Experiment In Basting

Up to this point in my quilting, I have pin basted all my quilts.  I think thread basting takes just as long to do as pin basting.  I work on my quilt in sections lugging it about and patting it smooth.  It takes hours and it isn’t pleasant.  Then the pins get caught on my machine and other things.  Once a quilt is pin basted, it can’t really be folded up and put away because those pins are stressing the fabric, plus they might rust in the long term.  Safest is to quilt it as quickly as is reasonable, removing the pins as you go.

Recently, I googled quilt basting and found this video by Sharon Schamber.  It is in 2 parts and takes about 18 minutes.  She changed the way I baste quilts.  In a nutshell, her method involves rolling the top and back up each on a separate board and unrolling in sections to baste.  She thread bastes with a tatting thread.  Her method of rolling would work for pin basting as well.

Her video is not as clear as possible. For the demonstration, she used the same magenta batik for the top and back and it was difficult to tell what she was doing, although she explains clearly.

A while ago I discovered there were such things as fusible thread and dissolving thread.  I wondered if one could baste with the dissolving thread and that is what this experiment is going to answer.

The thread I am using to baste my waterwheel quilt is Superior Threads’ Vanish light weight water soluble thread. I bought a 2000 yard cone from Sew Thankful for about $27, making it the most expensive thread I own.  Incidentally, I am storing this thread in a Ziploc bag and a few of those silica packs that absorb moisture.

For basic basting direction go here.

For commentary on the basting go here