I have used the Elmer's glue for about a year now. I use it to put my binding in place, no pins! It is much easier to deal with. I just love using it. But, I do hit it with a hot iron, as recommended, and that helps to keep it in place better. Great stuff!

Never heard nor have I ever tried this. It sounds great. I sure hope you post the finished result. Elmer's glue is really cheap right now because of the back to school sales. Look forward to seeing your finished quilt. Will you wash it when completed?

I have quilted about 1/3 of the quilt and I have mixed feelings. The glue is holding up great, no issues whatsoever. But, there is always but in there somewhere, I think that I did not stretch my backing enough. I do not have any puckers (yet) but it is still early. I am not giving up. I will finish this quilt and then try to do it better next time. I read that many of you have done this successfully so there is still hope. I have to remember to stretch the backing better next time. I will post back when I am done, with pictures of course. Stay glued! :)

I tried this recently on a baby quilt. There were a few puckers when I finished sandwiching, so I took the steam iron to the back and smoothed them out from the middle. It worked like a charm, and it is now as smooth as a baby's bottom! I think I love this technique.

After reading about this, on the QB, I've also been using the Elmer's School Glue, for basting. I took the advice of laying out the batting first, then smoothing the fabric, on top of that. The batting doesn't shift, as fabric would. Also as suggested, I then fold back half of the fabric (at a time), drizzle the glue onto the batting (lots of thin lines/swirls), then fold the fabric back and pat it into place. If I use the iron, I hold it to the fabric, for a few seconds, then move on. I don't actually "press" it, just lightly hold the iron to the fabric. This seems to work better (for me, anyway) than pressing.
I've only tried this, with Warm & White batting. Has anyone tried it, with the higher loft poly batting?

:thumbup: Keep going Tashana, you'll get there. [your little person in your avatar makes me smile a lot].

I tried basting with Elmers washable glue only once and it spotted the white border. What do you suppose I did wrong. Oh, and it didn't wash out the spots. May give it another try. will keep watch.

Neesie, I had some "cheap" poly batting that I bought off a roll. No idea what brand or anything. I tried it on a quilt that I worked on, and it just wouldn't stick to that quilt top. I couldn't get anything to stick to it!! I assumed it was because it was polyester batting. I used some scrap batting and tried gluing it to another top for trapunto and it worked fine! I probably used too much and it got very stiff, but since I'm not quilting that part, it is ok. When I sprayed it with water to get markings off, it softened up a lot. I'm assuming that it lost the bond too.

I've had to wet a glued area, to smooth it out, and was able to just touch it with the iron again, to re-bond it. Wonder why nothing would stick to that quilt top. Odd! Had you used any starch on it? Could that have been the culprit?

I have a gallon jug of school glue I bought a few years ago with the idea of my son and some friends making goop. I am going to have to try this. I am stunned by the price of the spray basting material. On another forum someone mentioned purchasing Elmers spray glue, but this is way cheaper way to go.
Sharon Schamber uses Elmers School Glue for basting her bindings, it works great. I iron it to dry it.

I think I know what my problem is with this beast of a quilt. Every single time I used cotton batting with Elmer's school glue and it worked like a charm. After reading your posts (thank you all very much) a bulb went on in my head - my batting is poly not cotton. I did not have cotton handy and I was itching to work on the quilt so I used poly batting that was lying around in my sewing room for I don't know how long. Mystery solved. Elmer's School glue and poly batting do not go well together, at least not for me. I had to get up and walk away from it earlier today because I got very frustrated with puckers which seem to be multiplying in bacterial progression. I am afraid to even think it but I may have to unglue my quilt and start all over again. OR I should cut my losses and accept the fact that I have became a true quilter by creating my first UFO. To quote Scarlet O'Hara :"I'll think about it tomorrow".

I bought the quilt on ebay and didn't wash it. Big mistake! It was the first one I ever tried spray basting and that didn't work. I pinned it, but didn't do a good job (I went ahead and quilted - full speed ahead! before I realized the spray wasn't doing it's job-or before it lost it's grip). It was still sticky from the spray baste, but not enough to hold. So, in desperation, I tried Elmers, and couldn't iron/press it, because of the polyester batting. That poor quilt was so wavy! That quilt taught me the importance of basting! I think it was coated in teflon!
The good news is, all the stuff I used washed right out!

I am obsessed. It's a first day of school and I am packing supplies in my kids' bags and between the two of them they have 12 large bottles of Elmer's and 24 glues stics and I keep thinking how many quilts I could baste with all that glue. Bad mommy!

I have recently used Elmer's School Glue with Hobbs Polydown batting on a baby quilt. I first put the quilt top on a table, wrong side up, made a grid with glue, and then place the batting on it. I then removed the top and batting from my table, and placed the backing on my table wrong side up. Then I place the top and batting on the backing and smoothed them until the top was perfectly smooth. Then I turned them over, and used the iron at a medium setting to fully smooth the back of the quilt. Once it was pressed dry, it held the sandwich together perfectly. I quilted it with no problem. I did the same thing on a lap quilt, but I did it in sections. No problem. I think that maybe it worked with the poly batting because the wet glue went through connecting the top and the back when it was pressed.

