Spray Basting Tutorial with Kristie

There are a few ways to baste your quilts, and lots of variations. I couldn't pass by Basting week in Quilt Class without sharing a tutorial on Spray Basting. Petra jumped in last class with a linky, so you can see how she bastes her quilts.. Thanks Petra! And for this week's featured blogger... I'm thrilled to introduce you to another favourite of mine.. The lovely Kristie from

 OCD: Obsessive Crafting Disorder!

Her blog is the bomb!! She is always making something cool that you just HAVE to make! I love these and they are definitely on my to do list!

So, Thank you Kristie, for sharing with us YOUR way!

Spray Basting with Dumbbells (not a reference to your intelligence!)

Hi There! I'm Kristie from ocd: obsessive crafting disorder. Nice to meet you! Feel free to stop by my blog and say hello! I started this quilting business myself a year ago, and have learned so much along the way! It is great to share some of my knowledge and mishaps with some more new quilters here at Quilting Class 101. I am here with Bec at Chasing Cottons today to chat with you about the most dreaded step for most quilters....basting!

What is Basting, exactly?

Basting is the process of temporarily adhering your quilt top and back with a batting layer in the center- this combination is sometimes called the "quilt sandwich." While this step is undoubtedly dull, it is critical to secure the 3 layers that will become your final quilt to prevent puckering due to shifting of layers during the top stitching or "quilting" process that joins it all together.

So, here is what you need to make yourself a quilt sandwich.

-First off, make yourself a gorgeous quilt top out of some drool-worthy fabric
-Make a quilt back that coordinates with the top and is about 6 inches BIGGER than the quilt top in both length and width. This leaves you about 3 inches of overhang around all of the quilt top edges. Why? This gives some extra wiggle room so that if the top and back are not perfectly lined up, you are not left with exposed batting showing.
-Lastly, cut a piece of batting that is approximately the same size as the quilt back.

Now that you have all your sandwich components, basting can begin.

There are several different methods to baste a quilt:
1. Using thread and needle, and hand stitching large stitches across the sandwich that are later removed.
2. Using safety pins, placed at regular intervals over the quilt sandwich, that are removed as you approach them during the quilting process... Bec's Way!!
3. Using basting spray.
I am going to discuss the method I use, which is a spray basting method. I started out using the safety pin method, and while many do this very successfully, I found that I spent too much time removing pins and readjusting my layers during quilting, and still would get the odd pucker in the fabric. Since switching to basting spray (cue sunbeams and angels singing), I have not had a single pucker, and have cut my basting time in half! For me, the extra money to buy the spray baste is well worth the savings at the Bank of Frustration!

I have only used one basting spray- it is called 505, and I have seen it marketed in two different cans, like these:
I have no affiliation with this company, and I am sure there are many baste-worthy sprays out there, but this is the only one I use and can attest to. It sticks well, is repositionable, and does not seep through or stain your quilt, nor does it gum up your machine needle. In Canada it retails for about $17 (Cdn/US/Aus $ are all pretty similar right now) for the small can, and $32 for the large can (they are labelled differently, but it looks more than double the size). I can do about 5 baby quilts or 2+ lap quilts from a small can. The can mentions to spray in a well ventilated space, and I have seen some quilters go so far as to use gas masks, but I can tell you that I just use it right in my kitchen, and during Canadian winters, I don't even open a window. Gasp! And, it SEEMS I still have the majority of my brain cells intact (you be the judge). Please choose your spray basting site with the precautions that make you feel comfortable.

Here are the steps I use to successfully spray baste my quilts:

1. Find a floor space in your home that is large enough for your quilt to lay flat and give a few feet to maneuver all around. Give that space a sweep or vacuum to remove debris (who wants cereal bits forever inside your quilt?).

2. Take your batting layer and lay it flat on the floor. Here is where those dumbbells come in- place one on one corner, then smooth the batting flat and place on the next, and so on, until all 4 corners are secure. Do not stretch the batting, but smooth and pull taunt.

Why dumbbells? Well, for one, my husband was sick of holding corners for me. I had tried painters tape, too, but found it let go while I would smooth or apply pressure, and I certainly can't see that sticking for those doing this on carpet. A nice 20-30 lb dumbbell will sit still, quietly, as long as you need it. And might as well use them for something, right?
3. Take your quilt top and center it on the secured batting. Smooth out wrinkles and adjust as needed to center.
4. Grab your spray. Sit on your knees in the center of your quilt top, and peel one side back towards you.
Pile it on your lap. This way you are working from the center outward. Position the can about 30 cm/12 inches from the batting, and spray in a circular motion- I only use a light layer.
Pick up your quilt top from your lap, hold it up high with one hand and use your second hand to smooth the top against the sprayed portion of the batting to remove wrinkles. Continue until you have gotten all the way to the edge and have the first half complete.
Then, go back to the center of your quilt top, peel back the opposite (unsprayed) side, and repeat going in the other direction until the entire quilt top is secured to the batting.

