Quilting question

When doing my quilt I used Dritz Washable spray adhesive in lieu of Basting and pining to stabilize the three part sandwitch. What is the preferred method of accomplishing this. Basting/spray adhesive/or combination of those/or some other unknown, to me, method?

John

Reply to
John
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for smaller quilts I either spray baste only or pin only for larger quilts I do both as all the wrestling will loosen the spray basting over the course of quilting said "monster" quilt

Reply to
Jessamy

The preferred method is whatever works for you! I use lots of safety pins, since most of my quilts are lap size or bigger, and I don't feel confident that the spray would hold well enough. Also not sure I need more dubious chemical substances around. And it's more expensive over here! Roberta in D

"John" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@v45g2000cwv.googlegroups.com...

Reply to
Roberta Zollner

Same here...I typically use pins! Don't like having chemicals in the air and also the spray often gums up the needles...and don't like the idea of the spray stuff in my computerized sewing machine.

-Irene

Reply to
IMS

I prefer both spray baste and pins. My quilts tend to get moved a lot so the spray basting may come loose. I just don't use as many pins. Maybe every 6-8inches. Take Care Joanna

Reply to
Joanna

Howdy!

Yeah, what Roberta said, pin basting.

And w/ the current subject of Teflon roaming around here, even when some posts have nothing to do w/ the subject line of Teflon feet , seems some of us are concerned about putting more *harmful* chemicals into the atmosphere. But some aren't (damn' Tx. politicians). Here's a little article re: basting sprays

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Pin basting works very well for me.

Ragmop/Sandy--pin basting, hand quilting ;-)

Reply to
Sandy Ellison

My prejudice is purely personal and I am not trying to convert anyone here, but I have never liked glue, sewing and fabrics together. I don't even like the feel of iron-on webbing that bonds two fabrics for applique. I am sure that modern science has developed glues that truly wash away with no residue, but . . . . . And I am sure that the glue doesn't gum up the needle of the machine and then work its way into the rest of the SM innards, but . . . . . . . Well, I don't do that much quilting myself anymore, so I need all the help I can get to make it easy so I baste everything.

But I use a tailor's baste not a running stitch. It anchors everything and gives me total control. Sadly it also removes the immediate need to finish the job too lol and I have been known to leave a quilt basted for months. But I do not really enjoy quilting myself and send most of my quilts out for long arming by a friend now.

I would NEVER use a running stitch to baste a quilt as I think it leaves to much movement between layers. JMNSHO - YMMV

BTW - I hope you have realised by now that if you ask five quilters a question you are likely to get five different answers, all of them equally "correct". The legendary Quilt Police who went around telling new quilters that they MUST do things a certain way have (I hope) long-since passed into history. Ask, try and adapt. And if you find a new way that works for you pass it on. For example I asked an engineer friend to make a removable extension to the legs of my work table years ago (because he had the metal working tools the job needed) and I use quick release carpenter's clamps to "stretch" quilt backs taut on the table when I pin before basting. I am always interested in seeing how other craftsmen/women work as I never know where I might pick up a new idea for my sewing.

If you don't know how to do a tailor's baste then picture standing in front of the pinned quilt on a table or bench (pinned with quilting or sewing pins, not safety pins). Thread your needle with a long piece of very cheap thread (I use that awful "6 large reels for $5" stuff that breaks reasonably easily, not the cheap poly thread that slices your fingers through if you try to break it) and take a couple of stitches just in front of you to anchor the thread. Then - assuming you are right handed - move a few inches up (directly away from you) and take another large stitch. My stitches are anywhere from 1"-2" each depending on the density of basting I want, which in turn depends on how I plan to quilt the item. Move up and take another stitch and so on until you reach the limit of your reach. You should have a column of slanted stitches running botton left to top right. Then just take a few running stitches across (either left or right) and do the same again but working down or towards you. This time the stitches will slant top left to bottom right. Keep going up and down in columns until the whole section of the quilt on the table is done, then move on to the next section. Use just a couple of stitches to start and end threads as this avoids knots and the possibility of sewing over them, and makes the basting very easy to remove.

I might sound like a lot of hard work, but we team up and work in pairs. Each person works from the centre of the table out, and from opposite sides of the table. Having someone to chat to makes the job go fast, and most here actually enjoy basting time as they work with the same partner each time. I have a table raised so they don't have to bend over to do this, so most basting of class quilts gets done here. Two can baste a large double or QS quilt in an evening without any trouble.

The basting here is done on a laminate table. Don't try this on a good timber table as you are sure to scratch it - use a kitchen bench. But some of my students have done this at home using their cutting boards under the area being basted.

For very simple quilting (eg. in-the-ditch or cross-hatching) I probably wouldn't bother basting unless it was a large quilt. I just make sure that safety pins are placed so I don't have to remove them as I sew. But I like the reassurance this basting gives me that nothing will "drift" during sewing. It leaves me free to concentrate on the quilting - enough of a battle as I am not a confident quilter lol

Enough of my rambling! The humidity must be getting to me rofl

Reply to
CATS

I use safety pins because I don't like to use chemicals I don't have to. I have the Kwik-Klip tool so that my fingers don't hurt from pinning and unpinning.

-- Anita --

Reply to
Irrational Number

Reply to
John

Basting Gun. The gun shoots little plastic tacks into the quilt sandwich that hold the layers together. Faster than pinning or thread basting. The drawback is the time it takes to remove all those tacks. I've tried pinning and really hated the whole process. I don't like having sore, dented fingers and thumbs from opening and closing all the safety pins. I don't like how the pins are always in the way of my quilting progress. It takes too long. And I don't have a good place to pin baste, so I have to use the floor, thus I am always pinning the quilt to the carpeting.

