To baste or not to baste; that is the question.
(Spray baste, that is.)
Well, that may not be quite what Shakespeare said, but I am curious and hope that you Lilypadquilters will clue me in . . .
I am a member of the spread-my-quilt-on-the-floor-and-pin-it club.
I used to be a charter member of the spread-my-quilt-on-the-floor-and-hand-baste-with-needle-and-thread club.
Been there. Done that. Ready to donate the tee shirt to the local thrift store.
I'm really drawn to the idea of spray basting. Never tried it. Don't know what kind to use. Don't know if it requires any special handling.
Can y'all tell me what YOU do?
Love,
hahaha...you definitely don't want my help with this. I tried to spray baste a small project once and made a huge mess =P
ReplyDeleteI have spray basted some very small quilts, nothing bigger than 36 inches, and they turned out great. I sprayed the stuff in my dining room at the table.
ReplyDeleteI have yet to try a big quilt, like a twin or larger, so I am anxious to see your replies for spray basting large quilts.
I'm not a pro on this but I think spray basting should be reserved for those small projects. You'll never get good coverage on a full size quilt enough to stick. You'll probably have a lot of overspray beyond the quilt. I'd stick with the pins (no pun intended).
ReplyDeleteThere's a video on the The Quilt Life site about spray basting large quilts. I don't have the wall space so I do it on the floor. I don't uses 505, I use Sullivan's. It seems to work best with cotton batting, not poly. I use spray for almost anything smaller than twin size. It's a good idea to put down an old sheet to catch the overspray.
ReplyDeleteI use it all the time on littlle projects, but have't tried it on a larger project. I do use pins, but not many. I just stretch the quilt tight on my plastic frame and that seems to work.
ReplyDeleteLike everyone else, I use it all of the time on small quilts, but would not trust myself with a large one. I'm an on the floor and pin gal too.
ReplyDeleteIt became too painful for me to do the crawl on the floor and pin it thing, so now I use spray basting. I don't do fancy stitching (I leave that to the pros), but when I do straight stitching it works great,even on my twin quilts.
ReplyDeleteI spray baste occassionally, but like to do it outside - I use Sullivans and probably half what they suggest. I hand baste and pin baste - depends on the project - I have a large banquet table or can combine my mother's with mine to work on a queen/king - they are hand basted.
ReplyDeletebefore I got my long arm, I laid it on the floor and safety pinned....
ReplyDeleteI love that you've brought this us! I don't even want to spray starch on my fabrics so I'd never consider spraying glue on them! I'm surprised so many only spray for small projects. I thought those that sprayed, sprayed EVERYTHING. I'm too old to crawl on the floor...never could do that. I use a sheet of inexpensive paneling that I lay on top of a table or even a bed (if it doesn't cause me to have to bend over too far) and pin away. It can even be spun around for convenience without sliding the quilt around too much.
ReplyDeleteSpray baste! I loooove how simple it makes quilting. You can really wrangle your quilt sandwich in the machine too. :)
ReplyDeleteI always pin basted everything until recently when I began spray basting. I love it. I spray outside with my fabric on an old sheet that I can just throw into the wash when I'm finished. I've been afraid to spray inside with all the warnings on the can. I was taking a Craftsy class and learned that you should spray the back side of the fabric (both top and bottom) and not the batting as the batting is too absorbent. I love how you can re-position the fabric many times until you have everything nice and smooth. Another hint I learned is that you should iron both side of your sandwich after you have spray basted everything together. Thanks for bringing up the topic and I look forward to seeing what everybody else thinks of it.
ReplyDeleteI have used the spray a couple of times.....I'm not really happy with it...I needed to have my husband help with the large quilt we had to move furniture around so as not get the over spray on it. Too much trouble... I could have done it by pinning or basting just as easily.
ReplyDeleteI used spray basting to do seven lap quilts for Christmas. Normally I send all my quilts to be quilted by my local long arm quilter but I decided to make these two weeks before christmas. So I knew I would have to do the quilting. It worked really well. I watched a couple of videos on YouTube before I decided how to do it and that was a lot of help. Missouri Star Quilt Store has some awesome tutorials.