What happens if there is a wrinkle in the top at this point? The spray baste is repositionable, which means you can lift the fabric from the batting and smooth the wrinkled area, moving to the outside edge of the quilt, until it is removed. No worries!


5. Next, you are going to use some safety pins to mark the perimeters of your quilt top to help you to align the back. I put pins at each of the 4 corners to form an "L" shape, and again at the measured center of each side. Lastly, I use 2 pins to mark an "X" at the exact center of my quilt top. Make sure all of these pins go through both the top and batting layers so you will be able to see them on the other side.
Center X:

Side center pins:
Corner L (as seen from batting side):
6. Roll the dumbbells off your corners and flip over so the quilt top is now facing down, and the batting is facing up. Give it a quick look over to make sure the batting is not bunched anywhere- if so, you may have to go back and reposition your quilt top to smooth out as above. Once it all looks right, secure the corners with the dumbbells again like you did at the beginning.

7. Grab your quilt back and find the exact center. You can do this by using measuring tape or by simply folding it in half and in half again- the middle corner is the center. Make an "X" here with safety pins as you did for the top/batting. Now take this pinned area, unfasten one of the pins and use it to pin to the X showing through the batting, marking the center of the top. It is kind of hard to see your top through the batting, right? This makes sure they are lined up and the centers stay stuck together as you smooth. For larger quilts, twin sized and up, you may also want to pin down the side centers to further ensure that there is no rotation of the quilt back relative to the front.
8. Smooth the back flat along the batting. Check that the edges of the back are parallel to the pin guides showing the edge of the top through the batting. For a plain back, this is all you need to do. Sometimes, for more intricate pieced quilt back designs that require even more precision to line up front and back, I use more pins at this stage by poking them through the design on the back and then checking where the pins emerge at the front and adjusting accordingly.

For example: In this quilt I wanted the angle of the pinwheels on the back to line up with the half square triangles on the front. So, I stuck a pin in one corner of the pinwheel:
Checked where it came out in the front- too far from seam!
Adjusted back until the pin lined up on the seam in front as shown:

Repeated for series of pinwheels:

And voila! Final quilting lines were perfectly parallel!
9. Once satisfied with alignment, kneel in the center and peel back one half of the back and spray baste, moving to the outer edges, as you did for the quilt top. Repeat with second side to complete. If needed, take time to confirm alignment with pins as mentioned in step 9. Then, remove all of your pins.

10. Admire :-)
Ta da! You have a basted quilt! Good job! Now, you can advance confidently into the home stretch- quilting and binding. Have fun!! Thanks for listening to my ramblings today, I hope it was of help, and thanks to Bec for inviting me to share my 2 cents :-) If you have any questions on spray basting, feel free to email me at:

obsessivecraftingdisorder@yahoo.ca

Happy quilting!

Thanks Kristie for sharing with us today! xx Its a gorgeous Quilt! xx

Batting Piecing Tutorial

If you sew LOTS of quilts, you will have LOTS of Batting scraps left over... I'm forever trying to store them with the hope one day I will be able to use it again. I do have plans for making 12 place mats for our dining table.. So hopefully I will be able to use up these precious scraps. I have thought over time, i should be able to sew these together to make bigger pieces and use for my quilts. So lucky for us the lovely Vicki from Sew Inspired is our Featured blogger today!! And she has a great Piecing Batting Tutorial for you... I haven't seen this technique before.. But I'm keen to give it a try.

Batting Piecing by Machine Tutorial

Here are instructions for piecing together batting--I do this when I have large scraps that can be put together to make a batt large enough for a quilt, or sometimes I even piece batting for smaller projects if I need to.

Step 1: Lay out the two pieces of batting, with one overlapping the other by at least a couple inches.

Step 2: Using a rotary cutter or scissors, cut both layers of batting in a wavy line. The wavy line is important--if you stitch the batting together using a straight seam, it could come apart a little bit inside the quilt, and then you will have an obvious lumpy place and/or fold line that doesn’t look so great.

Step 3: Remove the small strips on either side of the cut you just made.

Step 4: Line up the two larger pieces of batting, matching up the edges along the wavy cut. The pieces should butt up against each other, but not overlap.

