What I learned yesterday.
 

I didn’t learn anything that’s new to many of you on here, but I wanted to share anyway because it was a fun experience for me

I had two quilts that needed to be sandwiched so I can quilt them. I pinned the first one. I glued the second one. It was so much faster! I was amazed at how quickly it went. I followed the advice I had read before on the board for smearing out blobs. I probably used too much glue in spots still but it will wash. It took me about a third of the time that it took to pin the first one. I was so excited! I can see why so many folks on here use it.

I purchased a bottle of glue a while ago intending to use it to baste my next quilt. I tried it and had trouble. Then I looked at the bottle and discovered that I had purchased a “no run” version on the glue. It was difficult to get out of the bottle. It also beaded up even when I could get a line of glue out.

I was also very excited yesterday after reading another thread about presser feet to discover on Janome’s website that they now have a ruler foot for my machine! I have a Skyline S7 and it was not recommended to use a ruler foot due to the autolift feature, I believe. The only drawback is that it’s over $60 for the foot. I’m willing to wait and budget for it because I’ve been wanting to try ruler quilting. I’ve seen such beautiful results from it.

Thank you all for letting me share!

thanks for sharing your experience

Yay! I switched to glue basting about 15-20 quilts ago. Elmers washable school Glue drizzled straight from the bottle.

Yay! I switched to glue basting about 15-20 quilts ago. Elmers washable school Glue drizzled straight from the bottle.

That's the great thing about this board. Darn near every day you can read about and/or learn about something new.

Love glue basting. Especially when I can't get to quilting it for a while. Thanks for sharing.

Since I discovered Elmer's Glue Basting I don't see any turning back to pins or even spray basting. It takes a fraction of the time and washes out with ease. Welcome to the club.

I’m confused. How is glue basting easier and faster than spray basting?

I don’t know that it is, to be honest. It’s faster than pinning. I’ve never tried spray basting with a commercial product as it is not in my budget. I have tried a homemade spray and it was okay but not as fast as this.

I've gotten my spray baste technique down, but I think what I like about it Jshep is that it is much cheaper. Much much much.

I keep saying "next project I'll try glue" and there keeps being a reason why not. Right now my machine is in the shop and I was given a couple of left over bottles of spray to use from another quilter. Then, it is on my to do list!

edit/ps: Also, we have reptiles in the house/rooms where I would use spray baste and I'm concerned about the spray fumes. I have adequate ventilation and all that for humans, but there are no real guidelines for geckos!

I bought a gallon of Elmer's school glue and fill an empty bottle that works perfectly. The Hellman's Squeezable Mayo container. It's drip proof, squeezes easy, and worth buying just for the container. It's the best honey dispenser I've used too. No mess at all.

Spraying may be slightly faster than drizzling glue. However, glue can be used indoors with ease. I wouldn't try that with a spray. : )

Spray basting is faster but all the sprays I have used stink and the smell stays while I'm quilting. That is the main reason I use the Elmer's glue basting. I have great results with the homemade spray and use that for large size quilts.

spray basting with elmer's school white glue
 

I use this glue for spray basting, just add water to dilute(use samples to get consistency that works with the fabric choice) and then I dry press it or leave it to dry. Then quilt. I only use the Elmers glue to baste. I apply it to binding with a small paint brush and then press. Sharon Schamber has a great video for gluing binding.

Sharon Schamber is the queen of glue in quilts. I was lucky to have a one on one with her in Paducah one year. She was in her booth and no one was around. She talked about her quilt making method and how she was getting into embroidery/applique more then quilting. She said she practically gued her quilts together before sewing them to get them perfect. She is a perfectionist. I found out she and my DD have the same birthday. Explains a lot. My DD is a perfectionist and she stays stressed out all the time about having things perfect, her perfect. LOL

I’ll have to try your method for a homemade spray. Heaven knows I have enough spray bottles in the house. 😁 I imagine it goes on more evenly than the drizzle method. Thanks for your reply!

I have seen it mentioned about gluing prior to piecing, too. Sue Daley said she uses appliqué glue for seams sometimes on a video I watched. I might have to try it because I sometimes have trouble lining up my points and I dislike pinning. I’ll have to find Sharon Schamber on YouTube.

Thanks for sharing. I Googled "Sharon Schamber" and watched and learned from about 4 related videos. (Gotta go back and watch the one about pool noodles for basting...)

That's why I love this quilting board!

Okay, fellow quilters. Is there a formula for the consistency of glue for glue basting? And dropping from a mayo container??? Please give some directions. Thank you. ------ I have never tried the glue basting but will try on my next project to be quilted. I have always pin basted but since hand surgery, hooking and closing pins is difficult for me.

In my opinion it is meant to replace pin basting not spray basting. It doesn’t have to cover every inch. I get the small bottles and drizzle it on in a grid pattern straight from the bottle. Like in 4” squares about. If it globs I use my finger to smooth it out. I don’t tape or pin the backing. Just lay the batting across a table and lay the top or backing over it and peel it back and then after drizzling smooth it up. I keep a wet washcloth handy in case it gets on me or the table. If I am feeling like it I put it on in a big meander pattern. I think one of y’all on here suggested sitting the bottle in some warm water to make it flow out easier. I’m going to try that.

Is the glue thinned with water? Do you spread it out with your hands or a spatula? And then do you spread it over
the batting like you do for the backing? Thanks for answering my original inquiry.

suz - see my response right above yours. It explains my method. I am about 20 quilts into glue basting using that method and it hasn’t failed me yet!

Thanks, Stitch. I think I’ll start with a smaller project just to give me a little confidence as well as experience. And I’ll spend some time at YouTube and see some of the demos.