Quilting a large piece....have ??

Howdy!

Welcome to the newsgroup (ng).

Hang around, there will plenty more to read & share. ;-)

Ragmop/Sandy - professional handquilter in lovely north Texas, listening to some Metallica (heavy metal) p.s. I sandwich quilts & pin baste on the floor - after taking 2 aleve

"Sandy E" said

LOL! I'd need a heck of a lot more than 2 aleve. A good stiff drink, and a hoist to get me back up would be a start.....

KT.

You should take a look at Marti Mitchell's book: "Machine Quilting in Sections".

might give you a heads up.

Thanks Amy., I'm looking at the site and will see about getting that book.

Kathy

Welcome! I'm new to this game, too, and have made two full-size quilts and several mini-quilts. My method of layering is probably blasphemy for some folks around here, but it also seems a lot simpler than any I've seen.

I use a dining-size table. (I recently dedicated such a table to quilting and put it up on cinder blocks to make it easier on my back. I just love it for cutting and layering.) Then I use the toothpick-and-tape method described by Harriett Hargrave in "Heirloom Machine Quilting" to center the quilt, as follows:

Use masking tape to tape a toothpick perpendicular to each end of the table at the exact center of the table. You'll be able to feel the toothpick through the quilt layers as you work.

Fold the quilt batting in half lengthwise and line up the fold with the toothpicks. (This is the blasphemy part; I start with the batting. All the books say to start with the binding.) Eyeball the top and bottom of the batting that is hanging off the ends of the table to try to get it fairly well centered lengthwise. Unfold the batting.

Fold the backing in half lengthwise and place it on top of the batting, lining up the fold with the toothpicks and eyeballing the overhanging top and bottom.

Using a spray glue (Elmer's, Krylon, or the expensive stuff made especially for quilting) and working quickly, *lightly* spray the exposed half of the batting that is on the table top. Then unfold the backing onto the batting and smooth it from the center out. Fold the other, unglued area of the backing lengthwise over the glued half of the backing and batting. Spray the exposed batting on the tabletop *lightly* with spray glue, just like you did the other half, then unfold the backing over the fresh glue.

Then you start smoothing as if the quilt depended on it (it does, if you want a smooth backing) from the center out, until the backing on the tabletop is absolutely smooth over the backing. Take a few minutes to get it right.

Then allow the glue to dry for a half hour before you handle the quilt package. Then slide the quilt so the overhang and one corner are on the table, *lightly* spray glue between the backing and batting, and smooth smooth smooth the newly glued area. Wait a half hour, repeat, until you have glued the entire backing to the batting and it's all smooth.

Wait three hours after you have finishing gluing the backing to the batting, then flip the package over so the batting is on top, using the toothpicks and your eyeballs to center it on the table. Fold the quilt top in half lengthwise and align the fold with the toothpicks, eyeballing the overhang at the top and bottom to leave a few inches of batting and batting all the way around, beyond the edges of the quilt top. Spray glue the top to the batting the same way you glued the backing, but this time put a safety pin every 10-12 inches as you smooth each area from the center out. Also, pin the edges of the quilt top to the lower layers. (N.B. that if you pin baste alone without using spray, you'll need to use about four times as many pins. My hands rebel at this.)

Voila! The ease of spray basting with the security of pin basting and a good, smooth back, done on an ordinary tabletop.

ep

Thanks so much Edna. This sounds pretty good and worth trying.

Kathy

Hi Kathy! Welcome to the Land of RCTQ. We have fun here, no moderator, no rules. The only thing you really need to know is that it is very wise to have your chocolate vetted. Just send a pound or two to the Office of the Official Chocolate Taster of RCTQ, which is in my Palace here in Virginia. I will test and taste and report back via email. You don't have to thank me ... this is my unselfish volunteer duty in RCTQ. A tough job, but someone's gotta do it. :)

Pat In Virginia/USA PS: Yes, it may get 'out of hand' but you will be in very good company. :)

The excellent method that John uses is a traditional method of basting. You would probably find descriptions and diagrams in quilting books, especially 'older' books or books that promote traditional hand quilting. The county library is your friend! Pat in Virginia

Kathy, I don't see where anyone answered your question about QI. A QI is a quilt inspector, usually 4-legged and furry but there are exceptions. All of them are quite dedicated to their duties although the interpretation of those duties varies considerably. Our Yorkshire Terrier feels duty-bound to assure that no tall wind blows a quilt away when I'm pinning one on the floor. ( I have a tow-truck on speed-dial before I spread one out in the living room.) He also participates in quilt blocking and makes certain that they will pass the kick and scrunch test. No quilt leaves here in a delicate condition. Polly

Will do. I used to have a couple of pics up when I was on webshots, but they were lost when I switched to Picasa. John

Trust me, the chocolate is on its way to you for testing.......

KT.

Ahhhh. I see now. Yeppers, Tootsie is definitely a QI, and a XSI too! Speaking of which, is there a good strong quilting thread that I should us when making Toots her new "bankie"? She loves to paw them like a cat.

I'll be heading to the library Monday after quilting class. Thanks!