Yesterday's discovery
 

Yesterday while rummaging through our painting equipment I came across this mini paint roller and I thought I would try it out on Elmer's glue sandwiching a quilt back. Oh my gosh - this is so easy, and the drying time is shortened - no more gobs of glue, no more heavy lines of glue. I used to use a paint brush, but this mini is perfect for spreading the glue. Just passin' it on.

That is a great idea....did you just lightly roll it and did you roll all over?

No, I squeezed the glue out of the bottle with long lines running back and forth on the batting, and then I just rolled the glue. It was so easy because it didn't move the fabric at all as used to happen when I used a paint brush to spread it. I tried to post a picture of it but that didn't work.

Brilliant idea!! I will give it try and see if it will work. My hands cramp so badly when I use Elmers glue bottles.

What a great idea! That would eliminate the need to iron the globs out. Good thinking.

Nice idea! I dilute the glue just enough to use a spray bottle. Works great for me.

thanks for the great tip

Super idea!

Thank you, that is a wonderful tip. It will surly save a lot of strain on my back. I wont have to stand bent over for so long.

what a great idea!! I had the messiest fingers after rubbing all that glue and i was scared to death of globs. Is it a foam roller or one of those fleecy fabric ones?

Thanks for that great idea! :thumbup:

That's a great idea -- I've been diluting the glue slightly so that when I used the paintbrush it spread easier. Using a mini roller would be even easier and very spreadable if dipping from the mini paint container that goes with the roller. My hands hurt from squeezing the glue bottle, which is why I started opening the bottle, pouring it in a container & thinning slightly with water. Works very well and my hands don't hurt anymore. LOVE the roller idea -- thanks!!

I haven't used the glue method yet. Does it "gunk up" on your needle when sewing or is this just used for hand sewing?

Onebyone: How much water, 50/50? Spray bottle from $1 store? Does it dry and stop up sprayer?

Sorry, I'm a little confused... Are you glue basting your quilts with Elmer's? How does your sewing machine do with it? I am a huge fan of 505 spray.

thanks for passing this idea on. I prefer 505 spray but it is so expensive. I have a heavy hand when using Elmer's glue. Will definitely give this a try.

Yes, we are glue basting our quilts with washable school glue such as Elmer's. I don't spread the glue but rather put it in thin stream over the batting of the quilt. I don't have globs generally doing this but if I do at the beginning I just spread it out with my finger. I have never tried spreading it out with a paint brush or as suggested here a paint roller. There are some issues with hands getting tired squeezing the bottle but once the bottle is getting near empty I switch to another bottle which is easier to squeeze and then drain the glue from the old bottle into a less empty bottle. I also store my closed bottle of glue upside down as suggested here on this board by someone which eliminates the dried glue in the nozzle that occurs once you use the bottle. I like the glue basting over spray basting because there are no fumes or over spray which makes it much neater to use. I have not had any issues with it gumming up my machine. It is dry when by the time you are quilting. I also use it to hold my binding in place while I'm hand sewing the back. No pins to stick me!

Great idea!

One of those little rollers for smoothing seams in wallpaper works well too.

just be sure to remember to use the SCHOOL GLUE, not the regular elmers! the regular stuff will never wash out, and you will have a crunchy/stiff quilt.

It does not gunk up your needle. Even if it were wet, it wouldn't hurt, as it would soon dry and be just as sticky as flour. It would wipe right off.

I dilute the glue at least half with water, spread it onto the batting going very quickly back and forth about three or four inches apart, wipe over these lines quickly with my finger, and smooth the quilt top or back over that. Works like a charm.
I do a strip across the quilt about one sixth to one fourth of the quilt at a time, starting in the middle.

I think we all need stock in Elmers washable school glue...............it is just wonderful now with your idea it even makes it better.............if you have not tried it go for it.........the best way to sandwich a quilt.....I even did a queen size and baby quilts just fly together over the ironing board.

I will try this.

I never heard of or thought of glue basting and can't wait to try it. Thanks to all who offered input on this topic. And now a question, has anyone else ever wondered, why doesn't glue stick to the inside of its bottle??????

When you use Elmers washable school glue to baste your quilts do you apply the glue every 3 to 4 inches as if you were using thread? Do you tape it to the floor to keep everything square....I see someone used the ironing board. Is this a regular ironing board or a quilters ironing board. I like to sew my binding on when we travel. No more pins to keep track of!

Thanks for sharing a very good idea for sandwiching quilts.

The little roller is the fuzzy type, and it does absorb the glue, but it is so small (3" long) that you don't end up wasting glue. What I found to be so good about this little guy is that you can spread the glue right along the side of the batting just like you would with a line of paint. When I am done I just wash it out and take off the lint that accumulates on the roller. I had my DH doing the squeezing of the bottle yesterday and his comment was "this is so stupid, why don't you use the spray" - I told him it was too damned expensive and the vapor really bothered me. I just love it when he comments about quilting.

I have never glue basted and I'm feeling quite "behind"! This is something I will definitely try. I am wondering about spraying thinned glue.......what ratio of glue/water is used to make it easy to spray? I like the roller idea too.

Honestly this is such a good idea that leads to the question. "Why didn't I think of that". Thanks so much for sharing. I'm a fan of Elmer's school glue as well. I also like the spray bast but hate the smell and the cost.

Wow thank you for responding. I use Glue Baste for all my hand appliqué (which I'm sure is just Elmer's) but I never thought of trying it for an basting a quilt. Has anyone used it for a quilt that was hand quilted? I'm curious how that worked. I've been on the 505 bandwagon forever but it's so expensive! I tried a cheaper one and hated it. That quilt is stuffed in a box, half quilted, waiting for me to get the ambition to tackle the rest.

I already love this forum, you can learn so much just chatting with fellow artists.

Your question made me laugh! I think it will stick to the bottle if air gets to it, but that's still a great question.

Leslie

Great tip! Definitely sounds smoother than using the paint brush. Now wait awhile and someone will package the roller for glue and charge more by relabeling it for quilters, just the like beard trimmer/seam ripper. :)

Do you wait until the glue dries. If so, how long does it take? I've learned so much from you guys. Thanks.

I iron the glued part as I go and the ironing dries it quickly. I started doing it this way to make it easier to tell where I had and hadn't already glued.

disclaimer: I've only basted one quilt this way but I have used it for binding and for matching seams.

I usually use poly batting and am afraid I would have a real mess. I'm sure the roller would mess up the batting.
Great tip for those who can use it.
Welcome from Missouri.

Mommysewest "Has anyone used it for a quilt that was hand quilted?"

I first used Elmer's washable school glue to hold my binding while I hand sewed sew it. When my needle hit a place where the glue was, I couldn't get the needle through it. I don't know if I used too much or what. Maybe other hand quilters will respond.

Thanks so much for sharing this idea with us. I haven't use white glue for basting a quilt with yet but I plan on trying it as soon as I'm out of all my spray basting glue. Using white glue will save a fortune and be better for the environment.

Make sure you use Elmer's School Glue. NOT white glue.

I have been tempted for so long to use the Elmers glue for basting but never did, I spray basted then safety pinned too. I am working on a QAYG and after hand basting 3 sides of the boarders I decided to try to Elmers on the 4th one....I am SOLD. Sure saved time just to drizzle it all over & iron it for a minute & ready to quilt it! Just wish I had tested the Elmers on the 1st strip of boarder :p