Step 5: Carefully move the batting pieces to your sewing machine. Set your machine to stitch with a wide and long zigzag stitch.

Make sure the pieces are lined up right and stitch them together so the zigzag stitches hold the two sides of batting together, without overlapping. I used a dark thread here so my stitches show in the photo, but usually I use white thread.

That's it! For piecing very large pieces of batting, you might want to hand stitch because it can be easier to keep the pieces aligned. Hand piecing is probably also better if you are using any kind of higher loft batting, as well. This tutorial at my blog includes directions for hand piecing batting, the way my grandma taught me when I was 13.

Thank you so much Vicki...I'm definitely going to give it a go!!

Vicki has a great blog over at Sew Inspired. I have been following her blog since I started following blogs she is one of my Favourites!! I hope these last few posts on Batting have helped give you options that you may not have been aware of. I also hope you have been busy sewing your QC Quilt Tops together.

 This weeks Class is all about backings!!  Fabric backs, Working out measurements, Pieced backs.. MORE OPTIONS!! xx

*** Mr Linky is back working***

 Link up

Your Quilts showing different Borders HERE

and any Batting Tips HERE

and

***Get Ready!!!..... I would LOVE for you to link up some of your Quilting posts that include a pieced back.  Share the different designs that you have done for your backs... It will be great to sit and browse through your projects for inspiration... Old and new posts are welcome as long as it shows a pieced back!***

More on Batting... with Amy.

Quilting and Blogs go hand in hand. It's so fun being able to share your creation with a world of fellow quilters who 'get' quilting.

 AND

 It's even better being able to enjoy and admire the inspiration of others... Amy has one of those blogs that you cant live without. She has great projects, great info and is such an inspiration... I'm excited to have her blogging with us today to share her wealth of knowledge! Thanks Amy.....

Hi, my name is Amy Smart and I blog about my quilting fetish at Diary of a Quilter.  I have loved finding other like-minded quilters (and fabric hoarders) of all ages in the blogosphere. I'm a mom to 4 youngsters who like to keep me on my toes. They and my husband are all extremely patient with my hobby and have learned to live amidst piles of fabric and half-finished projects in their lives.


Today Rebecca has asked me to share some thoughts on batting/wadding. Ever been overwhelmed by the variety of batting (or wadding) options available to quilt stores? Rebecca has already done a very thorough job explaining the variety of batting/wadding options available.  Sometimes choice is good, but sometimes the overwhelming number of choices can be paralyzing. So I thought today we'd discuss a few of the pros and cons of the different choices. And feel free to weigh-in. I love when you do because I haven't tried every product or technique. For example, has anyone out there used the Bamboo batting? What did you think?



Basically the definition of a quilt is a blanket made of a top (front) and back with a layer of batting sandwiched in between and held together by some kind of stitching through all three layers. The two most relevant factors in choosing a batting are Loft and Fibers.

First off – Loft. This means how thick or thin your batting is.

• Low Loft = thin and High Loft = thick.  Thin batting makes a thinner quilt (obviously) but it works much better for a running stitch whether done by hand or machine.  High Loft batts are best for a thicker comforter-type finish where the quilt is only going to be tied

Fiber defines what the batting is made of.  The three most common types of quilt batting are Polyester, 100% Cotton, and Cotton/Poly Blend and each has it’s own pros and cons.  (Wool and Silk are other options that are wonderful, but usually a lot pricier.) Another recent option is batting made from Bamboo. To be honest I haven't used Bamboo batting, but from all reviews it sounds fabulous so I need to give it a try.

• Polyester - Less expensive, better for hand-quilting (if it's low loft), doesn’t need to be quilted as closely together.  Tends to shift when not quilted closely and ‘beard’ (which means the polyester fibers migrate through the fabric to the outside of the quilt).
• Cotton - Feels like a thick flannel.  Better option for machine quilting. Generally must be quilted closely. Washes better without pilling. Shrinks slightly. (This can be good or bad, depending on your personal preference. I personally like when the batting shrinks after the first wash because it softens the quilt and gives it more of a vintage appearance.)
• Cotton blend (usually 80% cotton/20% polyester). Very similar to the cotton option, but is less-expensive and doesn’t shrink as much. Good for machine quilting.  This is what I use most often, mainly because of the price difference. Also I think it's a little lighter-weight than 100% Cotton, so may be easier to maneuver if you are quilting a large quilt and lighter for the finished quilt.
• Wool - generally low loft, but heavier weight and extremely warm. Good way to make a thin quilt extra warm.  Good for machine quilting and hand quilting (I've heard it's like quilting through butter). More expensive option.
• Bamboo - From all reviews I've heard sounds like a great choice and eco-friendly.  Slightly more expensive that cotton/poly option but less expensive than wool. Usually low loft so it's good for hand or machine quilting. Washes and holds shape well, although I have heard that bearding may be an issue. Anyone have that experience? I need to give this one a try myself.

