Basting a quilt

My absolute, hands down, NON favorite part of our favorite activity is
basting. I will finish a top and leave it for years and years, just
because I HATE to get down on the kitchen floor and stick stupid
safety pins all over the quilt and then fasten them and then unfasten
them again when I want to quilt. Yuck!

I don't know who posted a link to these videos; don't remember if it
was here or over on FaceBook. Whoever it was, thank you, thank you,
thank you! I just basted a 65" x 65" quilt in about 2 hours -- on the
dining room table -- no sore knees, no sore fingers, no sore back.

part 1 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhwNylePFAA
part 2 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_EjBGz5vGQ

Bye now. I am off to rummage in the sewing room closet to pull out all
those poor languishing UFOs. Yahoo!

Rose in CA

Excellent videos! However, I NEVER starch backing, or any part of a
quilt, for that matter. I do my stitching by hand, and find that
sizing and starch make it very uncomfortable -- and pre-wash all
fabrics just to get that stuff GONE!

I always baste, and do so rather closely, but stay off the floor,
which is a royal pain in the you-know-what. So, for any quilt larger
than a lap quilt I pick up the phone and call my local church to find
out when it would be convenient for me to come in and use the huge
tables they have in one of the activity rooms. They're very nice
about it, and will even have the custodian shove them together for me,
so I have a large, smooth, raised surface to use. Another benefit of
doing my sandwich-assembly and basting at the church is that I don't
have a cat or a dog "helping" me.

I watched someone baste a quilt recently . . . just for a while. Decided
going home and scrubbing toilets was a better pastime. First she tightly
taped down the backing. Then she laid the batting over it and sorta
smoothed it out. Next she put the top over all. Beginning in the center
and patting out the puffs began pinning. In a sort of circle with pins
about 3" apart.
All this for a quilt she was going to birth.
Hundreds of pins that would have to be removed before she could turn it.
A backing that was pulled so tightly that it was just bound to spring when
the pins were removed.
I tried to intervene. She said, "this is the way I was taught to do it"
as if any suggestions I had to offer would be insipid.
As gracefully as I could, I backed up and tip-toped away.
In the words of Kenny Rogers: know when to hold 'em, know when to fold
'em, know when to walk away and
know when to RUN. Polly



"Rose in CA" wrote in message
...
My absolute, hands down, NON favorite part of our favorite activity is
basting. I will finish a top and leave it for years and years, just
because I HATE to get down on the kitchen floor and stick stupid
safety pins all over the quilt and then fasten them and then unfasten
them again when I want to quilt. Yuck!

I don't know who posted a link to these videos; don't remember if it
was here or over on FaceBook. Whoever it was, thank you, thank you,
thank you! I just basted a 65" x 65" quilt in about 2 hours -- on the
dining room table -- no sore knees, no sore fingers, no sore back.

part 1 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhwNylePFAA
part 2 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_EjBGz5vGQ

Bye now. I am off to rummage in the sewing room closet to pull out all
those poor languishing UFOs. Yahoo!

Rose in CA

Den 03-12-2011 23:55, Rose in CA skrev:
My absolute, hands down, NON favorite part of our favorite activity is
basting. I will finish a top and leave it for years and years, just
because I HATE to get down on the kitchen floor and stick stupid
safety pins all over the quilt and then fasten them and then unfasten
them again when I want to quilt. Yuck!

I don't know who posted a link to these videos; don't remember if it
was here or over on FaceBook. Whoever it was, thank you, thank you,
thank you! I just basted a 65" x 65" quilt in about 2 hours -- on the
dining room table -- no sore knees, no sore fingers, no sore back.

part 1 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhwNylePFAA
part 2 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_EjBGz5vGQ

Bye now. I am off to rummage in the sewing room closet to pull out all
those poor languishing UFOs. Yahoo!

Rose in CA

I forgot about this! Thanks!

But how does it work if the quilt is wider than your table is long?
Won't the ends just flop around and pull the backing/top of the board?

Hanne in DK

I watched the videos and promptly saved them in my favorites playlist.
It looks great and I will definitely try it the next time I have a
quilt big enough; lately all I'm doing is samplers and they get
quilted square by square. I imagine that this can be used if the quilt
is larger than your table; all you'd have to do is roll everything
onto the boards on the flooor and then you can sit at your table and
move it around as needed... I like what I saw and will certainly try
it. It makes sense to me. Thank you for posting this!

Claudia

"Polly Esther" wrote in message
...
I watched someone baste a quilt recently . . . just for a while. Decided
going home and scrubbing toilets was a better pastime. First she tightly
taped down the backing. Then she laid the batting over it and sorta
smoothed it out. Next she put the top over all. Beginning in the center
and patting out the puffs began pinning. In a sort of circle with pins
about 3" apart.
All this for a quilt she was going to birth.
Hundreds of pins that would have to be removed before she could turn
it. A backing that was pulled so tightly that it was just bound to spring
when the pins were removed.
I tried to intervene. She said, "this is the way I was taught to do it"
as if any suggestions I had to offer would be insipid.
As gracefully as I could, I backed up and tip-toped away.
In the words of Kenny Rogers: know when to hold 'em, know when to fold
'em, know when to walk away and
know when to RUN. Polly


Oh my! Poor stubborn woman! I make mostly quillows that are all birthed.
My table is smaller all around than the quillows (was she doing it on the
floor?!) I do mine on a table that's smaller in all directions than most of
my quillows, using clamps for the batting and backing, and just laying the
top, wrong side up, on top. Pin down the center to anchor layers. Unclamp.
Shift, pulling one edge onto the table top. Clamp here or there. Pin edges
(using safety pins, not straight pins, the way Eleanor Burns told me,
ouch!), tugging the backing from the center pins to avoid tucks. Unclamp,
move a new section of edge into place. Repeat until it's all pinned.
Pretty quick when you get a lot of practice. Just don't forget to slide the
pillow top part in there before you sew it all together.

