Basting using Elmer's Glue and boards with pictures
 

I thought I would do a tutorial on how I use Elmer's School Glue to baste my quilt sandwich using boards.

So to begin, roll your quilt top on the boards like this.

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I apply a dot of glue where the fabrics meet. You can do that or drizzle it on or draw lines; however you like.
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Then I smooth the batting down on top.

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Continue unrolling the board applying glue and batting as you go until the whole top is done. At this point flip the quilt top and batting over and really smooth it out. If you want to speed up the drying process then iron it at this point.
Flip it back over so the batting is facing up and now begin to unroll you backing on top.
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And once again I either just place random dots of glue all over or drizzle it on.
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Now just continue unrolling the backing and applying glue. When done, smooth out with your hands and iron to dry if you wish. Otherwise just let it dry naturally for a few hours.

See? Wasn't that easy?

boards???
 

What do you use for the boards?

Sorta looks like a 1 x 4 to me.

Great tutorial!

Thanks for the tutorial. Which method have you had the best results with..ironing the glue or air drying?

Thanks for the tutorial.....I have to try that.....

What a great idea! You did make that look easy and inexpensive! Thanks for sharing.

Great tut but that quilt looks awful small to me. What do you do for a queen or king size?

thank you for taking the time to post this tut

I could see this using the Home Dec rolls that some stores (like Hobby Lobby) use to display Home Dec fabrics. It is round but would be a free way and safer (maybe - no splinters) to roll the quilt on. They are wide - 60' if I remember correctly, but could duct tape 2 together for larger quilts. (They will give them to you for free if you ask and they have them) I will try glue basting next time!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. I use the board all the time but have been hand basting my layers. Never thought about using the school glue. This is going to save alot of time. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.

Yes, the board is a 1x4. My husband cut and sanded it really well. I wanted to paint it but just never got around to it. I've never gotten a splinter. It is 7 feet long so a long quilt fits on it.

I have ironed and air dried and personally i like the ironing. It makes the tops very smooth; smoother than I can get with my hands. But air dry is perfectly fine too. Have done both.

Glad you like it!!!

That's neat - I like it - thank you for the tutorial! :-)

Marysewfun

Thanks for the tutorial!!

Interesting! I do this but spray baste. A hint for you though. If you cover the boards with flannel, the fabric clings, which helps get it nice and snug when you are starting out. :)

Great tip on the flannel.

SO ARE YOU GLUING the batting? or the Front?

thanks for pictures great tut!

Thank bunches

Thanks got two home dec rolls and gonna try this this week. Don't think I'll miss the pins!

Thank you for the tutorial. Do you have your batting in place when you start to unroll?

Great tutorial, thank you!

Excellent tutorial. Thanks for taking the time to post it. I have several large quilts to prepare for FMQ, and will certainly try this method.

I am a longarmer....but would definitely do this on a small quilt that I might do on my Bernina. I use the Elmer's glue method for applying binding, (Sharon Schamber's youtube video is great for learning the method). I tell everyone Elmer's school glue is my new best quilting friend. I have used it to tack applique pieces also. Thanks for the tut...brilliant!

Thanks for the tute.

This is fantastic! How do you attach it to the board at the beginning?

I'm pretty sure Sharon also has a you tube video on the the board and glue method for basting your quilt layers. Might want to check hers out, also, I think it's been out there for a while. Each one probably has something to offer.

Interesting method - layering is the biggest challenge for me. May have to try this.

Thank you for the tute! I've sent my last couple of quilts to a long-armer, but this will owrk great for me for smaller quilts.

I'm doing both. I glue the back of the actual quilt top as I show. Then when it's time to attach teh backing fabric I put the glue on the batting. It makes not difference. That's just how i do it.

NOTE - Also if you are using the boards like Sharon Schamber shows to pin baste your quilts, you want to roll the quilt onto the boards the opposite way I did. You want to roll it as if it that the back of the quilt top is facing out not the front of the quilt top. So that when you unroll it the right side of the quilt top is facing out. Make sense?

And I love the flannel idea. Thanks!

How do attach the quilt to the board before you start rolling? Do you roll all 3 layers at one time?

The quilt top is rolled on one board and the backing is rolled on the other board.

The link below is for Sharon Schamber's method of using the boards for hand basting. I found the basting a bit tedious and resorted to quilter's safety pins. The next quilt I do will be basted with the Elmer's Washable School Glue. I wish she had used a different color of backing fabric to demonstrate her method and she is doing a small project. That being said my DD and I have used her method for quilts up to king size. I have two folding plastic tables butted end to end for the big quilts. The demo is in two parts I believe. Up to now I have used double sided scotch tape the secure the quilt top and backing to the boards but I am thinking that covering them with the flannel would work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhwNylePFAA

A great alternative to those expensive and smell quilt sprays. I will try this on my next top.

After you have your top and bottom on two separate boards, would you start gluing on one of the ends then instead of in the middle? I assume you would just lay your batting in between the two and glue baste.

Yes, I show this very clearly in my tutorial. No need to start in the center.

BUT - NOTE THIS!!!! In order to glue baste my quilts on teh boards and see where the glue is going I roll my quilts OPPOSITE to how Sharon does. You can do it the way Sharon does and it will work but you won't be able to put your glue precisley where y u want it that way. If you don't care about that then do it that way.

Hello neighbor (slicksister)! I live in Santa Rosa and just saw this tute. I glue basted my twin size quilt last week by taping the layers to my wood floor after heavily starching the top and backing. My back was killing me when I finished, but the glue is really working well for my FMQ. Besides being able to work at waist level (your method, thank you!), the only thing I would add is to make sure the edge of the quilt top is glue basted to the batting. It was hard to determine on my batting (on the floor) where the edge of my top was going to hit and I missed more than I hit the edge. The glue on the edge of the top really helps when quilting to the edges. I also made sure that I had at least 4" of batting/backing around all four sides for moving off the edges when quilting.

I have to try this on my next quilt! Thanks to everyone for their tips with the glue!

Thanks from me, too! I've collected all the gluing info and am about ready to try it!