keeping it flat (again)

Please help me!! my main quilting problem is keeping the stupid thing flat
while I baste it. I seem to be completely unable to get the backing, batting
and top all nice and smooth and wrinkle free. I have just spent more of the
afternoon basting and re-basting a lap quilt and I'm still not happy that
it's 100%.

So tips. Experienced quilters please walk me through step by step *exactly*
what you do and how you keep evetything smooth. I've seen people using
frames, bit mystified by them. How do they work, where do you get them and
are they expensive?

morag

On Mon, 20 Aug 2007 16:21:07 +0100, "Morag in Scotland"
wrote:

Please help me!! my main quilting problem is keeping the stupid thing flat
while I baste it. I seem to be completely unable to get the backing, batting
and top all nice and smooth and wrinkle free. I have just spent more of the
afternoon basting and re-basting a lap quilt and I'm still not happy that
it's 100%.

So tips. Experienced quilters please walk me through step by step *exactly*
what you do and how you keep evetything smooth. I've seen people using
frames, bit mystified by them. How do they work, where do you get them and
are they expensive?

I'm just a beginner myself, and maybe my flatness standards are not as
high as yours. But here is what I do.

I iron the back and the top. More than once. I go to work where they
have big conference tables and masking-tape the back to the table. I
usually take several tries at it before it's all lying flat. I smooth
the batting out on the back. Then I put the top on, smooth it out
from the centre, and use safety pins. I start pinning at the middle,
and work outwards about a fist-width apart.

I don't close any of the pins until I've undone the masking tape,
flipped the thing over, and checked out the back. If there are
wrinkles or big puckers, I do part of it over.

What basting method are you using?

Louise, in Kingston Ontario

Morag in Scotland wrote:
Please help me!! my main quilting problem is keeping the stupid thing
flat while I baste it. I seem to be completely unable to get the
backing, batting and top all nice and smooth and wrinkle free. I have
just spent more of the afternoon basting and re-basting a lap quilt and
I'm still not happy that it's 100%.

So tips. Experienced quilters please walk me through step by step
*exactly* what you do and how you keep evetything smooth. I've seen
people using frames, bit mystified by them. How do they work, where do
you get them and are they expensive?

morag

Morag,

This is what I do, it works for me.


(1) press the backing
(2) lay the backing on a table, fasten the sides (or top/bottom) to
table using big bulldog type clips - if the quilt is small, I use lots
of pieces of masking tape instead. I make sure it is taught but not
stretched.
(3) spread the batting on top - and fasten it by including in the clips,
or using more tape - don't let the backing slip.
(4) press the top - I usually do this much sooner, but then fold it
until ready to baste, so I give it another quick trip to the ironing
board just to be sure it is flat.
(5) lay the top on top of the batting. I start by laying it out loosely,
then making sure the it is centred, then I flatten it out. I start from
the middle and gradually make it lie flat and smooth in all directions.
I also try to make sure that any straight sewing lines (like sashing and
borders) look straight. Fasten the top with the clips/more tape.
(6) baste - I use little curved safety pins (for machine quilting). I
put one in the middle, then go straight to each side + top/bottom. The I
go back to the middle and go out towards the corners. Then I fill in,
again going from the middle out. I try to get the safety pins quite
close together (about a fist in distance). I also try to avoid the spots
where I planned my quilting (if I did).
(7) Now go back and close the safety pins!
(8) Remove clips/tape.
(9) Turn the quilt-to-be over and run your hands over it, all over it.
Check that it is smooth, there should be no sensation of little folds
when you do this - go in all directions across the quilt.

(9b) If there are little tucks near the edges, I usually just sort them
without re-doing the whole clips/tape thing, but I have been known to
just take the whole basting apart because it was no good.


This works for me - I think it is crucial to check the basting before
beginning to quilt :-)

Hanne in London

In article ,
"Morag in Scotland" wrote:

Please help me!! my main quilting problem is keeping the stupid thing flat
while I baste it. I seem to be completely unable to get the backing, batting
and top all nice and smooth and wrinkle free. I have just spent more of the
afternoon basting and re-basting a lap quilt and I'm still not happy that
it's 100%.

So tips. Experienced quilters please walk me through step by step *exactly*
what you do and how you keep evetything smooth. I've seen people using
frames, bit mystified by them. How do they work, where do you get them and
are they expensive?

morag


Morag, I don't know about the frames, since I don't use one. But I
follow the directions -- generally speaking G -- that Harriet Hargrave
gives in her book. My table is too thick to be able to use the bulldog
clips most people can use, so I use those clips you can get to hold down
a picnic tablecloth so the wind won't blow it away. I use those on at
least two sides of the table, depending on how large the quilt is.

1. spread out the backing and clamp it firmly to the table. If the quilt
is too small to clamp on all sides, clamp two sides and tape (duct tape
works better for me than masking tape) the other two. The backing should
be smooth and sort of taut, but not stretched.

