Basted quilt

All About Spray Basting a Quilt

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Quilters, save time and make basting infinitely easier by basting with temporary spray glue instead of safety pins. #spraybasting, #bastingquilt, #quiltsandwich, #quiltlayersWhat’s your least favorite part of making a quilt? Mine is basting. Or it was, until I discovered basting spray.

Basting spray glues the layers of a quilt together temporarily until you can quilt them together permanently with your sewing machine.  It’s by far the fastest and easiest way I’ve found to baste, and the glue washes out after the quilt is finished. But spray basting isn’t perfect. Here’s a review of its advantages and disadvantages, followed by step-by-step instructions for spray basting on a wall, the floor, or a table top.

Basting with Spray Adhesive: the Good and the Bad

First, the good:

  • It’s fast! It’s easy! (So much faster and easier than pin basting, using tacks, or hand stitching.)
  • You can reposition the layers if you need to during quilting.
  • There are no pins, stitches, or tacks to remove while you quilt.
  • The glue washes out after the quilt is finished.

Then, the bad:

  • Fumes. These can be pretty nasty, especially if you have any chemical sensitivities. It’s essential to do your spray basting only in a well ventilated area.
  • Spray residue is sticky, so you need to be careful not to get it on your cutting board, your ironing board, or other surfaces. (Don’t ask me how I know this.)
  • Length of hold. Some sprays keep the quilt layers for months or years. Some don’t last that long. Check the instructions on your can before you baste. If you think it may take a very long time to finish a particular quilt,  you may want to consider pin basting the quilt instead.

Major Brands of Quilt Basting Spray

blank

There are several major brands of basting spray that can be found at quilt stores, big-box fabric stores, or craft stores. These include:

  • 505 Spray and Fix Temporary Fabric Adhesive. That’s what I use.
  • Sullivan’s Quilt Basting Spray
  • June Tailor Basting Spray

All three say they are odorless, colorless, and repositionable. They all claim not to gum the sewing needle while you quilt. 505 Spray and Fix and Sullivan’s also say they are acid-free. The June Tailor spray is only recommended for quilts, not for applique, and for 100% cotton fabric and batting. 505 Spray and Fix says it works well on all types of batting and fabric.

You should be able to baste several bed-sized quilts with one can of basting spray.

Getting Ready for Spray Basting

You can baste on a wall, on the floor, or on a table. Choose a place that is well ventilated so you don’t breathe in too much spray. Cover the area around the quilt to protect against overspray. Some quilters cover the basting area with taped-down newspaper or butcher paper. I like to use an old sheet which can just be tossed in the wash when it gets gooey.

Spray Basting on the Wall

Quilt backing taped to wall

  1. You need an open wall area larger than the quilt you are planning to baste. The photo above, by amy dame, shows a quilt being glamorously basted on the wall of her building’s laundry room. If you have a quilt design wall set up for pinning, that’s the perfect place to baste. Learn how to make a quilt design wall.
  2. Cover the wall around the spraying area with paper or an old piece of fabric to protect against overspray.
  3. Pin or tape the quilt backing fabric to the wall, with the right side facing the wall. Stretch the fabric so it is smooth and taut, but not so tight that it distorts the shape. For large quilts, this may be a two-person job.
  4. Lightly spray one the backing with basting spray. If the backing is very large, spray one half at a time.
  5. Smooth the batting onto the sprayed area.
  6. Continue spraying the backing and smoothing the batting until the whole batting layer is adhered to the backing.
  7. Lightly spray the batting with basting spray and smooth the quilt top on, right side facing you, the same way you did the batting.
  8. Take the quilt down from the wall. Put the quilt on your cutting table to cut away any excess batting and backing fabric. Leave 1-2″ margin of batting and backing around the whole quilt top.

You are now ready to quilt!

Spray Basting on the Floor

Quilt basted on floor

  1. Lay the quilt backing fabric on a clean hard floor, right side down.
  2. Use masking tape to tape the fabric to the floor, starting at the corners and taping all around the outside edge. The fabric should be smooth and taut when you are finished.
  3. Lightly spray one half of the backing with basting spray.
  4. Fold the batting in half. Align the fold with the center of the backing fabric, then unfold and smooth the batting onto sprayed side of the backing, working from the center out to the edges. Smooth until there aren’t any wrinkles left.
  5. Spray the other half of the backing fabric, then smooth the second half of the batting into place
  6. If the quilt you are basting is very large, you can divide the backing into quarters and only spray one-quarter at a time. If you do this, fold the batting into quarters and unfold it a quarter at a time onto the sprayed sections.
  7. Lightly spray one half of the batting with basting spray. Fold the quilt top in half with right sides together, then unfold it onto the sprayed section of batting the same way you did in the previous steps.
  8. When all wrinkles have been smoothed away, remove the tape.
  9. Trim away any excess batting and backing fabric to reduce bulk while quilting.

