Wrinkled backing
 

I'm always having trouble getting my backing fabric to stay wrinkle free. I have tried pinning the fabric down first, I've tried taping, clamping it to a board & I just can not get rid of the wrinkles after I Pin baste the sandwich together. I have tried repining it again after all pins are in but when I'm guilting all of the darn wrinkes are back again. I have more wrinkles in my project than an 80 year old person. Lol. Any suggestions will be most appreciated.

I have the same problem.... I simply cannot get a flat quilt sandwich. I have an older HandiQuiltler frame that I use with my Janome 1600P -- It won't do larger quilts though. The alternatives for me are QAYG or sending out to LAer.

That's why I went to spray basting. Others here have suggested glue basting. I might try that sometime.

I have two suggestions: First, I use spray adhesive. Tape down the backing, spray the backing and carefully spread the batting down. Then spray the batting and put down the top. Then I pin baste the whole thing and get started. The second idea I actually saw a demonstration video online. The woman uses 2 lengths of 2 x 4s. She wraps the backing around one, puts the batting down and puts down the top that is similarly wrapped around the board. She unwinds the backing, pulls down the batting and unrolls the top. She she thread bastes what she has done. She keeps repeating until finished. I'll bet that was clear as mud, but the video is very explanatory.

Try heavily starching the backing. I use a 1:1 solution of Sta-Flo liquid laundry starch and water, "paint" this solution on using a large wall painting brush, wait a couple of minutes for the solution to penetrate the fibers, toss in the dryer, then iron with steam. I do this to the yardage before sewing into a backing, but you can also do it on the completed backing. Starch stabilizes the fabric so it is harder for it to fold over on itself.

Also, spray basting is easier than pin basting and allows you to peel off and re-position part of the quilt to get rid of a wrinkle. The only basting spray I recommend, though, is 505 and you do need a well-ventilated area to work (outside on a non-windy day works well).

http://bestquiltingvideos.com/?p=85
Try this.
D

"Thread Basting My Quilt Sandwich for FMQ" by "azwendyg" In the tutorial section here on this board. This is a great tute for basting. Best I have seen.

Spray baste and washable glue both work well. I think the suggestion to starch was a great one too.

I've tried the board method and didn't have a lot of luck with it. I think because I don't really have a wide enough space.

I used to have puckers in my backing too but on the last 2 quilts I spray basted and it worked :) No puckers this time!

Before I got my longarm, I would take my quilts down to my quilt group meeting. We would push four or six folding tables together and tape the backing down to the top of the table with blue painter's tape all around the outside edge. Then the batting and top were put on and pin basted lightly and everyone pitched in to baste the quilt from the center out. There were always a few members small and spry enough to actually get up on the tables to do the center. It went very fast and they do it still. The backs, because they are taped very taut, lay absolutely wrinkle free.

I make sure that the backing is very well pressed, sometimes with a bit of starch. This extra stiffness helps to keep the wrinkles away.

I'm a newbie quilter so grain of salt here! I don't starch or tape. I press if there are wrinkles. I lay the backing on the floor and smooth it a bit so it's lying in a natural way for the fabric -- I don't want it stretched out of its natural alignment, if that makes any sense. Then I lay the batting on top and smooth it out, again trying not to stretch. Then the top, same smoothing process.

Now I get down on the floor, crawl carefully to the center, and safety pin. I'll put maybe 10 pins in a 1-2 foot circle around the center. Next, I crawl on off, fold up a side or an end so I can get my hands under the whole thing, and start pinning my way out. I use a hand underneath to make sure everything is smooth before I pin. At this stage I'm usually pinning a foot or so apart. Then transfer to my worktable and put in extra pins or thread basting along/around each quilting line before I stitch it. On the worktable I can flip it over and examine if anything feels funny under there LOL .

It is hard to get the back perfectly smooth and pucker free if using a higher loft batting.

Here's how I baste: http://www.quiltingboard.com/tutoria...mq-t91013.html I've done queen/king size quilts over 10 feet wide using this method and spray basting (I quickly tired of doing all that stitching by hand). So far I haven't had one single wrinkle in my backing, and I'm FMQ without a long arm so my basted quilts get handled a LOT as I'm quilting them! For the really wide quilts I use 12 foot boards and 3 four foot tables pushed together end to end so it all lays flat as I'm spray basting.

I always starch and press both the backing and the quilt top before basting.

i always pre-wash my backings then when they are (almost) dry i take them out- iron them - using starch for a nice wrinkle free finish- then i thread baste instead of pinning- i've never had much luck with the pin method- besides find working around-then removing them a real pain. some people like the spray basting method too- but starting with a nice wrinkle free backing is key & the best way to achieve that is a good ironing with either starch or sizing (starch gives a crisper finish than sizing)