2. lay out the batting on top of the backing. Smooth it carefully to
avoid having tucks. I don't generally tape/clamp this, since it will
cling to the backing (that's because I use cotton batting -- a different
kind would call for different measures).

3. smooth the top onto the backing. I use a laser level square (thanks
for the idea, Kathy A!) to make sure that all of my seams are lying
straight. Smooth some more. Clamp and/or tape the top to the table.

4. pin baste. I use a Kwik Klip to try to save my fingers, and I close
the pins as I go -- I've found unclosed pins the hard way a few times,
so I don't go back to do this any longer. G

5. remove all the tape and clamps, inspect the back for accidental
boo-boos (did you get the backing under the whole back?, etc.), and
begin quilting.

HTH!
--
Sandy in Henderson, near Las Vegas
sfoster 1 (at) earthlink (dot) net (remove/change the obvious)
http://www.sandymike.net

On Aug 20, 10:45 am, Hanne Gottliebsen wrote:
Morag in Scotland wrote:
Please help me!! my main quilting problem is keeping the stupid thing
flat while I baste it. I seem to be completely unable to get the
backing, batting and top all nice and smooth and wrinkle free. I have
just spent more of the afternoon basting and re-basting a lap quilt and
I'm still not happy that it's 100%.

So tips. Experienced quilters please walk me through step by step
*exactly* what you do and how you keep evetything smooth. I've seen
people using frames, bit mystified by them. How do they work, where do
you get them and are they expensive?

morag

Morag,

This is what I do, it works for me.

(1) press the backing
(2) lay the backing on a table, fasten the sides (or top/bottom) to
table using big bulldog type clips - if the quilt is small, I use lots
of pieces of masking tape instead. I make sure it is taught but not
stretched.
(3) spread the batting on top - and fasten it by including in the clips,
or using more tape - don't let the backing slip.
(4) press the top - I usually do this much sooner, but then fold it
until ready to baste, so I give it another quick trip to the ironing
board just to be sure it is flat.
(5) lay the top on top of the batting. I start by laying it out loosely,
then making sure the it is centred, then I flatten it out. I start from
the middle and gradually make it lie flat and smooth in all directions.
I also try to make sure that any straight sewing lines (like sashing and
borders) look straight. Fasten the top with the clips/more tape.
(6) baste - I use little curved safety pins (for machine quilting). I
put one in the middle, then go straight to each side + top/bottom. The I
go back to the middle and go out towards the corners. Then I fill in,
again going from the middle out. I try to get the safety pins quite
close together (about a fist in distance). I also try to avoid the spots
where I planned my quilting (if I did).
(7) Now go back and close the safety pins!
(8) Remove clips/tape.
(9) Turn the quilt-to-be over and run your hands over it, all over it.
Check that it is smooth, there should be no sensation of little folds
when you do this - go in all directions across the quilt.

(9b) If there are little tucks near the edges, I usually just sort them
without re-doing the whole clips/tape thing, but I have been known to
just take the whole basting apart because it was no good.

This works for me - I think it is crucial to check the basting before
beginning to quilt :-)

Hanne in London

I'm still a beginner but have had a couple of lap quilts lay flat for
machine quilting by using basting spray.

1. Lay the batting on a large enough flat surface and get the batting
really smoothed out.

2. Spay the batting with basting spray making sure there is plently of
spray near the edges

3. Wait the recommended five minutes and get someone to help you
carefully place the quilt back finished side up on the batting. I
usually mark center lines along the edge of the batting and fold the
quilt back in half before laying it on the batting. It usually takes
two or three tries to get the quilt back and batting really smooth.

4. Turn the smoothed out backing/batting sandwich over and spray the
batting.

5. Repeat "Step 3" with the quilt top making sure to match the center
fold of the quilt top matches up with the center line marks so the top
and backing are square.

Keep in mind the above was written by a real novice.

Jerry in North Alabama
http://community.webshots.com/user/MaleQuilter

What basting method are you using?


I think where I've been going wrong is not either taping the backing to the
floor or clamping it to table. It tends to slip and slide around which I
think is causing most of my problems. I am basting using large tacking
stitches radiating out from the centre of the quilt, I had never thought
about using pins. My first thought abuot safety pins is getting ones large
enough to go through the three layers.

morag

I am also a fan of basting spray, but my method is a bit different, and
seems to work more easily. VBG I do most of my quilts this way, and
can usually do them all by myself.
First, I do have a 6' table with the legs that fold up for storage. I
usually do this outside on a nice day. I also have extenders for the
legs, pieces of PVC that are all cut to the same length that the bottom
of the table legs fit into. This raises the table to not quite waist
high, which saves my back. G

I layer all three layers, backing, batting and top together. Make sure
everything is centered and there is a bit of excess batting and backing
on all sides of the top. I even hold up and "shake" the layered set to
be sure of removing big wrinkles (on smaller quilts).