ReplyDeleteI spray baste, in little sections. Just a few words of warning, it works really well! Open the windows and iron it afterwards to get it really perfect.
ReplyDeleteI did however decide to spray baste a quick minky and cotton baby blanket and that was a disaster. The fabrics were face to face and when turned and top stitched I've been left with glue everywhere that is still around several washes later.
I do love 505 but keep it on the inside only!
I was a pinner (?!) (after trying fusible batting once) until I saw someone's video on how she spray basted. For my last three I have used her method and it works like a charm. I know some complain about using spray because of their needle but I change my needle regularly so I don't mind. She put the backing on the floor and the batting on top. She folded half of the batting over on itself and sprayed the backing (not the batting) and then smoothed out the batting over the sprayed backing. She repeated for the other side. Then she put the top over the batting and repeated the process. I have had no trouble using this method and it has saved me a lot of time. I do have get out the Swifty mop and go over the floor but it is worth it not to have to sew around pins. I just read where Sasha irons hers. I haven't done that.
ReplyDeleteI just spray basted my third quilt. The first time I did it I wasn't really sold, the second and third times though I have fallen in love. What used to take me over an hour to do (pin basting) now takes about 20 min, 30 if you take into account the time I spend mopping my floor to get up the residual sticky mess. The one recommendation I got from a fellow blogging friend was to let the quilt sit for at least 5 hours after spray basting - this helps the glue to set and will prevent gumming up your machine. I use the basting spray from JoAnns, but lots of people I know swear by 505 spray. I haven't bought that because it would require a special trip to a quilt shop that is out of my way and I'm lazy! Good luck making the switch!
ReplyDeleteI spray baste too after watching the Missouri star tutorial. I love it. I like to hang my quilts rather than fold them once they are sandwiched and the spray holds them wonderfully. That is a good thing because I have been waiting for a new sewing machine to quilt them and they have been hanging awhile ;)
ReplyDeleteDefinitely spray baste. It's so easy. I use the spray quite lightly and put pins around the outside to keep the edges in place as they will lift sometimes. I've done some intricate quilting and it stays together.
ReplyDeleteI love spray basting. I've done it with lap quilts. I tape the back down with masking tape, then hand the batting from my clothesline and spray one side. Then smooth it onto the back. Then I take the quilt top outside and spray the wrong side, then smooth it to the batting. I use 505. Supposedly, it will wash out. Be careful of over spray and fumes. That's why I spray it outside. Make sure you spray the edges well. I love it. Wouldn't do it any other way.
ReplyDeleteI've only spray basted once and got some on my carpet, which attracted the dust and looked disgusting.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely spray baste, but on larger quilts I also pin in places to keep it solid as I wrangle it around under the machine. Certainly not nearly as many pins as you would normally need. I've done queen size quilts this way and it works like a charm. As others mention here, use a sheet or old batting at the sides to catch the overspray and either spray outside or make sure of good ventilation. Will have to try ironing it to see if that makes a difference for me.
ReplyDeleteI always used pins to baste my quilts until I recently tried the spray basting method. I have a pinning tutorial posted on my sidebar which will keep your quilts off the floor and will save your knees and back. Maybe it will give you some ideas if you go that route.
ReplyDeleteFor spray basting, I tried techniques shared by Patsy Thompson on You Tube videos. So far, I've only tried this method on lap quilts and it turned out great! The awesome thing with spray basting is how much faster it is to quilt. Hope this helps:)
I used to be an avid spray baster, but have since switched to pins. Hmmm, this post was not much help, was it? Lots of opinions either way!
ReplyDeleteI use Sulky spray baste. I don't spray heavy and I press EVERYTHING - including the batting before spraying to get it absolutely flat. The after everything is sprayed and sandwiched, I press it one more time - front and back. I've quilted 55 x 70 (largest) to 18 square and have had absolutely no issues. The secret is to spray very lightly and to make sure there are no bumps, creases, or wrinkles. I'm doing larger quilts right now - queen size - but quilting in pieces. Not sure I recommend this yet but cheaper to do in house than to send out to long arm quilter. I use them for quilts that are gifts or really big ones (have one out now that is 98 x 112). I quilt a LOT so it is the only way I can make in economical.
ReplyDelete