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Diane Gaudynski
personal. pitnet.net/ dgquilt
Four-time winner of the Bernina Award for Excellence in Machine Workmanship at the American Quilter's Society Show.
Ricky Tims
www.rickytims.com
Winner of the award for Best Machine Quilting at the 1997 National Quilting Association Show.
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Tips & Techniques
Prize-Winning Tips for Machine Quilting
Layering and Basting
Stretch the lining taut and hold it with tape or clips.
Diane
I layer quilts over my dining table, stretching the lining taut and holding it with drawing board clips.
Barbara
The only place I have large enough to layer a quilt is a carpeted floor. I use T-pins to hold the lining in place.
Sue
Tape a button to the center of the table so the centers of all three layers are easily positioned by feel.
Diane
To hold a quilt square, the lengthwise grain of the lining should run from the top to the bottom of the quilt. Carol
When stretching the lining, secure it first end to end along the lengthwise grain, or parallel to the selvedges, so it doesn't distort.
Diane
Stretching the lining too tight can create a problem; when you release the tape or clamps, the sandwich will relax, resulting in puckering on the surface.
Sandra
Pin from the center to the edges of the quilt, smoothing the fabric as you go and making sure that the straight lines of the quilt lie straight.
Carol
I use the block pattern of my kitchen floor so I can easily keep the lining square.
Carol
If you don't want to baste a whole large quilt on a floor, secure the layers by pinning in a "cross" or "plus" shape to divide the quilt into quarters. Then move it to a counter top or table to finish pinning each section.
Sue
I like to layer small quilts on a gridded cardboard cutting surface-the kind garment makers use. The grid helps me keep the material square.
Sandra
To avoid distorting the layers, I wait to close the safety pins until I have all the pins in. I use a Quick Klip™ to aid in the closing process.
Pat
I place pins every 4" for cotton batting and every 3" for polyester.
Sue
I hand baste the layers together using water-soluble thread. I baste horizontal and vertical lines about 12" to 18" apart. Because I use cotton batting, the layers stick together with minimal basting. If the sandwich needs more, I use the machine to secure it with additional water-soluble thread.
Ricky
Batting has a grain line and the way you use it will effect your finished quilt. The lengthwise grain, or non-stretchy dimension, should run the length of your quilt. I use a removable marker to mark the lengthwise edge of the entire batt. If you don't use the whole batt, the remainder will have the grain marked for later use.
Sandra
Doing a good job of basting is one of the most important steps in the whole machine quilting process!
Sue
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