100 Quilts & More | WINTER 2020
- QUILT
SANDWICH
Cut and piece
backing fabric to
measure at least 4"
larger on all sides
than quilt top. Press
seams open. Place
quilt backing wrong
side up on a large
flat surface. Center
and smooth batting
atop quilt backing.
Center quilt top,
right side up, on
top of batting
and smooth out
any wrinkles.
3. BASTING
Use safety pins or
long hand stitches
to baste together
all layers of the quilt
sandwich, spacing
pins or stitches
3" or 4" apart.
Work out from the
center of the quilt,
smoothing layers
as you go. Some
quilters prefer to
use basting spray,
which acts as a
temporary adhesive,
to hold layers
together. - BATTING
Batting comes in
different fibers and
thicknesses (lofts).
In general, choose
a cotton or cotton-
blend batting with
low to medium loft
for hand or machine
quilting. Follow
manufacturer’s
instructions for
maximum distance
between rows of
quilting so that
the batting won’t
bunch up and
create lumps. - MARKING
TOOLS
Choose marking
tools that will not
show once quilting
is complete. These
include water- or
heat-soluble pens
and plastic marking
tools. Test your
marking tool on
a scrap of fabric
from the quilt
before use; some
marks permanently
set into fabric,
especially after
ironing. - QUILTING FEET
The two presser feet
commonly used for
machine quilting
are the walking foot
and the free-motion
quilting foot. A
walking foot evenly
feeds multiple
layers; it is ideal
for straight-line
designs. A free-
motion quilting foot
disengages the feed
dogs and requires
you to move the
quilt sandwich; it
is ideal for curvy
quilting designs.
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Always check your batting’s package to
see if it’s compatible with the amount of
quilting you plan to do on your project.