Let's be real... basting quilts is NOT fun. I spent a couple of years finding a method that made it tolerable for me to complete this necessary task with minimal discomfort. Check out this video where I document my process of basting up to queen size quilts on my 60" x 30" worktable. Here are so

Nope, not a typo (although, I sometimes do get bored while basting, not my favorite part of quilting). I'm constantly looking for new ways to baste a quilt, that doesn't not include getting down on the floor. My knees just can't take it. This technique also allowed me to do this on my dining room table. I have seen this method to baste a quilt on several blogs and I just had to try it. I think it originally was Sharon Schamber's technique, but she hand bastes her quilts. I quilt way to dense to hand baste. So I decided to try using the 1"x3" boards with pin basting. Start with your backing fabric wrong side up on the table. Wrap the fabric around the board. Make sure that you keep both ends even. Smooth out any wrinkles as you go, start in the middle and push the wrinkles to each end. back Top Do the same with the quilt top, but the fabric will be right side up. Now, both the top and the bottom of the quilt are wrapped around the two 1"x3" boards. The back shows the right side of the fabric, the top shows the wrong side. The batting floats between the top and the back. Smooth out any wrinkles and start pin basting. When your done pinning the section on the table, pull in forward and let it hang off of the table and unroll another section of top and back. make sure you smooth it out and feel for any wrinkles. Continue this process until you get to the end of the quilt. Voila'! Your quilt is basted, no kneeling, no finding room to set up 3 or 4 folding tables. So, now I have the third panel of my Elephant quilt basted. Just have to quilt it now. Color Me Quilty! Pat

Baste, Store and Ship Quilts – and More! Creative quilters have developed many uses for inexpensive pool noodles (and pipe insulation – look for either at the hardware, dollar store, Walmart, etc.). You may be surprised how useful they are in the sewing room. The noodles are easy to cut to size with a knife …

Basting is likely my LEAST favorite part of the quilting process. If I understand correctly, I seem to be in good company among other quilters. It’s a bit of a cumbersome task, and it must be…

One of the questions that I am asked most often is about quilt basting. Do you have to use safety pins? No! I hardly ever use pins anymore since I discovered spray basting. It’s faster, easier, no pins get in your way while quilting, and more importantly I think the results are better. This is [...]

Glue basting techniques from Cristy Fincher - tips for basting perfect quilt points, curves and applique using washable glue.

My Farmer’s Wife quilt has now two borders, an 1 inch grey polka dot, and a 4 inch white and light blue stripe. Since I moved in my flat in September, this is the first big quilt I wanted to …

Following some discussion today at the sew-in regarding basting methods for quilts, I thought I would share this video that Cinzia shared wi...

Quilting 101 Basics - free tutorial how to choose batting, baste and stitch the layers of a quilt together. Hand quilting vs. Machine quilting options.

Now that I have a long arm quilting machine, I don't have to baste my quilt before quilting it ... unless I have a small project that I want to quilt on my domestic quilting machine (can't let those skills deteriorate!). I really don't like basting my quilt with pins or hand basting the layers t

Join me in my kitchen as we mix up a batch of affordable, effective homemade spray baste! Plus, a FREE PDF download of the recipe and instructions! (This article contains affiliate links)

Part 1 - Preparing the Shapes Supplies Click to Enlarge single-hole punch tweezers small scissors millners needles straight pins strong cotton thread thread conditioner needle threader? fridge magnet to hold pins and needles cardstock hexagon templates - 1" sides fabric pieces Punching a hole in the center of the cardstock provides a place to pin the fabric without pinning thru the cardstock and makes for easy removal with the tweezers when you are ready to re-use the templates One or two straight pins is sufficient to keep handy A few pre-threaded needles is also handy A needle threader and a mini fridge magnet to keep your pins and needles in place, is optional equipment I prefer a strong, 100% cotton, quality thread. I use a fine, quilters knot for basting and for joining the pieces with an overcast stitch. I always use © Thread Heaven, or you could run your threaded needle thru a new Bounce dryer sheet or use beeswax. Conditioning the thread helps keep the unwanted knots under control. I prefer a longer, thin needle. I figure the smaller the needle, the smaller the hole it puts in the fabric. Unfortunately, the eye to be threaded is usually smaller too. You would use whatever needles you are comfortable with. Pre-assembly: - Basting the Hexagons You will be basting on the backside of the fabric only - on top of the template. You will not be stitching through the cardstock template. Baste a hexagon You will not have to remove the basting thread. It will remain in the backside of the quilt top and serve to hold the seam allowances in place. So use a good quality thread that you want to remain in your heirloom quilt. Begin with a single strand of thread with a fine quilter's knot on the end. Working the needle between the fabric seam allowance and the cardstock template, enter the needle to the right of the mitre, come back up on the left side of the mitre....needle back down to the right side of the same mitre, so the thread holds the mitre in place; bring needle back up to the middle of the next side and continue in same manner; all the while working around the hexagon counterclockwise. I don"t knot the thread again when I get back to the beginning. I weave the needle a few extra paces beyond the knot where I began, through the seam allowance and snip the thread..

