DoryJM Posted February 16, 2009 Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 I've just had a customer comment on the basting I do around the quilt to stabilize it. She takes those stitches out before binding and would like them to be larger. My question to you: When you baste, do you set the stitch length to 5 or do you do individual needle-up/needle-down and how far apart? Thanks for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtreusch Posted February 16, 2009 Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 I do needle up/down about an inch apart. I hold the needle up/down button in continuously and just slowly move across the quilt. It takes 2-3 minutes if even that to get across a large quilt. Also, I usually pull the basting stitches out for my customers. It's pretty quick to do when the stitch are an inch apart. Debbi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindasewsit Posted February 16, 2009 Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 What is this that you are doing? Can you show a picture? What and why? Thanks for the help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted February 16, 2009 Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 I've not basted a quilt before but I thought of something: If you want to, you could use your channel lock to keep the basting stitch straight as you do the needle up/down across and down the quilt. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoryJM Posted February 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 Thanks, Debbi, I'll give that a try on my next one. Linda, what I'm talking about is when you initially baste your quilt prior to quilting. I think what I do is called "floating," but I'm not sure. I baste the quilt top to the batting and backing using the LA. Then I baste down the sides as I go. I do not use the quilt top bar at all as I seem to have better control when I allow the top to only be attached where I'm working on it. As far as the basting stitch, Debbie holds the yellow needle-up/down button in continuously to baste her quilts. Did that help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witha'K'quilting Posted February 16, 2009 Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 Dory, I run a straight stitch in regulated mode along the top of my quilts in the same stitch length as the remainder of the quilt. I also run down the sides of the quilt as far as I can without advancing the quilt. Those stitches are within the 1/4" of the edge and I just leave them in when the quilt is done. I start with square tops to begin with as they are my own. I like the stability it gives the edges when I go to add binding to my quilt. I guess my question is this: why would you want to remove the 'basting' stitches as you are calling them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
countrystitcher Posted February 16, 2009 Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 I always baste across and down the sides as I go. Sometimes I use the up/down button and going across I use a slow speed. I also float all my quilt tops, I even removed the quilt bar so I wasn't bending over it all the time but I have the older wooden table so it was easy to do. My customers have never said anything about removing the basting - I think some like it because it holds the quilt in place while they put on binding. Sharon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsbishwit Posted February 16, 2009 Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 I do exactly what Kristina does. I exclusively only do pantos/ ETE now for customers and this is the only way I know how to do it since doing the ETE patterns you need to go OFF the edge of the quilt. If you just leave in the pins as to pin baste the edges to hold the sides in place the machine would get caught in the pins. If you do nothing than the edges of the quilt shift and get tangled up with the hoping foot of the machine. My customers like that I baste their edges, they say it makes applying bindings easier and saves them one more step in the process. They also leave the stitching in place since I stay within the 1/4" area of the edge. Oh ang I also keep my stitch legnth the same as the rest of the quilt, saves my time and then I don't have to worry about resetting my stitch length when doing the ETE design. Depending on your prevence you could either do the up and down function or just lower your stitch length to one of the lowest settings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoryJM Posted February 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 I've always basted across the top and sides with the same stitch length, no more than 1/4" away from the top/sides. For whateve reason, this customer removes the stitches. I like them there on my stuff for the stability when applying the binding; she doesn't. She has, in the past, also done brought the back forward and wrapped it for a binding--that would then make sense to remove the stitches. Initially, I was changing my stitch length for the basting and then changing back to quilt...when I remembered. I can't tell you how many rows I started with the wrong stitch length:o Regarding Pantos...she doesn't want them to go off the edge of the quilt. When I do pantos for her, I start them about 1/2" in inch in and try to end the same distance away. I don't baste down the right edge of the quilt until after stitching, because I seem to have issues with the fabric bunching against that basting. Shana, I like your idea about the channel locks with the large basting stitch. That makes sense. You don't baste?? What do you do?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.