Marti10245 Posted December 17, 2013 Report Share Posted December 17, 2013 I was wondering if it is a good idea to use spray adhesive to hold your batting to your backing and to also spray the top of the batting and then lay your quilt top on it to keep everything from shifting when you are floating your quilt top? I was worried that the spray adhesive would gunk up my needle on my Millie. I haven't tried it yet on Millie but i never liked using it on my embroidery machines it seemed to gunk up my needles. Does anyone have any advice on this? And if anyone does use spray adhesive what do you use? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted December 17, 2013 Report Share Posted December 17, 2013 I very seldom use the basting spray.. it is usually when I have to splice the batting, or get a small area of the quilt top to lay square and flat. Now and then I baste around the quilt with the up down button.. always baste across the top, and down the sides.. I only baste the sides as far as Penny will stitch. Perhaps my not using much of it, hasn't been enough for me to notice if it gunks the needles. Also when I do use it, I don't start right in sewing/quilting, so maybe letting it set a while lets it dry some? I will be using it today to position a large Teddy bear to a backing fabric to machine sew the edges, but again, I won't be able to work on it until probably tomorrow, then it will be on the dsm.] I have the Dritz right now.. Won't buy it again because of the warnings.. I do try to use it outdoors, and failing that, because of lung conditions, I use a mask, and leave the room as soon as it is holding it where it needs to be. Rita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K. Szymaszek Posted December 17, 2013 Report Share Posted December 17, 2013 I float my tops and never had any issues with the layers. I lock down the top of the quilt and the sides as I go. Each time I move the quilt forward, I gently pull the batting toward me to make sure it is laying flat, then do the same with the top, make sure everything is where it should be, then stitch the sides down. I do this with each pass. I hope this helps. K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingpup Posted December 17, 2013 Report Share Posted December 17, 2013 I have never used much of spray anything. I only have one set of lungs and one body. If you are doing OK without the spray, why change? It is true that a little spray probably will not hurt you unless you have issues with the chemicals in it, but I look at the total burden on us of all the chemicals we encounter that were not there for our ancestors. so...I just try and avoid them as much as possible without living in a bubble. Also, most of the chemicals out there really have not been through a extensive testing process such as they do for drugs....just my thoughts....I do like to pre-wash my fabrics before using as that removes some chemcials...but I don't always do that especially with pre-cuts. Lin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted December 17, 2013 Report Share Posted December 17, 2013 If you decide to use basting spray to hold a top you want to float, get the top in position and square before you spray. If you spray the batting first and then lay the top down you have a big chance that the top will not be straight Pulling the top off the batting to square it will be a huge hassle. My first longarm classes were at Longarm University with Cindy Roth. She recommended placing the top on the batting so it's square and smooth, and then lifting the sides to spray underneath. Drawbacks of using basting spray in your studio-- Overspray gets on rollers and leaders. Also on the batting along the sides of the top--very annoying to get on your hands or arms while you work. Lung protection should be worn. Possibility of the needle getting gummy from the spray. No way to re-position the top easily. I guess you can tell which side I'm on regarding basting spray. Give it a careful try and see if it is of benefit to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meg Posted December 17, 2013 Report Share Posted December 17, 2013 I float all my quilts....even the ginormous ones. I never use basting spray. I mark the edges and sometimes a border edge on my levelor bar and top roller (which is empty). I use painters tape for this. Then as I advance, I use those markings for reference when I sew down the sides. I ease in any extra fullness throughout the stitching row as I go. If I'm advancing and rolling back and forth for thread changes, I use pins in those areas to hold in place. Easy peasey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marti10245 Posted December 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2013 OK I have made up my mind to not use basting sprays it seems like more of a hassel then it is worth. I have a very sick husband and the last thing he needs is to have more chemicles in the house to breath. Thanks you for all of your help and advice Marti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlrhash Posted December 22, 2013 Report Share Posted December 22, 2013 I do not understand what floating is. Is there a video showing this? Also, having watched the dvd that came with my Millie, I have 2 questions. Dawn shows pinning the sides of the quilt. How do the pins roll without bending? I have used the Gammill at work and we just basted down the sides. Also, we pinned the top of the backing to the take up roller, then lay the batting even with the edge of the canvas. Next we laid the top on the batting, about an inch down and basted it instead of pinning. Is there are reason to only follow the dvd or would I be ok in loading as I have done with the other brand of long arm? Sorry for going off topic, but wanted to ask the questions as I thought of them. Hope to load my first sample piece tomorrow as I won't be working. Fingers crossed it all works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pumpkinpatchquilter Posted December 22, 2013 Report Share Posted December 22, 2013 I see you have already chosen not to use a basting spray - I don't think it's necessary and I think you'll be happy enough without it. I float my tops and personally just don't find it necessary to attach it to a leader to keep all straight and neat. I think it's personal preference, try it both ways and decide what works for you. Once I have placed my top down over the batting and all is straight and ready to quilt - I baste the outer edges of the quilt, then I baste using the one stitch feature on my old machine down through the body of the quilt as close to me along the bars as my machine will allow me. So I have this sort of basted in rectangle of work space. I remove the basting through the quilt as I advance and add a new line of basting through the quilt closest to me to again keep all from shifting. By doing this as I work my way down the quilt I have the freedom to adjust and move things as I need. So if I see seams are starting to go out of whack I can rein them in and then baste in place. jlrhash - There are MANY videos on Youtube about this subject - but floating is simply not attaching the quilt TOP to a leader. Instead you lay the top over the batting and baste or pin in place...so the bottom of the quilt not yet quilted is free and lays on the ground or under the machine. I do the same with my batting. I cut off what I need and then "float" it over my backing. The only thing I attach to leaders is the backing. I think I remember Dawn saying she uses the Clover flower pins because they were more flexible...but I haven't found my pins to ever bend from being rolled up around the rollers...just from being shoved through canvas! LOL I don't use pins much anymore as I just baste things down with my long arm - it's easier and I get poked a lot less! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingpup Posted December 22, 2013 Report Share Posted December 22, 2013 I think the process you are describing is floating the top...totally not floating in my mind is when you pin the backing batting and top all at once to the leader...I don't think I have ever heard of anyone actually doing this? I do the the loading similar to you except now that I have my Lucey.....I pin the backing to the takeup roller and also to the front roller...then I layer my batting close to where the backing is pinned...then I put on a channel lock and stitch a line straight across the batting and backing...then I lay out my quilt top even with the line I just stitched....I do use a few pins just to keep it in place while I baste across the top of it....I think what I do is a semi-float as I also have rolled the rest of my top on the bar at the feed out side.....if you just let the top drape over that roller....I think that is a "full float" as the top and backing would not be around any roller until you quilt it and roll it up on the take up roller. For the sides of the quilt....both folks who showed me how to load my quilt...did baste down the sides.....I was used to just pinning the sides as I get to them and I remove the pins before I roll the completed portion up....for me as a beginner...it is easier to pin the sides as I can more easily adjust for any fullness that starts to happen along the sides....I do the piecing for the quilts I quilt....and I am not perfect! If I don't have this right...folks just jump in! LIn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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