Quilters, save time and make basting infinitely easier by basting with temporary spray glue instead of safety pins. #spraybasting, #bastingquilt, #bastingspray

Sharing my love of quilting, fun quilt patterns, and great tools and tips. With a healthy dose of thrifting, sock knitting, sewing projects, and lots of other cottage creations. Thank you for visiting Anyone Can Quilt!

Hello, everyone! I am so, SO happy you are here! Today I have a basting tutorial for you and it’s a basting method I’ve been using since 2013 and I just love it so much. I’ve been asked about it many times, but I’ve never been able to properly show it due to the...

Save your back! In this blog post (with videos!) learn how to spray baste a quilt on a table, and a quilt that's larger than your table!

Care tips for self-healing cutting mats. Removing fluff, washing and moisturising dirty, dry mats, flattening warping, avoiding cutting lines.

I've had a number of requests for the recipe to the Quilters Moonshine that Kare and I made and gave to the participants of our first Old ...

My back aches. My left hand is throbbing from the excess of ruler work. My neck needs a brace (and about 18 uninterrupted hours in bed-ha!)....

See more → *** These tutorials can be used for your own person use, or for making things to sell in small quantities. If you have any questions or need permissions, email [email protected]. Thank you! ***

tutorial on joining the ends of quilt binding

Looking for a little help progressing your quilting skills? Here are my five most popular quilting tutorials. Use them to grow your skills.

As instruções que escrevi para os quilt kits são praticamente um mini-curso de quilting . Hoje mostro-vos um pequeno extracto das mesmas ...

A key element to quilting is creating a sturdy base which often means bonding multiple layers together. This can often mean using bonding agents such as iron

Oh thank goodness we're at the part where we get to play with the fabric. I'm going to show you how I baste my shapes for the Sprocket quilt...

