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 S
haron 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
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.
Genius! I've been trying to figure out how in the world I was going to baste my bowser quilt and this is certainly a possibility. Do you think a quilt top with tons and tons of seams would wrap around the board well?
ReplyDeletehttp://suedrescreations.blogspot.com/
I was wondering that too, could be different with patchwork, but definitely an interesting idea.
DeleteI am going to try this on a queen size quilt I have. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI've seen this method and wondered if it was easier than on the floor. Well, probably anything is easier than on the floor LOL! :*) Thanks for sharing - I definitely need to try it!
ReplyDeleteA great idea, I have just shown this to Michael and ordered the wood, I normally take my quilts to work and use 6 tables pushed together in the conference room. This is much better.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this! Such a genius way to do it. Looking forward to trying it out.
ReplyDeleteWow. So great. Someone was thinking!
ReplyDeleteAwesome!!!!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great system. I should give this a try sometime!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! Thanks for sharing. I will be trying this on my next large quilt!
ReplyDeleteI saw the original video on this technique, and I wondered if it would work with pin basting or with spray basting. Sharon Schamber starches both the backing and the quilt top heavily. Did you starch yours? Would it have helped if you had?
ReplyDeleteCurrently, I have no large space to lay out a quilt. This may have solved the problem! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeletethis is genius!! I just tried this and it has saved me a couple of hours and a bad back ache! Thanks for posting!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing; there was no way I was going to be able to use the floor (bad knees)and this solved the problem and your directions were very easy to follow. Again, thanks
ReplyDeleteYou are an angel!
ReplyDeleteIf you put your table up on risers, it will be even easier on the back. Thanks! Right now I use a double bed but I have just the table in the house to try this with!
ReplyDeleteSo creative! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAre those ear plugs at the end of your pins so you don't stab yourself?
I believe they are called pin-moors. they look like earplugs but are a silicone material.
DeleteYou can make your own pin-moors by cutting up a stubby holder (wet suit fabric) and re use them, much cheaper than buying pin moors, Ria
DeleteWhat a clever way to tension the quilt for basting.
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING, I was injured very badly in a wreck & im unable to get down on the floor & have not been able to finish any of the quilt tops I have made. Now I will be able to quilt them thank you for sharing
ReplyDeleteBrilliant! I think I am getting too old for pinning on the floor! How long is each piece of wood? I imagine you have to have the wood sanded so you don't get splinters.
ReplyDeleteI tried this using 2 flat style curtin rods. Turned out great. Just about finished hand quilting the quilt. What I like about the curtin rods I was able to adjust the rod to the width of the quilt. I used masking tape to secure the rod length.
ReplyDeleteAnother great idea! Aren't quilters amazingly inventive!?
DeleteI like the idea, but what is the size of the boards really? They cannot be 1"x3". Even if they were 1'x3' they wouldn't be large enough as that is only the size of a yardstick
DeleteThat's the measurement that is used for lumber...they are approximately one inch thick by three inches wide, by whatever length you want...mine are six feet long.
DeleteKelly, The boards are probably 1" thick by 3" wide, and probably 8 feet long!
DeleteI'm going to have to try this. Many thanks for posting the idea. There is no room here to lay out a large quilt, so this might do the trick.
ReplyDeleteI'm doing this right now for the first time, but am using thread to baste. I can't get over how easy it is to do this. Now, the trick will be how well I did when I do the quilting. It's a lap sized quilt but I'm looking forward to seeing how well the basting worked.
ReplyDeleteThank you...thank you...thank you !!! My knees loves you...;) It´s a fantastic idea...thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteWhat a brilliant idea. Thank You so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely briliant! I'm a survivor of 4 knee surgerys so crawling on the floor is just not an option for me. I love this!
ReplyDeletegenius... thanks so much!
ReplyDelete!!!! totally trying this.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like an option for me, just need to find the space to lay the boards out. Thanks for sharing in such detail.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, this seems better than using tape on the floor which doesn't too well all the time.
ReplyDeleteWOW! I've dreaded this part of the quilting process.....until NOW! No more killing my knees and back. When you live in a mobile home, there's no room for a nice quilting frame. Thank you SO much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't put raw wood against fabric--I'd make sleeves or finish the boards first, just in case. I think that the secret to smooth layers is excellent pressing before basting, and yes, I spray starch the bejeepers out of my fabrics. I'm trying this method!
