Basting

I've just cut a batting for a lap quilt, and as I always do for this I
used a king-size bed as the cutting surface (no sheet and very taut
mattress cover, and no bits to adhere like the carpet and I can stand-up
afterwards).

It suddenly struck me that this would be an ideal basting table as I use
the little gun tacks rather than pins or thread. I can lay the quilt out
flat with all of it on the 'table', can pin taut very easily and really
see what I'm doing - this time an added bonus as my backing hasn't got
quite the amount spare round the edges I usually like. I use a little
plastic grid thingy to raise the piece being shot off the surface. I
wonder if you could use a big bed surface for the other methods if you
slide a large cutting board to make a firm surface to pin onto.

Not recommended for a water bed!
--
Sally at the Seaside ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~uk
http://picasaweb.google.com/SallySeaside
cutting

On Jul 18, 3:26*am, Sally Swindells
wrote:
I've just cut a batting for a lap quilt, and as I always do for this I
used a king-size bed as the cutting surface (no sheet and very taut
mattress cover, and no bits to adhere like the carpet and I can stand-up
afterwards). ...snipped...... I
wonder if you could use a big bed surface for the other methods if you
slide a large cutting board to make a firm surface to pin onto.

Not recommended for a water bed!
--
Sally at the Seaside ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ukhttp://picasaweb.google.com/SallySeaside
cutting


I used to do this before I got a kitchen table large enough to use
as my basting surface. I would lay the quilt out on my bed and then
slide my large cutting mat around underneath the quilt to use as a
solid surface when pin basting. NOT a good method if you have a bad
back and bad knees. It hurt my back to lean over and pin bate but it
also ruined my knees if I tried to kneel on the floor -- LOLOL! I was
quite happy when we got a nice rectangular kitchen table and I could
sit in a chair and pin bast my quilts :-))). CiaoMeow ^;;^

PAX, Tia Mary ^;;^

It really worked well. The bed is quite a high one, and I think the
basting gun is probably easier on the muscles and quicker than pins -
one handed and less stooping. I took pictures which show the basting
tacks beautifully!

Having hand pieced the front I will attempt hand quilting - watch this
space in 5+ years' time!

Sally at the Seaside ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~uk
http://picasaweb.google.com/SallySeaside

On 18/07/2011 16:28, Tia Mary wrote:
On Jul 18, 3:26 am, Sally Swindells
wrote:
I've just cut a batting for a lap quilt, and as I always do for this I
used a king-size bed as the cutting surface (no sheet and very taut
mattress cover, and no bits to adhere like the carpet and I can stand-up
afterwards). ...snipped...... I
wonder if you could use a big bed surface for the other methods if you
slide a large cutting board to make a firm surface to pin onto.

Not recommended for a water bed!
--
Sally at the Seaside ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ukhttp://picasaweb.google.com/SallySeaside
cutting


I used to do this before I got a kitchen table large enough to use
as my basting surface. I would lay the quilt out on my bed and then
slide my large cutting mat around underneath the quilt to use as a
solid surface when pin basting. NOT a good method if you have a bad
back and bad knees. It hurt my back to lean over and pin bate but it
also ruined my knees if I tried to kneel on the floor -- LOLOL! I was
quite happy when we got a nice rectangular kitchen table and I could
sit in a chair and pin bast my quilts :-))). CiaoMeow^;;^

PAX, Tia Mary^;;^