I've thread basted, which takes longer but is very cost effective. It's only drawback is the time involved.

I have avoided spray adhesive basting because I just don't want to breath in the airborn glue. I'd probably have some sort of allergic reaction to the fumes anyway. Debra in VA See my quilts at

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Reply to
Debra

I just pin baste. Granted, it's a pain to move them out of the way when it comes to the actual quilting, but I keep all kinds of pin cushions "at the ready" so as not to interrupt the quilting process too much.

Patti in Seattle

Reply to
Patti S

I've just bought a little tool for doing the removal called Tack B Gone.

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next to the bottom. Lessens the risk of cutting the fabric.

Reply to
Sally Swindells

Very interesting reading! OK, that's it, I won't even bother trying to find adhesive sprays, and I'll stick to needle turn applique! The fusible batting got good marks though. Roberta in D

"Sandy Ellison" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news:C1D7CA52.11F39% snipped-for-privacy@sbcglobal.net...

Reply to
Roberta Zollner

Great idea! (You know, you could travel the world doing woodwork for your new best friends! :-) How do you reach the center of your 8' table? Roberta in D

"John" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@l53g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

Reply to
Roberta Zollner

The responses that relate to pining brings up the question of whether to use long straight pins that are what I use when I assemble the patterns for piecing, or safety pins. I have used safety pins for some of the work and it has been ok. The straight pins seem to occasionally fall out when handling the larger quilts, thereby allowing shifting potential. I guess it all boils down to whatever works for you in your own application. The same is true about woodworking, needlepoint, and probably any number of other skill based activities. There was a long thread relating to whether you should "lick" the thread before insertion of the thread into the needle on one of the needlepoint forums that I used to frequent, with lots of vitriolic posting back and forth between opposing groups of people as to the correct method. I just had to laugh. I thought only Guys got into pissing contests over the correct way to do anything. The gals seem to be just as rigid about some things. It is just a part of human nature to favor a particular approach and defend that choice.

John

John wrote:

Reply to
John

Cool little gadget there. I'll have to get one for me and one for my mom. Debra in VA See my quilts at

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Reply to
Debra

I used 1" curved safety pins.

Actually, we're not that rigid. The fact is that you get as many different responses as people respond, but there is no quilt police, and whatever works for _you_, that's what you should use.

In basting, for example, I've tried thread basting and it takes me too much time. I've used straight safety pins, and did not like how difficult it was for _me_ to use, and when I discovered curved safety pins, that was da bomb and the search was over. When we state what we do and why, that's just explaining the reason, not a defense.

You will find your own best way!

-- Anita --

Reply to
Irrational Number

I tried using straight pins *once* after being treated like a pincushion by the pins during the quilting I changed to straight smaller safety pins as they are a lot less painful to quilt with I use a blunt kiddie "serrated" knife to close my pins so don't get hand pain from closing them either :-)

most of us prefer quilting to flaming, it saves time on sewing up asbestos undies

Reply to
Jessamy

Howdy!

LOL!!!

Pissing contests? About quilting? You're new here, John; just you wait.

To wash or not wash fabric before you sew with it. To use a hoop or not when handquilting. To use pins or thread or tacks when basting. To cut the fabric "scraps" into smaller pieces or not before storing it. To hand or machine quilt. To tie or quilt. To buy extra fabric or just exactly what's called for in the pattern. To use all that's in the stash (for those w/ a stash) or to buy more when you see something you like. To buy fat quarters or yardage. To breast or bottle feed-- yeah, well, it was one of the BIG contests more than once. To use straight pins or safety pins while basting-- that's an easy one, esp. when it comes down to a decision about blood. Straight pins will poke you, those sharp points will draw blood. Safety pins, when closed, will (usually) stay in the quilt until you're ready to take them out. There are some tools to help w/ closing the pins, including my favorite, the Kwik Klip:

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a grapefruit spool (serrated edge helps grip the pin), both of whichwill nudge the pin off the surface so you can clip it closed. When I'm quilting (by hand, 'cause that's what I do) I remove the pinsas I'm putting the hoop over the quilt; pins don't get smooshed insidethe hoop (could tear the fabric, leave big holes, come unclipped and stickme and draw blood) and pins don't end up inside the circle I'm quilting(thread will snag around a pin & never come undone--don't ask me for proof). I think the general rule of experience has been that once you tryquilting w/ straight-pin-basting you'll never do it again. ;-D I use both the "regular" size safety pins and the bigs ones (for foldingthe borders over to keep the edges intact), 1000s of them. Usually havemore than one quilt basted at a time, the one I'm working on and the nextone (I don't make UFOs). Good luck!

Ragmop/Sandy -- "go with what works for you: it's just quilting!" --Mary Ellen Hopkins p.s. lick the thread? ewwww-ick! not w/ a good quilting thread

On 1/21/07 8:14 AM, in article snipped-for-privacy@q2g2000cwa.googlegroups.com, "John" wrote:

Reply to
Sandy Ellison

(snip)

How do you breast feed (or bottle feed for that matter) a quilt? ;-P

Mine never cry, so I've never considered feeding them. Do you get more quilts if you feed them? Or do they just turn into surly teenagers?

Reply to
Kathy Applebaum

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