ReplyDeleteI'm a cabinet maker. And a quilter. I would not finish the wood. The finish will bleed in the fabric, I have had fabric on boards, finished and unfinished. I would not used a finished board.
DeleteI agree with Ed and Jody. I have "board basted" my last few quilts with clean pine boards for rollers. The only issue I have had is with the piecing seams being lumpy, but you can smooth it out and straighten it up as you unroll. I spray baste instead of pin. Spray 'n' Bond has no odor. I wash the quilts before giving away.
DeleteI never put a finish on my boards and have been using pine boards for years for quilting.
DeleteVery cool Pat, thanks for this. I love this.
ReplyDeleteOK, I am new to quilting. So new, I have never done one and I don't own a sewing machine but with that being said, I am obviously very interested because I ended up on this post! haha. My question is, why the boards? Is it to keep the fabric straight? Could you accomplish the same result if you simply rolled the fabric and secured it so it would not unravel? Then smoothed out the wrinkles and still did the pinning of the batting technique?
ReplyDeleteThe boards make it easier to keep the tension even across the quilt top and backing. Just folding it would leave you without anything to pull against to keep it smooth while basting.
DeleteThank you for the idea. I'm going to give this a try.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant...thanks for this so much.
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH!!!! I just tried this the other day with my latest quilt, and it worked so nicely. The back stayed smooth, I didn't have to waste tons of tape, my knees and back aren't sore, it didn't take me 4 hours to get everything all straight at the same time ... Usually this step is by far my least favorite part of quilting but now that I have this neat trick up my sleeve, I think many more quilts are in order!
ReplyDeleteThis is just genius. I haven't tried it yet but I'm going to. I often don't baste well enough because it is back breaking. Then I stress as I quilt. I finished a twin size top today. The only place in this apartment that I can baste on the floor is the living room. It's carpeted. Basting on carpet is not fun. I'm going to the hardware store tomorrow to get boards to try this. I'm going to thread and safety pin baste since I'm hand quilting this one. Thanks for the wonderful idea. I really didn't want to get on the floor to baste lol. Thanks so much for sharing this method!
ReplyDeleteAwesome Pat! I struggled doing Alyssa's quilt on the floor...took me days! I am going to try your method on my next quilt :)
ReplyDeleteHeather x
has my comment disappeared?
ReplyDeleteOh well here goes again....I basted Alyssa's quilt on the floor...it took me days! I am going to try your method on my next quilt :)
Thanks for sharing Pat :)
Heather x
I don't quilt...but always wanted to.. wondering why or what is basting n why do you need to do this step
ReplyDeleteYou baste so the 3 layers don't shift when you quilt it. If they shift you'll get ugly wrinkles.
DeleteAnd nobody wants wrinkled to spoil all their hard work.
DeleteI tried this and the back had many little puckers on the back. I'm not sure how to fix the problem.
ReplyDeleteGenius -- time saver, back saver, knee saver and I can watch TV at the same time. You are blessed to do this as you can see from all the notes. Again, many thanks, Nana W.
ReplyDeleteI have some large cardboard rolls from upholstery fabric. Do you think i can use these instead of buying boards? My first quilt in ages, and in a now smaller condo, so trying to figure how how to do this. Thanks
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking the flat boards stay put; the rolls would need to be secured in some way so as to not roll off the table top.
DeleteWhat are the size of the boards, really? 1"x3"s cannot be the measurements and 1'x3' is only a yardstick. I like the idea, though. Maybe this is a baby quilt?
DeleteKelly, the boards are 1"w x3"d by about 90"long (the boards should be a few inches longer than the backing of your quilt.
DeletePat, Sorry, but I think you might have your measurements backwards! 1" wide, is not very wide. It is probably 1" thick and the boards are 3" wide, being around 8 ft. long!
DeleteI'm thinking that the boards stay put; the rolls would need to be secured in some way so as to not roll off the table top.
ReplyDeleteGoing to send people to see this technique, Great pics! I like that you use a real size quilt.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea!
ReplyDeleteGoing to make my first quilt very soon. Took a while to get everything and finally got my sewing machine back from my kids (BROKEN). So had it fixed and returned today .... I'm ready to start. The idea with the boards is a great idea, I was envisioning a nightmare when I was reading up on the batting process. I'm a little less nervous right now. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI'm ready to make my first quilt. I've bought all the items and fabric I need to make my first quilt and finally got my sewing machine back from my kids (BROKEN). Now that I've gotten that fixed and returned, I was getting a little nervous about the batting process, (I live in an apartment) .... That is until I saw your idea! Now I can't wait to get started. Thank you for the information. Wish me luck!
