Jump to content

How to do the basting stitch?


juliagraves

Recommended Posts

How are people doing the basting by machine? I have been doing it one stitch at a time and moving an inch or so each time (very tedious). When I try to put it on a long stitch and let the machine go, it seems to drag the top fabric and it's hard to keep everything lined up.

I also have trouble with the machine catching on the basting stitches, especially along the top.

I saw the thread with Dawn saying that she uses pins on the sides, but I hate dealing with pins - I poke myself a lot...

Any advice?

Julia

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Julia,

I posted a picture once of bandages on fingers of both hands and asked if anyone knew what I had been doing...they all knew :D

I do baste across the top. Set the stitch length on a low setting, I set the channel lock so I get a good straight line, then I ka-chug, ka-chug, ka-chug...across the quilt. At one time I did baste the side, however, I found out from Dawn that doing that can cause the edges to wave once the binding is complete and the quilt is washed/used/whatever. I hate pins more than anyone out there. Currently I have a 2" scrape down the back of my hand where I caught the pins after I pinned in a quilt yesterday. Hate 'em, Hate 'em!!

I don't know the solution, but I listening too if someone has a good one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Myrna's DVD (I know, I sound like a commercial) is great. I just can stay enough good about this DVD.

Instead of pinning, she uses a light spray of 505 to fix the top to the batting along the sides, and she has a generous amount of extra backing so she can clip the backing loosely without distortion. I had been pinning side leaders (and sometimes forgetting to remove them before advancing a quilt) trying to keep the sides as even as possible, and my clamps were way too tight.

I love that the technology makes it possible for me to learn from all these teachers, and I can take a refresher whenever I want, without ever leaving the house. :) Thank you to Myrna and all the teachers who take the time to share their expertise this way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I always baste my sides about 1 inch long stitches. Yep one stitch at a time but it is just how I have gotten used to it. Is this not what I should be doing? If so can someone explain why is is not good and useing pins are better...................Inquireing minds want to know. I always like to know the best way to do things and why one way is better than another so I can make an imformed choice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To baste or not to baste--that is the question :)!

Just want to clarify something about pin-basting vs. machine basting the edges as you go:

My "opinion" (and that's all it is) about machine basting the edges comes from comments during my time judging machine quilting shows.

Tack basting is different from machine basting. Tack basting is using that needle up-down feature to put a stitch every inch or so. That type of basting is no different than pinning; it leaves a bit of space between the securing stitches so that the borders of the quilt can react to what's happening to the interior of the quilt as you go.

Machine basting is turning the machine on to a slow speed, and then just running it down the side of the quilt, with stitches less than a half-inch apart. The concern about this type of basting is two-fold:

1. IF your quilting does not extend off the edge of the quilt (for example, you are doing a border design that "floats" inside the border and does not reach the inner seam or the outer edge of the quilt), the outer edge of the quilt cannot "shrink" or change its shape as the quilting happens. The quilting draws up the interior part of the border, but the outer edge is held in place with the basting.

The problem comes in to play when the basting is not removed before the binding is attached. A quilt that would have been flat ends up having wavy borders when the binding is added, because that raw edge is still "stabilized" at the point when the quilt was stretched firmly on the frame, without regard to how the interior quilting caused the quilt to shrink or draw up.

If the machine basting is removed before the binding is attached, then hey, no problem. Simply re-baste it if you like, allowing the outer edge to "do its thing" in comparison to the amount of quilting inside the border, easing in the edge as you go. This will keep a flat quilt flat.

2. If the side border has any extra fabric in it, (I know, no one gets wavy borders from their clients :)) a running machine baste along the sides simply serves to push all that excess down to the bottom of the quilt. There you get dog-eared corners when you reach the bottom border.

Now, all bets are off if you are heavily quilting the quilt (lots of quilting in the borders that extends to the edge) or if you are doing quilting that leaves the edge of the quilt and comes back on. This type of stitching acts as a type of stabilizer as well, and the outer edge gets secured in different places in accord with what's happening on the rest of the quilt.

Whew! The reason I prefer to pin the sides vs. machine tack basts is simply because I'm lazy, and I turn nearly every quilt I do and re-mount it to the frame. Using the pins just allows for a quick re-load, since they are already holding the border in place exactly in line with where it should be on the backing.

That and the fact that I can easily pull them out and reposition if I encounter a problem. But turning a quilt is another thread, and my fingers hurt from typing :).

As Myrna pointed out, do what's best for YOU, and what makes sense to you. The path you take is not important, as long as you're happy with the result.

Happy quilting!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Satu,

To baste for a hand quilter, you have a couple of options:

[*] Use water-soluble thread in the top and bottom, and do a very large meander over the quilt surface. (Charge accordingly for the thread--it is more expensive, and let her know she'll have to wash the quilt after binding it)

[*] Set the machine in manual mode to a medium motor speed. Loosen your top tension considerably to make it easy for her to remove the thread. Use regular thread. Move the machine very quickly in manual mode, creating very long stitches (up to 1/2 inch or greater.)

I move across the quilt in a "castle top" style--right 3-4 inches, up 3-4 inches, right 3-4 inches, down...

Others just run parallel lines across the quilt, about 3-4 inches across. (Still using the long stitch in manual mode.)

Use a sturdy 4.0 needle for this.

[*] You can still do tacking stitches every 3-4 inches instead of a running baste. Needle up-down is one way, but you'll go nuts because it takes so long.

Instead, try turning the motor speed down to about 2-3, and then move to the place you want your first "tack" to be. Now use the "on" button and quickly turn the machine "on" and then immediately back off again. You'll end up putting 2-4 stitches there. Move to the next location, dragging the thread with you, and do the same thing. With this type, you can must move across the quilt in rows about 3-4 inches apart.

This approach results in the type of basting most hand quilters would be used to--with the thread dragging between locations so that they could snip them and easily remove them as the worked their way around the quilt. Hope this helps!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

THANK YOU ALL for the good info!

It appears from the discussion that I've been doing machine "tacking" - I'm glad to know that this is still going to let the sides breath and is a good option among many. I like the idea of spray basting - I may try that as well.

Thanks again - it's wonderful to have friends with good advice just a few clicks away :)

Julia

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hate pins also - so I spend the extra time to use safety pins. I can throw quilts anywhere, take them on and off the machine, hang the on hangers, pins never fall out and they NEVER stick me. Takes a little extra time but when I remove them I put them in a bowl and leave them open for next time. Takes a little more time but when I have 8 quilts pinned and hanging on hangers waiting to be quilted, it sure eliminates the chance for having a pin fall out and being stepped on or poking me when I move/load etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I usually do a basting stitch across the part of the quilt nearest the take-up roller then pin the sides. Hate the pins but it works best for me. I tried basting the sides instead of pinning then I was stuck ripping the stitches out when I had to adjust for the quilting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...