15 Techniques Any Quilter Should Know – TUTORIAL #2

How do you baste your quilts?

When I basted my first large bed quilt 23 years ago, as a complete newbie, it was nothing short of a nightmare! I engaged almost my entire family—two sisters and even my husband—to help. It turned into one of the most stressful experiences of my early quilting years.

We did the job on a small table with nothing but pins—no clamps, spray, or extra tools. Looking back, it felt downright traumatic! If you’ve been a beginner, trying to figure it all out on your own with no guidance (and no tools), you’ve probably felt the same way.

But here’s the good news: things have come a long way since then. There are easy ways to baste big quilts! That’s why I’m so excited to share with you a brilliant technique for basting large quilts that’s a total game-changer.

ONE MORE THING! IMPORTANT!
Actually, I used this technique not because the quilt was large (I made two, and they measure about 65” x 75”), but because I wanted an easy way to keep the design of the quilt straight and accurate.

This is the design: the blocks in each row must stay aligned with the blocks in the other rows. Additionally, the narrow sashings between the rows need to remain perfectly straight.

NOTE
THE PATH TO SUCCESS begins with these steps: thoroughly starch the fabric before starting your quilt then piece the quilt as accurate as you can.

Ready to learn how this technique works?

Here is what you need:

1. A large, hard floor space.
   Don’t have one at home? No problem! Borrow some space from a friend or family member. I’ve done this a few times—packed everything into the car and headed to a sister’s house or a friend’s place. It’s a simple solution that works perfectly!
2. A cardboard tube: Ideally, it should be as long as the quilt, but a slightly shorter one will also work. You can find such tubes at fabric stores, as fabrics are often rolled on them. Some stores might even give you one for free. The larger the diameter, the better.
   If you don’t have a cardboard tube, you can use pool noodles as a substitute.
3. A Tool with a Long, Straight Edge: I use an aluminum strip I bought from the hardware store. It is very long – about 2 meters (6.5 feet), has no markings and it is perfect for this job.
4. A Temporary Adhesive Spray.
   While working on this step, open the windows and keep children and pets out of the room!

STEPS for the basting process

1. Prepare the backing fabric
 Press the backing fabric and tape it, wrong side up, onto the floor using masking tape.

2. Lay the batting over the backing and smooth it out.

3. Roll half of the batting onto the tube as shown below, from one edge to the center.
Spray adhesive basting spray on a few inches (8-10 inches) of the backing fabric in front of the tube.
Spray the small section of batting exposed on the tube as well.
Carefully unroll the sprayed batting, pressing it down with your hands to smooth out any wrinkles. Repeat until the entire batting is unrolled from the tube.

4. Roll the other half of the batting onto the tube and repeat the process.

5. Mark alignment lines
Once the batting is securely glued in place, draw two perpendicular lines along two edges of the batting (see the red marking lines below).
Use a square or rectangular ruler to ensure a 90-degree angle between lines.

6. Place the quilt top on the batting
Lay the quilt top onto the batting. Align two of its edges with the lines you drew on the batting in the previous step (see the red arrows). If necessary, use a few pins to keep the edges aligned with the lines.

7. Check and adjust the design
Make sure you keep the quilt top as straight as possible. Check the alignments of the blocks, make sure the edges of the rows are straight… keep the 90-degree angles accurate…This all depends on your design, in the picture above you see what I did for my design.

Use the tool with the long edge to verify these alignments and make adjustments as needed.
Take your time to complete this step as accurately as possible. If you used starched fabric, this step will be easier.

8. Glue the quilt top to the batting
Once the top is perfectly aligned on the batting, remove any pins you used. Carefully roll half of the quilt top onto the tube as shown below.
Glue the quilt top to the batting in small sections (8-10 inches) at a time, just as you did when attaching the batting to the backing.

Repeat with the other half of the quilt top.

This step is the easiest of all, I promise!

By following these steps, you can ensure a neatly basted quilt ready for quilting!

I’m sure many of you are familiar with this technique, though you might not use it very often! I usually have helping hands around, that’s the reason I haven’t relied on it much myself. However, after this great experience, I’m certain I’ll be using it more frequently! How about you??

I am in love with this new pattern!

Happy sewing!