ReplyDeleteUPDATE: I did spray baste my quilt, but I didn't use a board. I used a dowel that was about an inch in diameter, and about four inches wider than the width of the quilt itself, (2" on each side).
DeleteIt was extremely easy to spray baste with the dowel, and then I actually quilted it!
Almost done, still have to do the border (which I'm using the back of the quilt to do this).
BTW ... I had to buy another sewing machine, the Singer Basic that I originally had was such a piece of junk, I couldn't afford to keep bringing it back to the repair shop. I bought a Janome on Ebay for $39.95. IT WORKS GREAT!!! WOW ... Did I get lucky!
I hope to finish my quilt soon . . .
Is it finished?
DeleteYES! It's finally finished!
DeleteThanks for all the advise and support!
This is fantastic!!!
ReplyDeleteYou are a Genius! Love this idea. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant!
ReplyDeleteI am going to take mine to the long arm quilt lady and let her do mine - no basting for me.
ReplyDeleteHave you tried taping your material to your table? I saw this online and it works GREAT. I tape the backing, wrong side up, starting at the top or bottom of the quilt, to the table, using blue painters tape. Then I put the batting down, secure it with tape, then the quilt top, right side up, taping. Once all are secure and even, I pin, and then move to the next section, taping and pinning. It worked wonderfully for me.
ReplyDeleteI have always taped this way, but I like this idea much better because taping can cause terrible fraying along the edges of the fabric. I also hate un-taping and re-taping over and over again.
Delete1" x3" refers to the height and width of the board. The length is the variant. It can be however long you need. From her pics it looks like it could be anywhere from 5-6 feet long for her project.
ReplyDeleteMuchas gracias por el tutorial de verdad que me servirá mucho pues soy nueva en el arte del patchwork y tengo dos colchas sin acolchar y voy a probar este método. saludos desde Venezuela.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great post. I want to try this, but my only large table is my dining table (which unbelievably still has a nice wood finish). Any suggestions on what to put on top of the table so the pins don't scratch it? I do have 2 large cutting mats, but they aren't very smooth any more. Would love to hear your ideas! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteTo protect your table from scratches you can cover the table with one or two layers of vinyl tablecloth, you know, the thick plastic stuff, sometimes has a rubberish backing. Just tape that down first, I don't think the pins will go through,
DeleteThe fabric stores have fold-out cardboard that is used for covering surfaces when you are cutting and pinning things together. You don't have to worry about your pins going through the cardboard. And it's portable because it folds up into thirds or fourths, depending on the size of it.
DeleteI've basted 2 quilts using this technique since reading your post. Both quilts went together faster and smoother than any way I've used before. Thanks so much for sharing this! It's awesome. : )
ReplyDeleteI've been quilting for years but am new to Pintrest and boy am I going to try this basting method. I only finished a new top today so here goes...
ReplyDeleteI've been quilting for years but am only new to Pintrest but boy is the quilt top I finished today going to get this treatment. Excellent idea, absolutely love it..
ReplyDeleteWhat a comfortable way to sandwich a quilt. I tried it and I was thrilled !
ReplyDeleteNo aching knees and back after that. Thank you so much for sharing ! Kind regards from Germany - Frauke
Wow what an awesome way to baste a quilt.Will definitely use this method with my next quilt.My knees will be so happy too.Thanks for sharing this great method. :)
ReplyDeleteHas anyone tried this technique with (stretchy) Minky for the backing?
ReplyDeleteI have done it with fleece which is somewhat stretchy.
DeleteThank you for sharing such a genius idea! You have saved my aching back and legs from having to constantly bend over a table ever again. I also like the idea another quilter shared for using risers under the legs of a table to bring it up to a comfortable level. I'm tickled pink to be associated with such great minds working together to improve such a great hobby!
ReplyDeleteWow! What a great idea. No more floor basting for me. Thanks for posting this!
ReplyDeleteYou deserve an award for 'out of the box' thinking. Bless you for sharing this wonderful idea
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine this working particularly with the backing. It seems to be asking for puckers! But I will try it with a crib sized quilt top first!
