Free moton+Glue basting...hard as a board
 

So when the glue dries, the sandwich is stiff like a board. Too much glue and not enough water? Ratio I'm using is 1 pt glue
3 pt water. Lots of issues trying to free motion...WHERE IS THE WINE?

Gosh I never dilute my glue. I drizzle Straight from
the bottle in a thin grid. I use it to replace pin basting not spray basting. I love the glue.

How did you apply the glue? With a paint brush?
I've never had problem diluting the glue...from a little to a lot
(when I was short on glue). I've had my quilt looks like a piece
of cardboard when I used a paint brush. Now I either "draw" the
glue making waves or grids but no more paint brush or rollers.
Then scrape any excess with my finger.
Leave it overnight. It might soften.

I have wine at my house! And chocolate. 😊 I have only glue basted a couple quilts and had small parts that were stiff like a board. It was where I had too much glue. I quilted them anyway going slowly but I’m not sure that helps your situation.

i had another thought. Are you sure it is Elmers a Washable School Glue and not glue-all?

Washable Elmer's School Glue. So I thin out the glue about 1:4 ratio. Drizzle it over the batting. Spread it with a thing similar to what you use to scrape windshield in the winter. Pat it over the batting and press again.

I have glue basted dozens of quilts. I've tried other methods, but like the glue basting best because I never get any puckers in the front or back of my quilts. The quilts do not come out stiff after I've glue basted them using this method. There is no overspray or chemical smell. I put Elmer's School Glue in a carpenter's glue roller bottle and just roll it onto the batting, then smooth the quilt front onto the batting. I let that dry a few hours, then do the same with the quilt back. I do not dilute the glue. I gently squeeze the glue bottle to feed a small amount of glue onto the roller then roll on the batting in an X pattern which spreads the glue so there are no glue blobs that would leave stiff spots on the quilt. Carpenter's glue roller bottles are available on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Taytools-5000...3634054&sr=8-1

I wash the roller thoroughly with warm water immediately after using it to glue. The roller can be easily popped out and I just rub it down with my fingers under warm water to remove the glue and any accumulated fuzz/threads. The roller is a made from a hard rubber. As long as you clean the glue after every use, the bottle and roller should last for years. There really is nothing to wear out.


This is the easiest way I have found to glue baste my quilts. The glue is cheap at $10-$15 per gallon and will glue numerous quilts. Hope these tips help.

I really appreciate all the suggestions from you guys. Nagging question...do you guys still "anchor" the backing?

Don't know about glue, but would have thought dots rather than 'painting'. I do know about the wine, and sorry, it's all gone.

I'm glue basting in my living room on top of a painter's canvas drop cloth placed on top of an oriental rug, so I do not "anchor" the backing. I do the basting in 2 separate steps - first the top onto the batting, then after that has dried a few hours, flip the sandwich and glue the back onto the batting. Both times the glue is rolled onto the batting, not the fabric.