I Could Scream, or, Just Re-baste: Part One

 Remember the Jelly Roll Quilt? I had the piecing done before Christmas but put it away until after the holidays. Then, I did my pin basting since I will quilt it on my Handiquilter Sweet 16. I discovered, with much testing, that the Isacord thread is well suited to this machine. Anyway, I bought an extra-wide (108) inch backing, washed it, dried it, starched it, pressed it and pressed it. It warped a bit on the cross-wise grain during the washing/drying process so straightening the grain was like wrestling an alligator. That's a lot of fabric!

Now the most dreaded part of the quilting process, if not loading it onto a frame, the layering, basting, etc. I have pinned to the carpet for years but find that too difficult on the bones and I have a tendency to pull the fabric too tight and end up pulling it off grain and stretching the corners.  I have taped to the largest table I could find. That is a compromise as well because of distortions. And my table just isn't big enough. For example:

I sprayed and sprayed, straightened with tape, layered and sprayed some more. 

A thousand pins later, we are looking pretty good.

Trust me tootsie, that is a lot of pins!

When what to my wandering eyes should appear? A stinky, smiling dimple in the backing! I didn't actually scream but I wanted to. Knowing that I had to un-baste and re-baste kept creeping into my thoughts over the holidays. Rats! 

I know how this happened, it is in the middle of the quilt, of course, but I am blaming the adhesive spray. The bottom was nice and flat, secured, then I sprayed it and applied the batting in sections. When I moved from the center section outward, the batting pulled up the backing. I remember re-taping the side when it happened.  Apparently, we have system failure.

Well then, my dear quilting friend Jeanneke introduced me to a method I had never seen before. Her blog post describes how much this method helped her so I followed the links and ... well I'll be darned. What a good idea. Thank You Sharon Shamber. Shazaam!

I just happen to have a twenty foot piece of primed baseboard left over from a remodel project and husband has agreed to cut some for me this week-end. In the meantime. I have lots of un-pinning to do! 

Board Basting
Board Basting, part 2