Batting can be purchased by individual size, or big sewing stores will also let you buy it by the yard.  Batting goes on sale often at the big box stores. I always stock up then – or use those 40% off coupons.  And save those batting scraps. It’s very easy to whip-stitch (largish) scraps together. Or you can use your smaller scraps to make an easy quilt-as-you go table runner!

Size: you want your batting to be slightly larger than your quilt top (front) and slightly smaller than your quilt back. In other words the backing should be the biggest.

I'm so excited that Rebecca has put together such a thorough list of beginning quilting resources in one location. She asked me to mention a beginning quilting series that I put together last fall so I'll add it here because sometimes a variety of explanations can help solidify learning a new technique or hobby.


I have other basic quilting and sewing tutorials available as well as a pattern shop.

Thanks so much Rebecca for inviting me to come discuss the weighty issue of batting. ;) Best wishes to all as you continue your quilt progress! (But I will tell you now, this is a highly addictive hobby. You've all been warned!)

Thank you Amy, she knows her stuff!! And for my 2 cents... I really like Bamboo batting. I haven't experienced it bearding as yet. I'm not sure if I prefer it to 100% cotton?? But it has a silkiness that cotton doesn't have.. mmm i think i need to make a few more quilts so i can decide  ;)

Pop Flower Coaster Tutorial with Jess

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day.

 I got spoiled with brekky in bed, hand picked pressies from the kids, and fabric gift vouchers from my hubby. And even though Mother's Day has become bitter sweet, I had a lovely day spending time with those I love.

Another thing I Love about Mother's day is handmade cards and gifts... When Jess from Twin Fibers sent me through her Raw Edge Applique tutorial for today.. I was so disappointed I didnt get it to make some a week ago!! They are just so gorgeous!! Thank You Jess! xx

Would you like to make these cute coasters with me?

Today I'm going to show you how! These are a great little project for introducing you to raw edge applique.

Let's get started:

First you're going to need some supplies.
For each coaster you will need:
some fabric scraps for the flower and leaves
a 5.5" square each of a solid fabric for the front and a backing fabric
a 5" square of batting (not pictured)
and a double sided fusible web product (I'm using Lite Steam-a-Seam). There are several fusible webbing products on the market, just make sure to read the directions on the package if you are using something different.
You'll also need to print off the templates below or draw your own.

1. Trace your pattern pieces onto a sheet of the Steam-a-Seam. Trace onto the paper that seems more stuck to the fusible web. (One side of the paper on the webbing wants to come off easily and the other side is stuck on more.) Also, make sure you are tracing the reverse image of what you want cut out (not important with this project, but it is if you want to cut out letters from the alphabet). 

Roughly cut your shapes out.

2. Remove the paper from the Steam-a-Seam that you don't have your shape drawn on. Press your shape onto the backside of your fabric scraps.

Cut your shapes out along the pattern lines.

3. Place your pattern pieces onto your 5.5" square of fabric for the front. When you like your arrangement, peel of the piece of paper on the backing and stick it to the base fabric. Then you can iron the shapes down.

4. Now, you're going to start stitching around each of your shapes. I like to use a decorative stitch that's programmed into my machine, but you can use a small zig-zag too.

5. Here you can see where I've stitched around all the shapes with a coordinating thread color.

6. We're done with the applique part and now we're going to finish making the coaster. Take your backing fabric and place it right sides together with the appliqued front.

7. Stitch around the square leaving an opening on one side. Clip the corners as shown.

8. Cut a piece of batting a bit smaller that your stitching lines. I found it really helpful to spray baste this piece of batting onto the back side of the backing fabric before you turn it right side out.

9. Turn your coaster right side out and press.

10. Stitch around the outer edge, closing the opening for turning.

11. Add some hand quilting around the flowers and leaves to hold everything in place.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing this project and give it a try sometime!
This type of raw edge applique can be so much fun and can be done with almost any shape. These flower shapes came from a wall hanging that I made for a swap. I really loved the screen that I saw here and translated that into a wall hanging and now into these coasters.
Thanks so much to Rebecca for letting me share these with you today!
Happy Sewing!

~Jessica