Basting Your Quilt

It's that time again!  2 months ago I gave some beginners tips for learning how to piece together a quilt top.  For starter tips & supply list go here.  4-patch tutorial is here and Pinwheel tutorial is here.

Next Tuesday I'm teaching a beginners quilting class at my church.  If you're in the Columbus area you should come - it's going to be fun!  First thing's first though - before you learn how to baste your quilt (put the 3 layers together) you need to decide which batting to use in the middle of your quilt.  There are a ton of options out there and it can really be confusing which one to buy.  I personally am a Warm & Natural girl, but that's for you to decide.  Sew, Mama, Sew gives a wonderful guide on all the different types of batting.

Some things to think about when choosing batting:
1- The most common thing I hear is that the batting just seems too thin and won't keep them warm.  It's the loft of the batting that determines the warmth not the actual thickness.  Most lap quilts and such are low loft.  It's what I almost always use, because it's a lot easier to work with.  However, if this is going on a bed and you really want a warm quilt you can use high loft batting.  It's more expensive, but well worth it if you want to be toasty roasty.  High loft means the fibers are woven closer together.  Remember- it doesn't refer to the thickness of the batting, so don't base it on how thick it is in connection to warmth.

2- Keep in mind how you are planning to quilt it when choosing batting.  Notice on the instructions of this particular batting that the furthest apart I can top stitch my quilt is 10 inches apart.   Each type of batting has different needs for quilting in order for it to keep shape and not warp or fall apart over time.  Some batting requires stitching as close as 5 inches, so check the label before purchasing it.

Basting Your Quilt:
There are a couple of ways to layer your quilt.  Alyssa at Pile O' Fabric gives a great tutorial on 3 different methods.  It doesn't really matter which method you use as long as you like it and it does a good job of keeping your layers from shifting.  I personally use Pin Basting.  This is the method I will be showing at the quilting class.

If you want to baste along with me during the class you will need to bring:

• Pieced Quilt top
• Quilt Back Fabric (ironed as much as possible) - It should be the size of the quilt top plus a couple inches around for a little wiggle room
• Safety Pins
• Batting (enough to cover your quilt back)