magicmoonmusings

Glue basting is where it's at!!!

It's so much FASTER, for both patchwork and long borders. And the ACCURACY. The fabric doesn't shift AT ALL. No stupid little puckers, no having to 'ease in' any fabric. No having to fiddle with the end of the seam that usually veers off the 1/4 inch. It's easy to reposition if you need to. And no getting stabbed on my fingers and cuticles.

I sewed the top (twin size) very quickly using the glue. And I just finished glue basting the sandwich, but my hands are aching so much from squeezing that bottle. I'm going to pick up a carpenter's glue roller tomorrow.

ibex94

What kind of glue are you using? Is it washing out of the quilt easily after you're done?

magicmoonmusings

It's just Elmer's Washable School Glue - it MUST be the washable kind. It washes out very easily.

For patchwork seams, just use a few tiny dots across the seam then press with an iron for a few seconds to dry.

For basting the sandwich, you have to let it dry overnight because there's a lot more glue. There are a bunch of tutorials out there, I just googled and watched a few of them to get the hang of it.

ibex94

Thanks!! I am going to have to try this.

Lena1952

When glue basting a quilt sandwich, I just iron mine so it dries quickly. I’ve done up to a twin size but not larger so far. I also slightly thin down the glue with water and use a 3” chip brush to lightly apply the glue. Chip brushes are inexpensive and thin so they don’t hold a large amount of glue unless you soak the brush. I don’t use glue for the sewing portion but seldom use pins unless matching seams. And sometimes not even then. If that makes me a rebel, so be it. LOL

magicmoonmusings

I like the chip brush idea, I can get them super cheap at the dollar store Do they work better applying the glue on the back of the quilt top, or on the batting? And how much do you thin it down, roughly? Like 50/50 or less water than that?

Austinite

I've had no luck with Elmer's...it's very frustrating, I made two throws with it, drizzled very fine lines, make sure it was super smooth, let it dry, still had shifting and tucks, not sure what I did wrong

Lena1952

I don’t measure so it’s a rough guess on the thinning. Maybe 70 glue/30 water. I find putting the glue on the batting works best. I try to use enough thinly spread so it doesn’t come thru to the top fabric so I can use the iron to dry the glue quickly. If the glue comes thru to the top layer it gets on the iron. Easy to clean off but still a mess. I cover the batting with glue in small sections then place backing or top over that section and iron, then move to the next section and repeat. Once one side is done, turn over to the other side and repeat the process. Those chip brushes are usually cost a dollar or less and I just was the glue out and use it again. The brush I’m using is a least three years old so you don’t need to buy more than one.

Lena1952

I tried it this way with the same success that you had. Thinning the glue and using a chip brush to completely cover the batting with a thin layer of glue made all the difference. I’ve not had any puckers or tucks. It’s similar to using a spray like 505 but with no aerosol and less expense.

Snooze2978

I've been using Elmer's Glue to attach my binding on the quilt before stitching it down on the backside and then bringing it to the front side, then I use those clips but I haven't used pins in a number of years. I also use the glue when I'm trying to make sure I'm matching the seams correctly as the glued section won't shift as it can with pins. Glue is my friend and I stock up every Fall when the school supplies come out on sale.