A couple of days ago I wrote that Katy, one of my internet friends, sent me a whole pile of needle threaders after I complained about having to sink the thread ends on some huge quilts. One of the comments to that post asked, "what do you mean by sinking the thread ends, and how does a needle threader help?" A good question! If you have begun or ended a line of machine stitching in the middle of your quilt, you have to deal with the two thread ends. Some people backstitch to secure the threads, or perhaps use very tiny stitches as they get to the end of the line, then cut the thread ends off right there. But I have seen too many such finishes that don't look finished at all. The scissors can't reach exactly to the surface of the quilt, so the thread ends stick up in little eyelashes. Or the backstitch didn't really secure the threads, so over time the quilting comes unsewed. I think it's much more professional to pull both ends to either the front or back of the quilt, tie them, thread them into a needle and make the threads disappear between the layers of the quilt. This is time-consuming, of course, even if your eyes are good enough to thread a needle without difficulty (mine aren't). I have used self-threading needles but they tend to shred rayon or shiny polyester thread. It's much easier to just use a needle threader. I should give a shout-out to Robbi Joy Eklow, another Quiltart list maven, who champions an alternative method of sinking thread ends. It really works, and I have used it on occasion but not enough to really get into the rhythm and internalize the method. I'll show you how it works (wish I could send you to Robbi's website, but I can't find this anywhere publicly posted) but as for me, I'm just so happy with all the needle threaders that Katy sent me last year, I'll probably stick with my own method forever. In either case, here's the tutorial: My method -- with needle threader step 1: Insert a needle into the quilt exactly where you want your thread ends to disappear. Run the needle between the layers of the quilt for about an inch, feeling from underneath to make sure the needle doesn't poke through on the back. Bring the needle up to the top of the quilt. step 2: Pop the needle threader through the eye of the needle. Arrange the thread ends underneath the wires of the needle threader. step 3: Using a tweezer, grab the thread ends and pull them up through the wires of the needle threader. Pull on the needle threader to get the thread ends through the eye of the needle. Pull the needle through the quilt to sink the thread ends. Clip off the thread ends where they emerge from the top of the quilt. You will cleverly notice that you could have threaded the needle before you ran it between the layers of the quilt. Yes, but what if your thread ends weren't long enough? We always try to leave plenty of thread when we start or stop, but sometimes things happen. This way you can pull the thread ends through the needle even if they're only a half-inch long. Robbi's method -- with needle and thread step 1: Cut a piece of thread about a foot long. Robbi suggests orange so you can keep that threaded needle in your pincushion forever and find it easily the next time you need to sink thread ends. Double the thread and thread both ends through the needle. Adjust the length of the ends so the loop is longer than the cut ends. step 2: Insert the needle exactly at the point where you want your thread ends to disappear. Run the needle through the layers of the quilt, feeling underneath to make sure the needle does not poke through on the bottom. Bring the needle up about an inch away. step 3: Pull the thread through until only a small loop is left. step 4: Pull the thread ends through the orange loop. step 5: Pull the orange thread, which will carry the thread ends through the layers of the quilt. Trim off the thread ends where they emerge from the top of the quilt.

