater/lingerie bag, do more soaking/swirling than agitating so gentle cycle in the washer. I often recommend hand washing fragile tops by hand in the bathtub, using a large cheap plastic laundry basket (with the holes in it) as an agitator basket, by dipping and swirling the basket up and down, and you can rinse while supported by the basket.

Never pick up a wet quilt by a corner to pull it out of the washer, the weight of the rest of the quilt will produce a lot of strain. I grab a couple random handfuls and lift up, then kind of scoop it all into the dryer.

I have some pretty bad dust mite allergies and have to wash my quilts monthly -- have had a lot of experience handling them.

I have recently used a Quilter's Dream poly batting (I'm usually a cotton batting person) . I basted it with washable Elmer's School Glue and it has stuck together well. I did spread out any heavy drops so that they wouldn't dry as chunks. I left it to dry overnight before I moved it from the tables I baste on. I am currently quilting it on my dsm and am not having any problems other than my less than perfect quilting.

I use polyester batting from time to time with my glued basting and do not wash it before quilting in any areas. The glue comes out just fine after the quilting is finished. I have never had a problem.

I use poly batting for projects but rarely in my quilts. I use Elmer's Glue to baste it but put the glue on the fabric side not the batting. It works much better.

I use mostly hi-loft polyester batting. A few days ago I needed to add a thin strip of batting to get the length I needed. I put Elmer's washable school glue on wrong side of backing laid strip down, put a strip of glue on top of batting and laid edge of quilt on. I use large safety pins and pinned across the joining pieces, laid it flat and let dry overnight.
Next day I could not tell where it had been glued. Quilted up like the rest, no hard places.