How to Baste Quilt Layers
Basting is an important step in making a quilt because it assures that your final product will be neat and wrinkle-free. Basting helps to make sure that the layers of your quilt lay flat and will not slip when you are sewing them together. The two options for basting a quilt are pin basting and hand basting. Most people pin baste their quilts but some people prefer to hand baste them together. Either method will produce a wrinkle-free result if you take your time.
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Things You'll Need
- Quilt top
- Fiber batting
- Backing fabric
- Curved safety pins
- Thin upholstery needle
- White or light-colored basting thread
Instructions
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Pin Basting
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1
Lay the backing of your quilt flat on your work surface with the right side down and the wrong side facing up. Smooth out any wrinkles.
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2
Lay the quilt batting down flat on top of the backing. If the batting is smaller than the quilt backing, center it in the middle of the backing. Smooth out any wrinkles.
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3
Lay the pieced quilt top down on top of the batting with the right side of the quilt top facing up. Center it over the batting and smooth out any wrinkles.
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4
Run your hand over the entire quilt and smooth out all of the fabric from the center to the outside edge so that there are no lumps or wrinkles.
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5
Start at the center of the quilt and pin a line of safety pins in a row parallel to the longest edge of the quilt. Insert pins approximately every 4 inches. Pin all three layers of the quilt together and smooth out lumps and wrinkles as you go.
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6
Insert pins from the center outwards in a row parallel with the short side of the quilt, then do two more lines of pins diagonally to form an X across your quilt.
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7
Continue pinning in a grid pattern until the entire quilt has pins every 4 or 5 inches.
Hand Basting
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8
Follow steps 1 through 4 from section one for arranging the layers and building your quilt sandwich.
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9
Thread a thin upholstery needle with a long single strand of white basting thread. Tie a knot in the end of the thread.
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10
Start in the center of the quilt and baste all three layers together using long lines of stitches up and down through the layers.
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11
Continue basting the layers together using long rows of stitching to hold everything in place.
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1
Tips & Warnings
For very large quilts it is often easier to work on a clean, carpeted floor. If you work on a tile floor consider taping your quilt backing to the floor so that it will not move.
Use good-quality stainless steel safety pins. Brass pins can leave stains on your quilt. One-inch pins are a good size for most quilts and the curved pins go through all of the quilt’s layers more easily than straight safety pins.
Use special tools when closing up safety pins to make the job faster and less painful for your fingers.
Pin-baste with straight pins if that is all that you have available but you will probably stab yourself while quilting and straight pins can fall out of the quilt.
Remove safety pins as you quilt. Do not run over them with your sewing machine.
References
- Photo Credit Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images
