Watson

I have a wallhanging that has quite a bit of applique on it. I would much prefer to outline the applique on my domestic machine, but I want to do all the background on my longarm.
Would it be a disaster to spray baste the batting onto the top, do the outline quilting on my domestic and then load the backing on my long arm and pin the top/batting combo on like normal and float it?
It seems to me this should work (*should being the operative word...). What am I missing? I really don't want to mess this quilt up.

Watson

mkc

I would flip-flop the process.

Load the 3 layers and longarm the background first, then unload and finish the outlines on the domestic.

The quilting on the longarm will stabilize the layers (add pin/thread basting if needed afterwards). Spray basting first might cause issues if it needs to be rolled up on the front bar of the longarm - the layers will try to shift when rolled up and can't if they are spray-basted.

(ETA - basting on a longarm is a service some offer for those who want to quilt on the domestic but don't want to deal with basting. This would be doing something similar in effect)

Michelle

maryb119

I have done both on things I have made and it worked out fine. I didn't use a basting spray. It was held in placve by the long arm stitching and some pins I placed there after. It works out fine.

Tartan

I think I would baste on the longarm and then do the outline on your machine. I would worry that you wouldn’t get the backing taut enough between the outlining and when you went to longarm, you would get wrinkles in th3 backing.

QuiltMom2

I actually outlined applique (very simple sea creature designs) on my longarm and it wasn't hard and turned out pretty well. Slow stitching in manual mode and first thing in the morning when I wasn't so tired and the old eyes were working better!

Macybaby

I've done both, and have also found it's way easier to do the LA first, and then fill in the other areas after. I will baste over the other areas with the LA (just long straight stitching) so everything stays put when I take it off the frame.

juliasb

I would LA first. Stabilize the quilt first then do the DSM. It should look great.

WesternWilson

You might want to watch this YouTube video on one approach to outlining appliqué on the longarm using a little ruler:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KigvhjvWWmY&t=8s