Basting Quilts: How to Spray Baste a Quilt

Jan 6, 2011
Christine Mann

Quilt Basting with Adhesive Spray is the Easiest Method - Photo by Clotilde.com

One of the fastest ways to baste a quilt is by gluing the quilt layers together with an adhesive spray that washes out after quilting is finished.

Any quilter who has spent hours laboriously pinning or hand stitching a quilt’s layers together to secure them for quilting is always on the lookout for a faster way to baste.

Quilt Basting with Spray Adhesive: Advantages and Disadvantages

Spray basting is one of the fastest and easiest ways to prepare a quilt for machine or hand quilting. It’s a simple technique that allows the layers to be repositioned if needed during quilting. There are no pins, stitches, or tacks to remove while you quilt.

The biggest drawback of spray basting is that the aerosol spray produces fumes that could be a problem for chemically sensitive quilters. Basting spray is also sticky, so you need to be careful about how you handle overspray. While some basting sprays will hold the quilt layers in place for months or years, some sprays provide only a temporary hold. Check the label on the spray can before you use it, to make sure the adhesive power lasts long enough for your project.

Major Brands of Quilt Basting Spray

There are several major brands of basting spray that can be found at quilt stores, big-box fabric stores, or craft stores. These include:

505 Spray and Fix Temporary Fabric Adhesive
Sullivan’s Quilt Basting Spray
June Tailor Basting Spray

All three brands advertise themselves as colorless, odorless, and repositionable. They all claim that they will not gum the sewing needle during quilting. 505 Spray and Fix and Sullivan’s also say they are acid-free. The June Tailor spray is only recommended for quilts, not for applique, and for 100% cotton fabric and batting. 505 Spray and Fix says it works well on all types of batting and fabric.

One can of basting spray should be enough to baste several bed-sized quilts.

Preparing for Spray Basting

A quilt can be spray basted on a wall, on a floor, or on tables. Choose a well-ventilated area so you won’t inhale too many fumes. You’ll also need to protect the area around the quilt from sticky overspray. Some quilters cover the basting area with taped-down newspaper or butcher paper. I like to use an old sheet which can just be tossed in the wash when it gets gooey.

How to Spray Baste a Quilt on the Wall

You need an open wall area larger than the quilt you are planning to baste. If you have a quilt design wall set up for pinning, that’s the perfect place to baste. Learn how to make a quilt design wall.

Cover the wall around the spraying area with paper or an old piece of fabric to protect against overspray.
Pin or tape the quilt backing fabric to the wall, with the right side facing the wall. Stretch the fabric so it is smooth and taut, but not so tight that it distorts the shape. For large quilts, this may be a two-person job.
Lightly spray one the backing with basting spray. If the backing is very large, spray one half at a time.
Smooth the batting onto the sprayed area.
Continue spraying the backing and smoothing the batting until the whole batting layer is adhered to the backing.
Lightly spray the batting with basting spray and smooth the quilt top on, right side facing you, the same way you did the batting.
Take the quilt down from the wall. On your cutting table, trim away any excess batting and backing fabric, leaving an inch or two of extra batting and backing all around the quilt top.

You are now ready to quilt.

How to Spray Baste a Quilt on the Floor

Lay the quilt backing fabric on a clean hard floor, right side down.
Use masking tape to tape the fabric to the floor, starting at the corners and taping all around the outside edge. The fabric should be smooth and taut when you are finished.
Lightly spray one half of the backing with basting spray.
Fold the batting in half. Align the fold with the center of the backing fabric, then unfold and smooth the batting onto sprayed side of the backing, working from the center out to the edges. Keep smoothing until all wrinkles are gone.
Spray the other half of the backing fabric, then smooth the second half of the batting into place
If the quilt you are basting is very large, you can divide the backing into quarters and only spray one-quarter at a time. If you do this, fold the batting into quarters and unfold it a quarter at a time onto the sprayed sections.
Lightly spray one half of the batting with basting spray. Fold the quilt top in half with right sides together, then unfold it onto the sprayed section of batting the same way you did in the previous steps.
When all wrinkles have been smoothed away, remove the tape.
Trim away any excess batting and backing fabric to reduce bulk while quilting.

You are now ready to quilt.

How to Spray Baste a Quilt on a Table Top

To baste on a table, center the quilt backing fabric on the table, right side down, and smooth out any wrinkles. I like to use large binder clips to hold the fabric in place. If the fabric is too big for the table, let the extra hang down over the table edge.
Lightly spray the section on the table with quilt basting spray, then smooth the batting onto the backing, aligning the center of the batting with the center of the backing fabric.
Remove the binder clips and move the backing fabric so an unsprayed area is centered on the table. Spray the backing and smooth the batting into place. Keep spraying and moving the fabric until the batting is adhered to the whole backing.
Glue the top to the batting in the same way. Make sure the right side of the quilt top faces up.
When the whole quilt sandwich is glued together, trim away any excess backing and batting.

Spray basting is so fast and easy that many quilters never go back to other basting techniques after trying it once.

If you think it may take a very long time to finish the quilt, though, you may want to consider pin basting the quilt instead.