Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Basting a Quilt on a Table

 If you're a person who bastes your quilts on the floor, as I did for years,
you might want to know that you can save your knees and do it on a table. 

I learned this method from my friend, Sally, some years ago.  
It's made my least favorite part of the quilt-making process a pleasant afternoon or evening.



Here's how it looks when you're ready to start pinning.  




All you need are some clips from the office supply store, 




And a used 6 foot folding banquet table. 
You can also use your dining table, as long as you protect it with a mat.




Tape two toothpicks in a cross to mark the middle of the table.
You can also mark the middle of the sides and ends of the table with toothpicks and tape.
Use painter's tape if you're concerned about damaging the table surface.




Fold your backing fabric in quarters and iron at the center corner.
Line this up at the toothpicks and unfold it over the table,
right side down.




Clip your backing to the table.
Iron the center corner on your batting and quilt top.
Then place them over the clipped backing.

You will be able to feel where the center lines of the table are because of the toothpicks.
Pin this section of the quilt together.




When the first section is all pinned, move it off the edge,
leaving a row of the pinned area on the table.

Peel away the quilt top and batting. 
Clip the backing to the table and carefully smooth the batting and top over it.
Repeat until the whole quilt is pinned.

When finished, I fold the table and store it under the guest room bed. 




It was a snow day here today,
the perfect time to baste my corduroy quilt!



15 comments:

Teodo said...

Very good. Grazie

Unknown said...

Your colors are wonderful. Such a beautiful quilt.

Mystic Quilter said...

So many different takes on basting - I like this one. I love the quilt - fantastic colours!

Phyllis said...

Will definitely give it a try, thank you!

Kaja said...

This sounds a lot better than my current method (tape on floor, hands, knees, much stiffness and creaking of joints).

patty a. said...

That is a great process you have for basting! I used my dining table for a number of years, but it was not very big so it took a lot of moving around to get quilts all pin basted. Years later my Dad made me an 8 foot by 8 foot table and my battles with pin basting ended! I usually have the table set up 8 foot by 6 foot. Dad made it out of two sheets of plywood with the 4 x 8 center and two leaves 2 x 8. I bought my current house because it had a room big enough for my quilting studio including my table. Yes, I am a lucky girl!

That quilt you showed - stunning!

David Owen Hastings said...

Brilliant! I’m going to do this from now on. Thanks LeeAnn!

audrey said...

Wonderful tutorial! I don't think I've heard of the toothpick trick before. Now it starts to look more doable! I am definitely going to start doing my basting this way if I ever figure out where to store a table inside the house!

Ann said...

I've never seen the toothpick center before. What a smart way line up the layers. And I'd never thought of using binder clips. I have a collection of spring clamps instead. I'll pull some binder clips out next time I baste.
Another beautiful top from you. Masterful layout. Congratulations.

QuiltGranma said...

Boy, that will sure save the back and knees! Thanks for sharing.

Marie said...

Brilliant! Now I just need to find a table...

Judy Martin said...

thank you very much. I used a button taped to centre of table to baste my last quilt - inspired by the toothpicks in your informative post.

the plus sign cordory quilt is fabulous - I really love it.

xo

Katell said...

The toothpick cross is brilliant! Thanks for the tip and have a nice quilting time!
Is the snow still there?

Nann said...

Just found your blog from Sujata's Basket of Scraps....thanks for the tootpick idea! I have used a safety pin to mark the center -- in one case pinned ON TOP of the backing so that I quilted it INTO the quilt. In another case it was pinned on the outside of the backing but I forgot it was there and broke the sewing machine needle. I'm going to dig out the toothpicks!

WesternWilson said...

There is an even easier basting method that Sharon Schamber posted to Youtube “Hand Basting a Quilt”...while Sharon uses tailor tacking to baste her layers, you can update that by using spray baste.