Quilt Basting Methods

Do you dread basting the quilt sandwich to keep layers secure while you quilt? If the answer is yes!, try basting your next quilt with fusible products or spray adhesives, an easy way to keep the layers of the quilt from shifting during the quilting process. Adhesives let you forget about the extra weight produced during pin basting or the tedious work of basting with a needle and thread -- you'll be ready to start quilting in record time.

Be sure to experiment on small quilt sandwiches before you use adhesives to baste an entire quilt.

Quilt Basting Options

• Adhesive basting spray. Take care when spraying the adhesive onto your quilt layers. Make sure you protect the area around where you are spraying and follow the recommendations on the can, paying close attention to the safety warnings. Therm O Web basting spray is one choice -- Compare Prices

• Fusible batting. There are several types of fusible batting that allow you to iron your backing and your quilt top to the batting so that you can quilt without pins or thread basting. You may want to purchase small quarter-yard samples of different batts and perform tests to discover how they feel, how they quilt on your machine and how much stiffness they add to the finished product. Try Fairfield's Fusi Boo -- Compare Prices

• Your favorite fusible web. Select a fusible web that will not add too much stiffness to your finished quilt. Make notes on your samples and store them together so that you can use the notes as a reference for future projects.