Lay sandwich on table, so that the center is sort of at one edge of the
table. For large quilts, I may need to put a smaller table on one side
to help support the quilt.
Carefully pull back the top layer, about half way. Spray the batting
that is now exposed.
Now the tricky part..... reach under the folded over part of the top
layer and start smoothing onto the sprayed batting. Smooth from center
to ends, and carefully "roll" the wrong side onto the batting. It takes
a bit of practice, but since you know that everything was okay to begin
with, it goes fairly quickly. As you smooth make sure that no tucks form
in the part you are smoothing or the batting. (Cotton batting very
seldom shifts at all, polyester batting can move and form pleats under
the fabric as you smooth.)
When that half is done, repeat with the other half. Then flip the whole
thing over and do it all again with the other side.
Just an additional comment, I find that since everything is "glued"
together, I don't need quite as much extra batting/batting as is often
recommended. Usually I pretty much start with one corner, leaving an
inch or so of batting/backing around the top. Then can trim after I have
spray basted. Again leaving about an inch or so around.
Using this method it is also a lot easier to center a "planned" back on
a quilt. G

Have fun,
Pati, in Phx

MaleQuilter wrote:
I'm still a beginner but have had a couple of lap quilts lay flat for
machine quilting by using basting spray.

1. Lay the batting on a large enough flat surface and get the batting
really smoothed out.

2. Spay the batting with basting spray making sure there is plently of
spray near the edges

3. Wait the recommended five minutes and get someone to help you
carefully place the quilt back finished side up on the batting. I
usually mark center lines along the edge of the batting and fold the
quilt back in half before laying it on the batting. It usually takes
two or three tries to get the quilt back and batting really smooth.

4. Turn the smoothed out backing/batting sandwich over and spray the
batting.

5. Repeat "Step 3" with the quilt top making sure to match the center
fold of the quilt top matches up with the center line marks so the top
and backing are square.

Keep in mind the above was written by a real novice.

Jerry in North Alabama
http://community.webshots.com/user/MaleQuilter

I think where I've been going wrong is not either taping the backing to
the floor or clamping it to table. It tends to slip and slide around
which I think is causing most of my problems. I am basting using large
tacking stitches radiating out from the centre of the quilt, I had never
thought about using pins. My first thought abuot safety pins is getting
ones large enough to go through the three layers.

hand quilters seem to prefer thread basting so the quilt can be put
easily into a hoop, personally I wouldn't want to hand baste a quilt for
machine quilting, if there is a thread lurking around, the needle always
seems to end up going through it which makes for tricky removal.

Safety bins really need to be sharp rather than big, I have some curved
ones about an inch long which are fine, when I needed some more, I
bought small, straight ones, because you got more in a pack, they are
sharp and seem to go through and close with no problems.

I second the recommendation of taping the backing and batting to the
floor or table.

Cheers
Anne

On Mon, 20 Aug 2007 18:21:41 +0100, "Morag in Scotland"
wrote:



What basting method are you using?


I think where I've been going wrong is not either taping the backing to the
floor or clamping it to table. It tends to slip and slide around which I
think is causing most of my problems. I am basting using large tacking
stitches radiating out from the centre of the quilt, I had never thought
about using pins. My first thought abuot safety pins is getting ones large
enough to go through the three layers.

The safety pins sold for the purpose over here have a curved bottom
side, to make them easier to feed through the three layers and do up
without puckering.

Louise

On Aug 20, 2:21 pm, "Morag in Scotland"
wrote:
What basting method are you using?

I think where I've been going wrong is not either taping the backing to the
floor or clamping it to table. It tends to slip and slide around which I
think is causing most of my problems. I am basting using large tacking
stitches radiating out from the centre of the quilt, I had never thought
about using pins. My first thought abuot safety pins is getting ones large
enough to go through the three layers.

morag

I do prefer thread basting to pins - your fingers are really sore
after using all those pins. Some use a grapefruit spoon to help with
the pinning while clipping and unclipping, but I personally find it a
royal pain. I always start in the middle and baste outward to the
edge - maybe do five or six lines one way, then go over to the
opposite side and do the same, flattening the fabric and giving a bit
of a tug at the edges to make sure it's flat. Then starting in the
middle again, go up for five or six lines, then the opposite end
flattening all the way. I just keep basting this way till the whole
quilt is done. Some people will baste the diagonal too, but I've
never found that I've had to do this as long as I'm vigilant about
smoothing as I go each direction. You can buy old cheap thread -
never coloured, just beige or white, in bins at craft stores and
there's no guilt trip when you're at the stage of pulling it all out
and throwing it away. Just my method and it works for me. Good luck.

Sharon (N.B.)