The sad part for me (and especially for her!!!) is that after you pin and
sew it together, you have to turn it (not hard) and then pin again, all
over, so you can quilt it! But she does that "pin the whole thing" twice.
TWICE!

Ay ay ay!

Iris (As a point of interest, I've recently pinned a King Size quilt, not
birthed, on the same table (about 34" by 58" inches, I think), just by doing
the pin and move thing. No tucks either! I haven't been on the floor in
years - the knees say "No way!")

Well now, if I had to hand baste, mine would never get done! Love my
little brass safety pins, and they are reusable. And I wouldn't dream
of basting on the floor.
Roberta in D

On Sat, 3 Dec 2011 14:55:36 -0800 (PST), Rose in CA
wrote:

My absolute, hands down, NON favorite part of our favorite activity is
basting. I will finish a top and leave it for years and years, just
because I HATE to get down on the kitchen floor and stick stupid
safety pins all over the quilt and then fasten them and then unfasten
them again when I want to quilt. Yuck!

I don't know who posted a link to these videos; don't remember if it
was here or over on FaceBook. Whoever it was, thank you, thank you,
thank you! I just basted a 65" x 65" quilt in about 2 hours -- on the
dining room table -- no sore knees, no sore fingers, no sore back.

part 1 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhwNylePFAA
part 2 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_EjBGz5vGQ

Bye now. I am off to rummage in the sewing room closet to pull out all
those poor languishing UFOs. Yahoo!

Rose in CA

Ay ay ay!

Iris (As a point of interest, I've recently pinned a King Size quilt, not
birthed, on the same table (about 34" by 58" inches, I think), just by doing
the pin and move thing. No tucks either! I haven't been on the floor in
years - the knees say "No way!")



Never did anything that big, but my dining table is 30" by 45" and I
clip too, and it works fine! Never had a pucker since about quilt no 3
(when I used to stretch the back too much, I think, now I don't sweat it
all so much, and that works better).

Hanne in DK

Same here I would never think of basting on the floor - it would take
me forever to get back up LOL.

For wall size and larger quilts, I get out my 36x60 Cardboard Pattern
Sewing Cutting Board and, using extra-large metal binder clips from
Staples, secure the board to my dining room table, clamping all
around the edges. With one leaf inserted, the table is the perfect
size for the board and the board protects the table from the pins.
There's lots of room to maneuver without bending over and I can reach
the middle easily. I also use this set up for cutting fabric as it
gives me lots of room for laying out fabric and sewing patterns.

So far I've basted up to a double-size quilt this way. I recently
finished my first queen size top and that's how I'll be basting it,
too.

-Irene

On Sun, 04 Dec 2011 14:53:21 +0100, Roberta Roberta@Home wrote:

Well now, if I had to hand baste, mine would never get done! Love my
little brass safety pins, and they are reusable. And I wouldn't dream
of basting on the floor.
Roberta in D

On Sat, 3 Dec 2011 14:55:36 -0800 (PST), Rose in CA
wrote:

My absolute, hands down, NON favorite part of our favorite activity is
basting. I will finish a top and leave it for years and years, just
because I HATE to get down on the kitchen floor and stick stupid
safety pins all over the quilt and then fasten them and then unfasten
them again when I want to quilt. Yuck!

I don't know who posted a link to these videos; don't remember if it
was here or over on FaceBook. Whoever it was, thank you, thank you,
thank you! I just basted a 65" x 65" quilt in about 2 hours -- on the
dining room table -- no sore knees, no sore fingers, no sore back.

part 1 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhwNylePFAA
part 2 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_EjBGz5vGQ

Bye now. I am off to rummage in the sewing room closet to pull out all
those poor languishing UFOs. Yahoo!

Rose in CA

Anything big I now just rent a long-arm for $20 an hour. It's worth it to
me not to have to baste or anything for something twin or bigger. I did two
twin-plus quilts in about three hours. Anything about a yard square, I do
on my fold-down cutting table and pin or thread baste. I hate removing pins
though when I get in the "groove" of machine quilting at home. Anything in
between, I'm waiting to try this method to see how it works.

I've saved them in my video downloads. At the moment I am finishing
hand-quilting a hawaiian pattern that is about a yard square. The inside is
done, now I have the outside parts to finish. I've had lots of time to work
on it, but that is for an off-topic post.

Steven, who has survived the winds of last night with only a gate blown down
Alaska


"Rose in CA" wrote in message
...
My absolute, hands down, NON favorite part of our favorite activity is
basting. I will finish a top and leave it for years and years, just
because I HATE to get down on the kitchen floor and stick stupid
safety pins all over the quilt and then fasten them and then unfasten
them again when I want to quilt. Yuck!

I don't know who posted a link to these videos; don't remember if it
was here or over on FaceBook. Whoever it was, thank you, thank you,
thank you! I just basted a 65" x 65" quilt in about 2 hours -- on the
dining room table -- no sore knees, no sore fingers, no sore back.

part 1 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhwNylePFAA
part 2 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_EjBGz5vGQ

Bye now. I am off to rummage in the sewing room closet to pull out all
those poor languishing UFOs. Yahoo!

Rose in CA