ReplyDeletePositively BRILLIANT!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, can't wait to try it. But just have a question. I use large safety pins what are you using?
ReplyDeleteGreat Idea! Just one question. I use large safety pins what type of pins are you using?
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome! I can't wait to try this
ReplyDeleteI actually thought about something similar. I'm going to make one myself. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteCan this be used with spray basting also?
ReplyDeleteI love that these comments are continuing after 3 years. Pinter estate is great. I am glad to find a use for the boards from my old large hand quilting frame.
ReplyDeleteI have them in 5 ft and 8ft lengths. They have a fabric strip attached for pinning the quilt to before basting. I am fortunate to have a very large kitchen island that is the perfect height. Someone was worried about the wood harming the quilt. Since this is going to be a quick process the contact will be short time and not like longtime storage on a wood shelf. Of course you want to buy aged woods with no cracks, splinters or pitch. The fabric on mine is stapled to the wood
I love that these comments are continuing after 3 years. Pinter estate is great. I am glad to find a use for the boards from my old large hand quilting frame.
ReplyDeleteI have them in 5 ft and 8ft lengths. They have a fabric strip attached for pinning the quilt to before basting. I am fortunate to have a very large kitchen island that is the perfect height. Someone was worried about the wood harming the quilt. Since this is going to be a quick process the contact will be short time and not like longtime storage on a wood shelf. Of course you want to buy aged woods with no cracks, splinters or pitch. The fabric on mine is stapled to the wood
Such an excellent idea! I'd love to try it with balsa wood.
ReplyDeleteThankyou
Thank you. Awesome solution to an annoying part of the process. You have earned yourself a gold star for "Quilt Ingenuity"!
ReplyDeleteSe ve facil realizar el acolchado Gracias
ReplyDeletegenius! thanks you! you just saved my knees!
ReplyDeleteThe boards I bought at Lowes were already finished white. They are like baseboards. No harm to the fabric or no splinters. Comes in many sizes or they will cut them,
ReplyDeleteYou can buy pressed wood boards at your local Home Depot or Menards, etc. that have a plastic coating on 3 sides. Mine are 3/4" thick, 2-1/2" wide, and 8 feet long. I believe they sell them in the trim wood section. These work great and won't damage your quilt at all. They may be a little more expensive than plain boards but are worth it.
ReplyDeleteI saw a similar post utilizing pool noodles. I think the boards would be sturdier. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI saw a similar post utilizing swimming pool noodles!
ReplyDeleteI read this just in time to sandwich a queen-sized quilt I'm making for my sister! I was dreading trying to spread it on the floor to baste. This is my largest one yet & it has a minky back. I have been approaching this part with much trepidation. Now I have hope. Thx, guys!
ReplyDeleteI read this just in time to sandwich a queen-sized quilt I'm making for my sister! I was dreading trying to spread it on the floor to baste. This is my largest one yet & it has a minky back. I have been approaching this part with much trepidation. Now I have hope. Thx, guys!
ReplyDeleteI love you! I had a full sized quilt that needed to be basted. I always did the spray because my knees can't stand the hard wood floor. I cleared off the dining room table, grabbed the boards I bought 2 months ago when I saw this post and just basted a quilt in no time.
ReplyDeleteI have only a rather small round table and a narrow coffee table. I wonder if this could be done propped between two chairs. Maybe the batting could be wrapped on a third board.... You have got me thinking (and I have no problem crawling on the floor except for the fact my floor is too small and covered in dog hair.)
ReplyDeleteOMG! What a great idea, thanks for sharing! I'm going to try this when sandwiching my next quilt. Patty at www.welcomepillows.com
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea, used it often, and i use fabric store's upholstery material round rolls , that is the roll the fabric is rolled up on. Round form Works great for smoothing out wrinkles easily. I got mine free from a fabric store closing. Maybe PVC pipes might work also. Happy quilting.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, i use a round roll from the rolls the upholstery material is rolled up on at fabric stores. I got my free from a store closing. Works great for smoothing out wrinkles too. Maybe a PVC pipe will work as well.
ReplyDeleteI tried using this method on a 86"x94" quilt, but still ended up on the floor. My diningtable is a 67" round table and the method did not work too well. Taking both boards to the ground went ok, but my back hurts like hell now. Have to find a friend with a very large dining table ;-)
ReplyDeleteI do the same thing as this but I spraybaste instead of pins. Quick & easy!
ReplyDelete