I love the way you describe the puckering! :D I've had projects like that!

Just wet down the quilt (water in spray bottle) and after a few minutes, you should be able to just peel it apart.

:D Too funny!!!!

When you lay out your quilts and either spray them or squeeze glue from the bottle on to the fabric, does anything come through on to the work surface? Do I need to consider that when I do this?

I just bought the clear school glue. Haven't had an opportunity to use it yet, but based on what other quilters have said, I'm hoping for very good results. Do we use a hot iron?

Wow this is fascinating. I would have never thought of this.

Matter of fact I hope someone does a tutorial on this as I need visual imagery...LOL

Never heard of using glue, sound good though. So when your done you wash the quilt and the glue comes out ???

a few weeks ago I ran out of my 505 half way through basting. I had some elmers glue. I used it. once it dried it showed...I was worried...I FMQ'd my quilt anyways...once I washed me quilt the glue washed away...it did work. I will try a small quilt next and use the spray and see how that works. I love 505 spray but it is very expensive.

I have used regular Elmer's School Glue for sandwiching on several small/medium projects now--I don't spray, I just apply an even, light stream of glue in a grid pattern. While it's still wet, I iron to make sure that it's perfectly smooth on both sides. Yes, you can see some spots of glue during quilting--no big deal; they wash out completely when the quilt is laundered. There has been no problem with it getting on the ironing board or iron. I'm going to use it on a bigger quilt, doing it in sections. I think it will work out really well, much better than anything else I've tried.

Carol,
I have some questions if you don't mind.

What size grid do you make--about 4x4"? Do you actually pick it all up and place on the ironing board to lightly press? I'm picturing a sticky mess. :-)

Do you glue the fabric or the batting?

Thanks for your help. I'm trying to improve my FMQ so I can actually finish some tops, but I have to get over my "basting phobia." I have a simple top I made just to practice FMQ, and have been wondering if I should run out and pick up basting spray, pin it, or run to Target for some Elmers now. :-)

I found Elmer's Glue Spray at the Dollar Store. I am going to try it. It seems to me that it would be easier than liquid glue. I'll let you know.

You really don't use enough glue, for it to go through the surface. You can actually just use a dot-dot-dot method, if you have the patience. Even still, I wouldn't do it, on unprotected wood, just in case.

sewplease, sorry I took so long to respond--my grandkids were visiting from out of town.
I have put the glue on the fabric when I've done this. I've only done relatively small projects--up to lap size. I lie the top face down on my large ironing table, spread a thin grid of glue on the back of it, about 4" x 4" as you suggested, then I lay the batting on, and then make a similar grid, about 2" shifted over so it won't be right on top of the first one, on the back of the backing--I do this on another table. Then I place the backing onto the batting and smooth them all out. I use the iron to get both sides really smooth, and the iron dries the glue as well.
There are some other great descriptions that I've seen on this thread for how to do it on larger quilts.
Also, it's never made a mess for me--just don't use a lot of glue--keep the stream very thin.
Good luck!

I just started using it for appliques-like it sew far-price is great.

I just tried this with a queen size.
Verdict : very convenient, holds up really well. I FMQ-ed the quilt on my domestic machine, nothing fell out. So it is very sturdy.
But, I would leave the outer 10 inches or so glue free, and use safety pins. Because as I FMQ from center outwards, I realised by the time I am at the outer edges, I need to readjustment the basting. Glue does not allow for that.

I just tried this for the first time yesterday on an applique of a horse. It was great! It held the ears and legs, etc., in place so I could machine applique it in place. This will be my new "go to" method for applique! :o

I resently did a lap quilt, 50 x 60" all with glue. I held the bottle fairly high and did a drizzle (like for chocolate) in loop-de-loops. did both the front and back. Made sure as I was glueing to smooth, smooth, smooth. Let it rest for 24 hours and had absolulty NO PROBLELMS....no glumming of the needle, no puchers of any kind. Everything washed out nicely and only used about a dollars worth of glue. sure beats spray basting, as you do NOT have to worry about overspray and or inside fumes of any kind. This will be my method of choice in the future for sure. And so much better for the enviroment with no fumes.......:thumbup:

I hope it works out for you and I will be watchingfor the update.

I also noticed that basting the quilt with glue is great but even better if you do not baste all the way to the edge. I also quil from the middle and by the time I hit the edge I need to do some readjusting. Still easier that any other method and it saves my sanity and quite a few $$.

Absolutely no need to apologize - sounds like you've been having fun! :-) Thanks so much for your comments. This is a great thread and I plan to try "Elmer basting" soon!!

I have never heard of this. It sounds great. I have never actually gotten any quilts quilted but I do have two that are basted. Maybe I will try glue for the next one.