What’s your least favorite part of making a quilt? Mine is basting. One hundred percent! Basting is a crucial step in the quilting process, but also the only one that actually makes me sweat. By the way - does that make basting count as exercise?
Our living room floor - the best place in the house to baste quilts. Bonus points for muskox! Quilt is a scrappy version of Waffles & jam.
Different methods of basting
The point of basting is to hold the quilt layers together securely before the final stitching. There are different ways to baste.
Thread basting, sewing with long, loose stitches that are later to be removed, is a traditional method.
Some prefer using a basting spray, and although it’s easy and effective, it’s not the most cost-effective way, and the environmental impact is also worth considering.
The method I first learned was pin basting - and it is still my favorite. (Okay, I’ll be honest: it’s the only one I’ve ever used - but why change a winning team?) Pin basting is easy and effective, and once you have invested in safety pins, you can use them again and again. And then there’s the added bonus of removing them as you quilt. It’s kinda like weeding - oddly satisfying!
How do you pin baste a quilt?
Here's a detailed guide to help you pin baste your quilt with confidence and prepare it for machine quilting on your domestic machine, or hand quilting (if you’re the patient type of quilter.)
What do you need to pin baste a quilt?
- your finished, beautiful quilt top
- batting, which should be about 5-6 inches bigger than your quilt top in both directions
- backing, which should be about 6-8 inches bigger than your quilt top in both directions
- safety pins, preferably curved, but regular pins work fine)
- large flat surface (a table or floor)
- tape (regular tape, duct tape or painter’s tape)
- scissors
How to pin baste a quilt
Prepare Your Workspace
- Choose a clean, flat surface large enough to accommodate your quilt. I use our wooden living room floor for large quilts and a large table for baby quilts, table runners etc.
- A smooth surface is easiest - avoid carpeted floors if you can, as the tape won’t stick to the carpet but your pins will (none of which is desireable).
- Ensure the surface is free from dust and debris to avoid any damage to your lovely quilt.
Lay out your quilt backing
Iron your backing and lay it on your surface, right side down. Smooth out any wrinkles and secure the edges to the surface using tape. (Both duct tape, regular tape and painter’s tape work.) Start by putting a piece of tape in each corner of the backing. Don’t pull too tight - you want the fabric to be taut but not stretched. Repeat for the middle of each of the four sides. I then add additional pieces of tape between the others as needed. If your backing is pieced, you might want to add some extra tape at each end of the seam, for instance.
Your taped backing should look something like this:
Add your batting
Center the batting on top of the backing. Smooth it out, starting from the center working towards the edges. Ensure that there are no bumps or folds. Make sure that your backing extends outside your batting around all the edges.
Here’s an example of what a semi-finished quilt sandwich could look like:
Add your quilt top
- Finally, lay your already ironed, smooth and beautiful quilt top on the batting, right side up. Align it carefully with the other layers, ensuring everything is centered and straight. Make sure that your backing and batting extends outside your quilt top around all the edges. The quilt top will “grow” a little as you smooth it out, so don’t start too close to the edges of the batting.
- Starting from the center of the quilt, smooth out any wrinkles, working your way towards the edges. Starting from the center makes your quilt less likely to shift.
Real footage of 1997-me pin basting my first quilt!
Start Pin Basting
- Now gather your safety pins. Depending on the size of your quilt, you’ll need quite a few - I normally use somewhere around 100 for a throw size quilt, and 200 for a queen-size quilt. Start pinning from the center of the quilt and work your way outward. The curved pins are a little easier to handle and less likely to shift the fabric layers, but regular safety pins work fine, too.
- Place pins all around the quilt about 4-6 inches apart. Make sure that each pin catches all three layers (backing, batting, and quilt top).
You could place the pins in the center of a piece of fabric, or across a seam - it doesn’t really matter. Note that if you have your quilting lines planned at this step, you might want to avoid placing the pin where you're going to sew the quilting seams. Pattern: Waffles & jam quilt.
Check and Adjust
- Once you've pinned the entire quilt, lift it gently from your workspace. Check for any areas where the layers may have shifted or bunched up. If you find any, re-smooth the fabric and re-pin as needed.
- Your quilt is now securely basted and ready for quilting!
- I roll the finished quilt sandwich from both sides, and start quilting from the middle of the quilt.
Hope this little tutorial was helpful! Good luck, and drop me a note if you have any questions!
Ps: if you plan to send your quilt off to a longarmer for quilting, they normally don’t want it basted - and they also require a few inches larger backing and batting. Ask the longarmer what they prefer.