Notoriously difficult many quilters and sewists fear to work with minky. Fear no more here's my super easy, step by step guide to a perfect minky quilt back. Hi everyone, my 5 Step Guide to A Perfect Minky Quilt Back is proving extremely popular across the internet and my tip list is being printed off and shared. Obviously, as a teacher, I'm always delighted to share my knowledge with everyone and 'spread the word' and I'd love you to do the same for me - tell everyone that you found the info right here and suggest that they visit my blog too. You'll notice that sadly I've also added ugly watermarks to the crucial images. Thanks for your support in advance - Chris :D Disclosure: This post contains Amazon and Craftsy affiliate links for which I am paid commission on click-through purchases (at no additional cost to you). Otherwise, no payment or commission is received for click-throughs to shared links; the post is for informational purposes only and all opinions are my own. Now let's slow things down and do the same again in pictures: 5 Step Guide To A Perfect Minky Quilt Back NEVER IRON MINKY, IT WILL MELT!!! step one Lay your minky out on a flat surface. You might want to tape your minky to the surface - I didn't and mine's laid on a slippy glass table top, that part is up to you. You'll notice that my table is also smaller than the quilt - I find that spray basting a quilt in halves or even quarters allows me to baste quilts that are larger than my space would allow with a pin basting method and I can slide the quilt sections away from the table as I finish basting them and move to the next section. step two Lay your quilt top on top of the minky, wrong sides together. I didn't cut the minky to size, that is too tricky at this stage so we'll do it later. Instead, I placed the quilt top at the top corner of the whole minky sheet. step three Fold half of your quilt top back on itself, right sides together and spray baste visible minky on the wrong side. don't go crazy with the spray baste, it's just not necessary - read my spray basting notes below for guidance. step four Unfold quilt top + place it back on spray basted minky, smoothing out wrinkles. Spray baste is repositionable so lift and relay if you have folds or creases. As you can see in the pic, I hold the quilt top high in the area and smooth it back into place on the minky bit by bit and making sure each section is wrinkle free before lowering the next section of the top. I also work from the centre out to the sides easing the fabric as I go. step five Fold the still unbasted half of your quilt top back on itself and repeat Steps Three and Four. This is easy, the quilt top will only lift back from the section you haven't already spray basted - the rest of it is glued! I marked where the bottom corners of the quilt top lay on the minky backing (you can see one of the marks in the bottom right of the pic below). This gave me a visual to spray baste up to rather than spraying the whole of the remaining minky sheet. The two layers are completely glued together and won't move while you quilt or hand-tie or bind the quilt. Unless you've been way too sparing with the spray baste, you really can throw the basted quilt around now - it's like it's one piece of fabric, not two layers. NEVER IRON MINKY, IT WILL MELT!!! spray basting In my classes, I've seen students easily use a giant can of 505 basting spray to baste one baby quilt - this is complete overkill and I guess if people use spray baste in these quantities then probably they do have problems with fumes unless the room is extremely well ventilated. When I spray baste, I can baste 3-8 quilts (depending on size) from one spray can. I spray the quilt layers very lightly in a large sweeping motion from a 1'-2' (30-60 cm) distance - it takes me seconds to complete a quilt sandwich layer. You can't see the spray on the layer surface and it doesn't create a sticky mess on the surrounding floor, furniture or wall (yes, I sometimes baste quilts by taping them to the wall too!). There's never any fumes either, I just don't use enough of it for it to be a problem. Next time you spray baste try moving your hand back a bit from the quilt and spraying faster and for a shorter time, I think you'll be quite surprised to discover you need hardly any of the spray baste for the sandwich layers to stick together. Think of all the money you'll save too!!! If you do experience sticky residue on your surfaces you should be able to wipe these away with a damp, lint-free cloth, stubborn stickiness may need a little detergent to help release it. Some people lay down newspaper sheets before spray basting but the thought of print transfer makes me a little nervous. Another option is to lay your quilt out on a shower curtain bought cheaply from the dollar/pound store and you'll be able to reuse it too. 505 is my preferred spray baste brand and this is where I purchase it. Note: I'm an Amazon affiliate and will receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) on any purchase you make following this link. cutting minky Minky is also known for stretching and changing shape as you move it and this makes it difficult to cut. Now that the minky is glued to the quilt top the quilt top and spray baste will stabilise the minky and force it to retain its correct shape. Don't be frightened now to handle your quilt. Use scissors or a rotary cutter to cut the excess away from your quilt top. Overlock or zig-zag around the quilt top edge to secure and this will also reduce further shedding of minky fur. I recommend you use a walking foot or dual feed to sew the quilt as this can better manage the fabric bulk and slippy surface texture. Quilt or hand-tie and bind your quilt in the normal way, my preferred method is hand-tying as personally, I don't like the appearance of trapped minky fur under machine quilting stitches. Click the image below for my How To Hand Tie A Quilt tute. cleaning up after working with minky While you are working with minky I recommend regular clean ups of your work surfaces and floor and clothes - this fabric sheds fur like crazy. I have a cordless handheld vacuum cleaner that's perfect for the job. A sticky lint roller or sticking tape wrapped around your hand will help clean your clothes. If you've used your cutting mat you'll probably find minky fur trapped within cuts in the mat - follow my tute for cleaning your cutting mat to restore your mat's surface (click image link below). Finally, lift the sole plate on your sewing machine and give it a good clean - there's bound to be lots of minky fur and lint hiding under there and your machine deserves a bit of TLC! and always remember NEVER IRON MINKY, IT WILL MELT!!! so what is minky? it's a synthetic polyester fibre, fade resistant and super soft, it will remain super soft for its lifetime if laundered correctly. It is available in many nap and pile lengths and in different types of 'fur' and colours. Here's a pic of some minkies I have in my stash, I've shown both sides of the white minky so you can see how the back is made too. I'm often asked about the minkies I use so here are links to my two favourite minkies to work with in ivory and white (they are the two on the far left above). Note: I'm an Amazon affiliate and will receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) on any purchase you make following this link. is it safe to use minky for baby quilts? as it's a synthetic fibre, minky isn't breathable and, as babies can't regulate their body temperature well, it's certainly not the best choice for a newborn. Aside from a risk of suffocation babies and adults can develop sweats and rashes. Minky isn't a good choice around naked flames or heat either as the fibres will melt. how to launder minky cool wash with detergent. DO NOT use fabric softener as, bizarrely, this will take the life and softness out of the fabric and no bleach either. Dry on a low heat or line dry - remember direct heat will melt minky. is it safe to use spray baste for baby quilts? I'm not able to say it's safe but if you want to use basting spray then use it minimally (see my notes above about over spraying) and wash the quilt at least once before gifting/using and this should remove temporary basting spray. My preferred spray is 505. Related Posts: Love it or hate it, I've shared the minky facts, now it's up to you but don't forget NEVER IRON MINKY, IT WILL MELT!!! 5 Step Guide To A Perfect Minky Quilt Back Do you have any tips for working with minky or experiences to share about minky? We'd love to hear, tell us in the comments :D Featured On: Clicking on an image will take you to a new page of crafty goodness :) Disclosure: This post contains Amazon and Craftsy affiliate links for which I am paid compensation on click-through purchases (at no additional cost to you). Otherwise, the post is for informational purposes only and all opinions are my own. Copyright: Uncredited reproduction of all content, text and images on this site is prohibited. All content, text and images must be credited to Chris Dodsley @made by ChrissieD and include a link back to this site. Follow

