Wind an additional bobbin so you’ll have it at the ready when you need it. If you are pin basting, use a container near your machine to catch pins as you remove them. Raise the feed dogs on your machine, they will re-engage when you start to stitch. This is also a great opportunity to grab everything you might need before you start to quilt. Slide the Walking foot over from the side of the machine.Īttach the fork on the Walking foot over the needle bar screw, then slide the foot in place and clamp it in. Lower the feed dogs on your machine to attach the Walking foot. Lots of people tell me they have a hard time attaching the Walking foot to the machine.
Let’s get ready to quilt! I use the BERNINA Walking foot #50 with the open toe sole for straight line quilting. Try not to fold-up a pin basted quilt too tightly or leave it bunched up for long periods of time to prevent the pins from pulling and stressing the fabric. If you finish pinning and don’t expect to start quilting right away, you can carefully roll-up the quilt and store it away. Then I pin from the center out to the corners, and fill in the rest from there. I like to start pin basting in the center of the quilt and pin out towards the sides first. Quilter’s usually find their own rhythm and spacing with pinning. I use curved quilter’s pins and a tool to help open and close the safety pins. Now it’s time to grab your pins and start basting. You’ll know if you’re moving the quilt top too much in one direction or the other if the fabric in the top starts to distort, pucker, or pleat as you go. Move the quilt top slightly by pressing and moving gently with your hands to make the seam straighter. You will have a small amount of play with the quilt top to straighten out the seams a little bit. Line the straight edge up with the straight seams to check for straightness. You can also check to make sure your patchwork seams are straight in this step by using a long straight edge. Threads may end up showing through the lighter colored fabrics in the quilt top.Ĭenter the quilt top on the batting layer, and smooth out any wrinkle or puckers from the center out to the edges. I use a pair of thread snips and a lint roller to remove as many stray threads as possible. Carefully flatten out the batting on top of the backing, removing any wrinkles or puckers as you go.īefore adding the quilt top to the sandwich, give it a good pressing from the back side. The trick here is not to pull or distort the batting. Next, I cut the batting to the approximate size of the backing fabric, and smooth it out carefully. Try not to pull or distort the fabric when taping to the floor, just smooth it out and use the tape to keep the fabric flat. The tape helps hold the fabric flat and can prevent the bottom layer from shifting while pin basting, and will prevent puckers and tucks. I begin by using painter’s tape to secure the backing layer on the floor, right side down. I baste right on the wood floor in my sewing space. Press your backing well to make sure it is flat and free of any wrinkles. The final size should measure a minimum of 54″ x 54″ for this quilt. You can use a solid piece of fabric, or you can piece together a backing from smaller pieces of fabric. I am using a piece of 54″ wide cotton shirting for the quilt backing.
I use pin basting using quilter’s curved safety pins.īefore getting started with basting you will need to prepare your backing layer. You can use a spray basting method or a pin basting method. Basting helps the layers from shifting, bunching, and distorting while sewing the quilting stitches. Read part 1 to read about making a quilt with recycled clothing, and find the full materials list along with cutting and piecing instructions in part 2.īefore quilting the layers of your quilt together (the backing, batting, and quilt top), the layers need to be basted. Welcome to the final installment of Making a Memory Quilt! In part 3 I’ll show you how to baste and quilt your project, and how to finish the edges with a slim facing.