The three layers of a quilt “sandwich” – top fabric, batting (wadding), and backing fabric – need to be secured together before machine quilting so they don’t pucker and wrinkle as you sew. Basting holds the layers together temporarily until they can be stitched together permanently.
Quilters have traditionally viewed basting as a tedious, time-consuming – but necessary – chore. That’s because machine quilting without basting first is almost guaranteed to produce a creased and furrowed quilt.
Time-Saving Basting Methods: Fusible Batting, Spray Basting, Quilter’s Basting Gun
The three techniques covered in this article take most of the work and pricked fingers out of basting. But none of them is perfect. Every basting technique has advantages and disadvantages. It’s worth trying all three to see which one you like best.
Fusible Batting for Quilt Basting
Fusible batting is thinly coated with heat-sensitive glue. This makes it possible to fuse the quilt’s three layers together in one step, using a steam iron. Securing the quilt layers is fast and easy. You will need a large flat ironing surface to spread out the quilt layers and smooth them for ironing.
The main disadvantage of fusible batting is that the chemicals in the fusible glue layer will be ironed into the quilt – a no-no if you want to avoid chemical exposure. If you make a mistake, it’s not easy to reposition the quilt layers.
Fusible batting is available from June Tailor, Mountain Mist, and Gold-Fuse. Gold-Fuse fusible batting is repositionable, so you can fix mistakes by pulling the layers apart and straightening them before re-fusing. There is even a bamboo fusible batting, Fusi-Boo, made from a mixture of bamboo, cotton, and rayon fibers. Fusible batting is more expensive than regular quilt batting.
Quilt Basting with Basting Spray
Basting spray comes in an aerosol can. To spray baste, you spray a thin layer of glue on each of the quilt layers, then smooth the layers into position. A quilt can be spray basted on a horizontal surface, but some quilters prefer to hang the quilt backing on a wall and glue the batting and then the quilt top to the vertical sandwich. Any surface you use for spray basting should be covered with paper or an old sheet to avoid overspray.
The big advantages of spray basting are its speed and how easy it is to reposition and smooth out wrinkled areas. The big disadvantage is that spray basting forces you to breathe some pretty noxious fumes. Basting spray should only be used in well-ventilated areas. A too-heavy layer of spray can also make glue build up on the sewing needle during quilting. Basting spray may not keep its sticking power indefinitely. If you don’t expect to finish the quilt in the next couple of months, consider a more permanent basting method.
Popular brands of basting spray include June Tailor Quilt Basting Spray, Helmar Quilt Basting Spray, and Sullivan’s Quilt Basting Spray. The manufacturers claim that the spray washes out completely and leaves no permanent residue. Other all-purpose spray glues such as 3M Repositionable 75 Spray Adhesive are fabric-safe and could be used for spray basting.
Quilter’s Basting Tack Gun
Basting with a quilter’s tack gun involves loading a rack of plastic tacks into the gun, poking the needle on the gun’s nose through the fabric layers, and pulling the trigger to shoot the tack through the quilt sandwich.
Tack basting is slower and takes more work than fusible batting or basting spray, but it is still faster than pin basting or basting by hand sewing. Basting with tacks doesn’t rely on the chemicals that many quilters want to avoid. But tack basting is definitely not for everyone.
Using the tack gun is definitely an acquired skill. Some quilters never get the hang of it. (I am one of those who tried and failed to master the tack gun.) If you don’t position the gun just right against the quilt sandwich, you can either make a hole in the fabric, or fail to pierce through all three layers. Some quilters also complain that the tacks get sewed into their quilting. Finally, the tacks must be removed either during or after quilting, an extra step that isn’t necessary with fusible batting or spray basting. The tacks can be snipped off with scissors or removed with a special tack remover.
Quilting tack guns and fasteners are available from Dritz, Collins, or Dennison.
If you haven’t tried all three of these time-saving basting techniques, it’s worth taking the time to experiment. You may find that one becomes your favorite.
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How to pin baste a quilt. Learn how to use quilter's safety pins to secure a quilt's three layers together before machine quilting or hand quilting. Pin basting is easy to learn and a time-tested basting method.
Christine Mann - Christine Mann writes about quilting, home decor sewing, and creativity in daily life.
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