I made a doll quilt before Christmas and realized I’d never posted a tutorial on this quick and easy binding method. Since I know a lot of you are beginners…this is a really great way to dip your toes into binding a quilt. I especially love it for small things like hot pads,...Read More

I showed you the filler pieces that I am making for the red border of my hexagon quilt Birds in the Loft. Angie asked if I had any tips for turning the seams over and stitching because she thought they might be tricky. They aren't! I thought I would share with you how I baste these pieces step, by step. You will find the piecing instructions here. I shortened the stitch length on my machine and sewed the pieces together with a 1/4" seam allowance. I pressed the stitches to embed them in the fabric before I pressed the red fabric away from the yellow. This helps reduce bulk. The excess fabric was trimmed leaving a generous seam allowance. I find that 3/8" works well but you can leave it even larger. A seam allowance of 1/4" or less is more challenging so go big. If it is too big you can always trim it down! I like to start at the left hand corner of the made fabric. The first step is to fold over the seam 1 and then fold over seam 2. I take two stitches to hold the fold. I fold over seam 3 being sure to tuck it under seam 2. I take one stitch to hold the fold. I fold over seam 4 again tucking it under the previous seam. If you sweep the seam allowance up under seam three you will feel that it lays nice and flat. Take a stitch to hold the fold. Fold over seam five again tucking it under the previous seam and take one stitch to hold the fold. Fold over seam 6 tucking it under the previous seam. Take a stitch to hold the fold and the take three stitches to hold the last fold which is part of seam 6. There's no need to knot the thread; three stitches will hold just fine! Here you can see the basted made fabric hexagon from the back and the front. I started sewing at the green circle and stopped at the red. Notice that there is no basting thread between these two points. The stitched in the corners that hold the folds are sufficient. When I am ready to remove the paper I just run my fingernail on the right side and push up gently so that the paper pops up. I then can slide it out through that little spot where there is no basting thread! I've also updated my design sheet for Birds in the Loft so that you can see where I am going with my border design. I'm now creating more "made fabric" hexagons for the rest of the border. They are slightly different from those shown above in that the yellow stripe cuts the hexagon in half. The process is the same: I sew a red to either side of a yellow strip using a 1/4" seam allowance. I press the seam to embed the stitches and then press the red away from the yellow. I use my Elmers Washable Glue Stick to adhere the paper to the made fabric, trim the corners and then baste the hexagon. I'm using all of the red scraps so some of the hexagons will be made with two reds. It will all work in the end! For now I've got lots of sewing and basting to do. Once the hexagons are ready I will sew them into units that I will share will you when I reach that point! Until I post again, happy sewing! Karen H

An invisible alternative to ladder and whip stitch when English paper piecing

Sewing patterns for today's lifestyle

I had a request to show my frame setup, pursuant to the endless review of the Flynn Multi Frame Quilting frame from a few weeks ago. I unexpectedly had a quilt occur so rather than wait for my new quilting table to arrive in a couple weeks I decided to put the frame to use. Hm, should have taken…

This blanket stitch tip represents another way to add colorful threads and a decorative edge to the your next quilt. Try for yourself.

Frustrated by quilt blocks that turn out the wrong size? Learn to sew a scant quarter-inch seam and make your quilts come out right. #quilting #quarterinchseam