Aaaarrrrgh!

I just spent the entire 3-day weekend pin basting a batik quilt. My fingers
at the moment look like raw meat. I had to go buy more pins twice---
finished up that pinning just a few minutes ago. Took the sandwhich off the
table and, despite all the smoothing and clamping I did as I went along,
there is a long pleat down the center of the back!!!!

Pretty frustrating way to start the day, and I haven't even been to work yet!

Maureen

{{{{hugs}}}}

Karen, Queen of Squishies


I just spent the entire 3-day weekend pin basting a batik quilt. My
fingers
at the moment look like raw meat. I had to go buy more pins twice---
finished up that pinning just a few minutes ago. Took the sandwhich off
the
table and, despite all the smoothing and clamping I did as I went along,
there is a long pleat down the center of the back!!!!

Pretty frustrating way to start the day, and I haven't even been to work
yet!

Maureen

That's horrible! And there apparently is no easy way to fix it. How
sad, how infuriating, how disheartening! And no matter how careful
you are, those things happen, almost as surely as an open-face peanut
butter sandwich lands peanut butter side down on the floor. My
sympathies to you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As to avoiding the mess, I remember an elderly friend who after many,
many quilts said she figured out a way to avoid it most times, and and
she decided that most of the time was better than nothing . . . .
Anyhow, she kept an old yard stick on hand that was actually 4' long
(does that make it a 1 1/3 yard stick? is there a name for a 4' yard
stick???). When she was finished laying out the sandwich and pinning
it from the center out to the edges, she very carefully put the
yardstick under the edge, inched it toward the center, and then moved
it side to side, and "felt" for any resistance. Then she kept going
all around the quilt checking for any area that "felt" different from
her end of the yard stick. Only then would she begin basting, and she
used giant stitches -- about 8" -- from the center out to the edges,
and then a smaller stitch -- about 4" -- around the edges. When that
was finished she very loosely rolled the quilt, unrolled it showing
the backing side up, and if all was good she re-rolled, unrolled with
the front side up, did the yardstick probing one more time, and only
then did her regular basting. The pins came out only when the regular
basting was in progress.

I have other friends who go to their churches, shove tables together
in the community or all-purpose rooms, get out the masking tape, and
literally tape the backing to the table tops as the first step in
making their sandwiches. They say it makes a huge difference for them
in avoiding shifting fabric, and gets the sandwich up to a comfortable
height to pin and then baste. Since the entire process takes the
better part of the day, they call the church office to choose a time
when nobody wants to use or move the tables.

I have decided that for my next large quilt, I will make the sandwich
upside down, so that the backing is what shows. My theory is that a
pieced top has a better chance of staying put, as will the batting
since it "sticks" to all the piecing seams, but that the lighter
weight backing is what is most likely to shift. And I always hope no
friend ever stops by to laugh while I'm doing a sandwich on the floor,
but when I get the sandwich laid out, before I add any pins I open a
new case of soda pop in cans and use them as weights, which I believe
(but cannot prove) helps hold everything in place while I do the
initial pinning.

gosh Maureen. Perhaps you'd like me to finish the quilt for you?

Musicmaker

........a batik quilt?............. you are TOO eager!

Karen, Queen of Squishies


gosh Maureen. Perhaps you'd like me to finish the quilt for you?

Musicmaker

In article l.net,
Maureen Wozniak wrote:

I just spent the entire 3-day weekend pin basting a batik quilt. My fingers
at the moment look like raw meat. I had to go buy more pins twice---
finished up that pinning just a few minutes ago. Took the sandwhich off the
table and, despite all the smoothing and clamping I did as I went along,
there is a long pleat down the center of the back!!!!

Pretty frustrating way to start the day, and I haven't even been to work yet!

Maureen


Oh, Maureen, how frustrating! Can you unpin just half of the quilt and
redo that half after smoothing out the pleat?

--
Sandy in Henderson, near Las Vegas
sw.foster1 (at) gmail (dot) com (remove/change the obvious)
http://www.sandymike.net

Maureen Wozniak wrote:
I just spent the entire 3-day weekend pin basting a batik quilt. My fingers
at the moment look like raw meat. I had to go buy more pins twice---
finished up that pinning just a few minutes ago. Took the sandwhich off the
table and, despite all the smoothing and clamping I did as I went along,
there is a long pleat down the center of the back!!!!

Pretty frustrating way to start the day, and I haven't even been to work yet!

Maureen

Bums!

((((((Maureen W & Fingers!))))))

--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.katedicey.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

You poor baby. Bless your heart, I'm just so sorry. Gentle hugs and very
sincere sympathy. Polly


"Kate XXXXXX" wrote in message
...
Maureen Wozniak wrote:
I just spent the entire 3-day weekend pin basting a batik quilt. My
fingers at the moment look like raw meat. I had to go buy more pins
twice---
finished up that pinning just a few minutes ago. Took the sandwhich off
the table and, despite all the smoothing and clamping I did as I went
along, there is a long pleat down the center of the back!!!!

Pretty frustrating way to start the day, and I haven't even been to work
yet!

Maureen

Bums!

((((((Maureen W & Fingers!))))))

--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.katedicey.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

Most of us feel your pain Maureen. We've BTDT. Sorry it is your
turn.
TAria

Maureen Wozniak wrote:
I just spent the entire 3-day weekend pin basting a batik quilt. My fingers
at the moment look like raw meat. I had to go buy more pins twice---
finished up that pinning just a few minutes ago. Took the sandwhich off the
table and, despite all the smoothing and clamping I did as I went along,
there is a long pleat down the center of the back!!!!

Pretty frustrating way to start the day, and I haven't even been to work yet!

Maureen

Oh bummer!!! and I guessing that saying "damn" just wasn't strong enough,
ay. I'd come right over and help you re-pin it if I could and we'd have fun
doing it ))
Wendy in Nsw


"Maureen Wozniak" wrote in message
lobal.net...
I just spent the entire 3-day weekend pin basting a batik quilt. My
fingers
at the moment look like raw meat. I had to go buy more pins twice---
finished up that pinning just a few minutes ago. Took the sandwhich off
the
table and, despite all the smoothing and clamping I did as I went along,
there is a long pleat down the center of the back!!!!

Pretty frustrating way to start the day, and I haven't even been to work
yet!

Maureen