How to baste a quilt (the super easy way!)

Want to know the fastest way to ruin a quilt...puckers in the quilt backing. When I first started quilting I had the hardest time basting my quilts. I would always have huge wrinkles and/ or something I did wrong while basting.

The next product I learned to love/hate was quilters basting spray. A bottle at Joann's ran me about $5. A few quick problems I had was that, one it was so sticky and left a residue over everything in my kitchen, and two the needle would get sticky and the thread would break while I was quilting it. That being said I could whip that quilt around in my machine and no matter how awful I was to the quilt top (because let's face it quilting on a home machine is just a fight between you and the small arm of your machine) it would be pucker free! 

I decided after a while to try again to baste with pins to eliminate all the hassle of the spray. 

This amazing method is so easy and believe it or not I haven't had a wrinkle since I started using it!

Here it is step by step.

Tools needed: iron and extention cord, batting, quilt top, backing, 100 or so basting pins. (These have a curve in them and they are super cheep go invest in some!)

(Ignore your quilt top for now, it will be needed after these first steps)

Lay out batting. I prefer a cotton or cotton/poly blend. (If pre-packaged you can open a day before to let it re-shape and smooth out.) Do this on a solid surface with enough room to lay out quilt. Does not work on carpet. I used my kitchen. Next take quilt back and lay over batting right side up. If large I sometimes fold in half and just work with one half at a time. 

*secret weapon, use a spouse if they are in a good and helpful mood.  Take two ends and have them take two ends, pull tight and slowly lower (trust me this will help bunches)

Yes it will have wrinkles. What you are trying to do is keep the batting flat and keeping it from getting wrinkles. 

Next take your iron and pushing from the middle out iron the wrinkles away. 

Sometimes you can feel a wrinkle in the batting, work your hand over it, and you can usually smooth it right out.  Keep ironing, go over it a couple times just don't rush it. 

Here is the back

Next take scissors and trim excess batting. 

Ready for a cool tip

* batting is naturally a bit sticky enough to hold your fabric in place if you lightly fluff or move it. 

So you ready to figure out how the heck I'm getting the quilt top on this? Easy!

Just flip it, carefully and lightly. Now is a good time to re-smooth and work out any wrinkles that got stuck. DO NOT IRON BATTING EVER!

Just hand smooth without wrinkling the backing.

*handy tip, did you piece your backing? Line it up on a tile grout line, keep it straight and pay attention to it as you lay out the quilt top. Sometimes I start at this point to insure accuracy.

Now it's time! This is the big one so be careful! *remember that handy helper, here is where you bug them for just one more second! - don't have a handy helper, no biggie just take the quilt top folded in half and eyeball the middle carefull lay out and hand smooth, not moving the backing. 

I usually try to leave 2-3"extra backing and batting around the quilt, this time I was running way low on backing so I am making it work regardless. 

Fold over other half and hand smooth.

Now it's time to bust out that iron again, smoothing out all the wrinkles, iron the quilt top, again taking your time and repeating if necessary.

After it's smooth start pinning, using basting pins every 6-8" pin away the more the merrier. 

Now all you have left to do is flip it over and make sure you don't have any wrinkles! 

This method is the only way I can baste my quilts without a problem or a pucker! 

Happy quilting!