I have a confession... I'm not a fan of basting quilts and I don't consider myself very good at it. I am frequently frustrated. The main problem being the quilt slowly shifts and becomes crooked as a baste it. I think it's straight, but by the time it's all basted one end can be an inch or two off from the top which can cause major problems.
I decided it was time to grow my skills, try a different method of basting and get the backing on straight.
I had this striped backing which I really wanted to use on the all woven quilt top. But would I get it on straight?
Whenever I am in the US and have a striped backing I just send my quilt off to my very talented quilter. She does the work of loading the quilt and making sure everything is straight. But when I am in India, I do all my quilting myself. So it was time to learn.
Before when I was basting my quilts I would try and center the quilt top in the middle of the batting and backing. This is hard to do with such a large object. This also meant I would think I had centered it and in reality I had the quilt on mostly straight. I stopped doing this method.
Now, I line up the backing, batting and quilt top all across the top making sure the quilt top is centered and is about 2 inches from the top of the backing and batting.
You can see in the photo below, this is after I had finished quilting, how I had lined up the backing, batting and quilt top.
I then smooth out the layers making sure all the creases are gone before pin basting.
So far I have managed three quilts using this method and all have been on pretty darn straight.
You can see above the lines on my backing are perpendicular with the binding fabric.
If you struggle with basting your quilts straight here are a couple of tips:
- Use backings which are not directional (no plaids or lines). This helps hide if your backing isn't completely straight.
- Tape down the backing so it doesn't shift during basting. I like to baste on my kitchen table. So I tape it down at the beginning to get me started.
- Lay down each layer one at a time making sure each is straight and smoothed out as you go.
- Take your time and don't be afraid to make mistakes.
- If you are a beginner quilter and new to basting, practice with a baby size first. Working with a smaller quilt is easier.
I'm glad I finally decided to conquer my fear of directional backings and work on my basting skills. This quilt is so soft and flowy because I used all woven fabrics. The backing was the perfect fit. My own lack of skill would have made me use a different backing and changed the quilt's texture. I'm glad I made it using the striped backing and that it's even on straight! :)