Spray Basting on a Table Top

Basted quilt Quilt being basted on a table top

  1. To baste on a table, center the quilt backing fabric on the table, right side down, and smooth out any wrinkles. I like to use large binder clips to hold the fabric in place around the table edges. If the fabric is too big for the table, let the extra hang down over the table edge.
  2. Center the batting on top of the backing, then roll it back to expose a section of the backing fabric. If the quilt is small, you can fold the backing in half. If the quilt is large, fold back a section 9-12 inches wide. Basting spray on quilt layers
  3. Lightly spray the exposed section of the backing fabric with quilt basting spray, then smooth the batting down onto the backing fabric. Smooth away any wrinkles, working from the center to the outer edges. If there are wrinkles you can’t get out, pull the batting up and smooth down again.
  4. Remove the binder clips and move the backing fabric so an unsprayed area is centered on the table. Spray the backing and smooth the batting into place. Keep spraying and moving the fabric until the batting is adhered to the whole backing.
  5. Glue the top to the batting in the same way. Make sure the right side of the quilt top faces up.
  6. When the whole quilt sandwich is glued together, trim away any excess backing and batting.

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18 Comments

  1. I hand quilt all my quilts. Is this adhesive ok to use for hand quilting? I’m afraid it will get hard /sticky and my needles won’t go thru? Tkd

    1. Basting spray can cause a bit of sticky residue buildup on the needle, but that happens over a period of sewing machine use, which is the equivalent of a LOT of hand stitching. The residue is easy to wipe off and I wouldn’t think would cause a problem. It doesn’t get hard.

  2. Just spray basted for the first time on a lap quilt I’m making. I’m wondering if I should start machine quilting from the center and work out or from the top and work down, etc. Does it matter if everything is “glued” in place? Thanks for any advice.

    1. I start quilting in the center and work my way out from there to the sides and top and bottom. That way, you can smooth away any wrinkles you find out to the edges of the quilt before stitching those areas.

  3. I have been using spray basting products for many years. I have always been concerned about the odor (and thus tried to spray baste outside, which is not always convenient) and some of the cheaper brands DO make your needles sticky or get gluey at the applicator head. I just used the SULKY KK 2000 temporary spray adhesive for the first time and its a real game changer. It is non-flammable, non-toxic, odorless, clear, and is ozone friendly (no CFCs or HCFCs). I used a very light mist and the adhesion was superb! When I quilted the layers there was no stickiness and my needle did not gum up. I don’t normally endorse products but this basting spray is very good and worth a try!

  4. Spray basting is horrible. I do not recommend any spray basting adhesive unless you want to gum up you sewing machine needles, break your thread, break your needles and pick all the mess out. I had to clean my needles with 100% acetone to get the spray off my needles.

    1. It’s certainly not perfect, but I still prefer it to pin basting or hand basting with needle and thread. The great thing is that you can choose your favorite way of basting and leave alone the methods you don’t like.

  5. I am not very happy with the spray i just used for my batting & quilt . I used Quilt Basting Spray by Sulivans.
    The top of my quilt is all sticky,my machine needle is sticky & I had so much glue on my hands. Not very happy
    How do i get the glue off of my topping & needle ? I washed it with a cloth & cold water & a lint brush HELP as
    I need to finish this & it’s not my best work !!!!!!

    1. I’ve also had bad experiences with the spray from Sullivan’s, which is why I now only use 505 Spray & Fix for basting. I would wipe down the sewing machine parts with alcohol. As for the top, is it possible for you to soak it in water with a little washing machine detergent mixed in, then hang to dry and press? That ought to take out the basting glue.

    1. I don’t know, Lynn. I stopped using June Tailor basting spray some time ago when it left marks all over a quit which wouldn’t wash out. My first try would be wiping the nozzle with rubbing alcohol on a cloth, or maybe Goo-B-Gone if you have any around. Anybody else?

    2. Make sure you aren’t spraying too much. I use it but spray very lightly, and it works pretty well. Mostly I use it on baby quilts. And I did notice that sometimes the spray gets globby, so I wipe the nozzle just like spray paint when I finish.

  6. I used to use June Tailor spray baste but they have changed the formula and now it is extremely smelly and does not spray near as well. I would not recommend using it. It also makes my needle somewhat sticky so that fuzz collects on the needle and I have had some difficulty free motion quilting. 505 costs more but does a much better job.

  7. I use a large sheet of plastic clamped to my craft table instead of a sheet or newspaper. Also, I use cuticle oil to remove the batting lint that always gets on my fingernails!

  8. Great website.
    I love that I can type in a topic and get helpful tutorials.
    Especially inspiring are the easy/beginner quilt patterns.
    Thank you.

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