Pin Basting for Machine Quilting

When it comes to preparing your quilt top for quilting, there are several different ways you can baste your layers together. Heather Thomas shares with you her favorite way to baste her quilts, which is pin basting. Heather shows you step-by-step how to pin baste a quilt including how to prepare the backing fabric, how to place your quilt layers and how close together to pin.

Backing Fabric

Ensuring that your backing fabric is wrinkle free and smooth is the first step in preparing your quilt sandwich. Heather explains how she uses tape to hold the backing fabric in place. She shares what her favorite type of tape to use is and why and then shows how to secure one side of the quilt, slightly stretch the backing fabric and then secure the other side. She explains how much you want to stretch the fabric and how to tell if it is stretched the right amount.

Batting and Quilt Top

Once the backing fabric is secure it’s time to add the batting and quilt top. Heather explains what size the backing and batting should be in comparison to the quilt top. She also explains why these sizes may differ depending on whether you plan to quilt the quilt yourself or if you plan to send it to a long arm quilter. She then discusses the different directions you can pin baste your quilt and how depending on the direction you choose you may need to leave more batting and backing fabric exposed on a certain side.

Pin Basting

Once the three layers and in place you can begin pin basting your quilt. Heather shows her favorite type of pin to use for pin basting, which are silk pins. She explains why she likes them and then shares a couple of her favorite brands. Heather then shows how and where to insert the pins, explaining how far apart the pins should be spaced.