Glue Basting FAQs: Let's Answer All Your BURNING Questions on How To Baste a Quilt With Glue!!!

Hey, Everyone! First of all, I want to say a HUGE thank you to all of you for all the kind words and support for my most recent video: Glue Basting 101. Today, I'm going to be answering all of your questions from the glue basting video to clear up any confusion and help you with your own quilt basting projects.

In this video, we will cover the Top 10 Questions I got all about using glue to baste a quilt. I hope you find this video super helpful, and again, thank you SO much for all your support, subscribing, liking, and sharing my videos! I appreciate you very much!

CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro
01:30 Question #1
03:04 Question #2
04:22 Question #3
05:43 Question #4
07:28 Question #5
08:37 Question #6
11:04 Question #7
12:57 Question #8
13:41 Question #9
15:52 Question #10
18:40 Hand Quilting Demo Attempt
22:30 Wrap It Up!
23:58 Bloopers

LET'S HANG OUT!

FREE RESOURCES:

[cherylkazee]

Miriam, thank you so much for these informative glue basting videos. I'm Cheryl, 67 y.o., from Russell, KY. I haven't made a quilt in years, and whaddya know! Just as I'm in the planning phase for a quilt, you pop up in my recommendeds. I love your relaxed style and sweet, funny personality. I hope every video you do goes viral!

[sherrystaples]

Girl you are a breath of fresh air for an old lady. I can not tell you how much a delight it is to find someone who is left-handed on YouTube. It makes a big difference in a lot of things when you are trying to do things and people don't want to take the time to help you to understand how to do it when you're left-handed. They don't understand why you don't get what's happening. I really enjoy your down to earth approach to your work. Using Elmer's school glue is awesome. I tried it with my hand quilting and I love it. Right now I'm working on something that I've never done before. I'm making a memory quilt on a sewing machine. I've been quilting over 60 years and I have never sewn a quilt on a machine. My plan is to do everything on my machine. It will all be a first for me but thanks to your videos, I think I can do it. I have been working on a practice piece for the final quilting and it's been going pretty good. I just have to finish the top and then put it together so that I can quilt it. Wish me luck. Keep moving forward and so will I. Oh, before I forget, the spiral quilting that you and your dad did was amazing. Have a great day

[suedavis]

Glue basting is used a lot in appliqué. A thin line for turning the raw edge in and then hit with a Clover mini iron to make a nice sharp sewing edge. Then the appliqué piece can be glue basted in the backing fabric for hand stitching in place. It is very easy to hand stitch through glued fabric.

[cynrest]

This was great. I can’t even imagine how difficult it must be to be alone in a room, talking to a device, knowing there’s probably thousands of people out there eventually will be listening. Kudos to you. Wow that’s impressive.

[sandraballiet]

Where have you been all my years of quilting? This seems so logical, easy and economical - thank you thank you!!

[GrumpyYank]

I appreciate how direct and concise your videos are. Not a lot of drama or fluff. I care about ppl but i dont want to know anecdotes or personal drama and i dont need to be entertained. ‘Just the facts ma’am!!’ You have the perfect videos for me!! Yay!!

[HoneySparkles]

It went viral cuz..everything has gotten SO expensive 😢, and plus Elmer's brings back memories ❤😊. Awesome video!

[soapingirl]

I use Elmers. After doing a lot of online research a few years ago, I switched to school glue. I found getting the no name brand isn't as good. The same if you use glue sticks. I started out diluting it (3 parts glue:1 Part water at the most) a bit until I learned how to use it. I also used the cute little bottles that have the needle-like tips so I didn't get blobs. Works great!

[lisaann]

It is so weird that I came across your channel and this particular video the other day. I was about to baste a quilt and I actually had the thought that there must be some kind of non-sprayed glue to use. I’ve used pins alone and spray basting, but glue basting is a game changer! It is so much less expensive and messy. It also holds the layers together far better. I’m so glad you made this tutorial. It’s glue basting for me from here on out.

[kaif]

I keep a lip balm on my sewing table. I wipe some on my finger then wipe the needle. This really helps with any issues of gummy needles.

[paulag]

My personal recommendation would be to NOT to use school glue to baste a quilt that you do not intend to wash...such as an art quilt wall hanging. I have used school glue on a least five quilts (both large and small) and I love using it. However, every quilt has had several places where spots of glue may be a bit heavier and dry a bit harder and leave a hard dot that seeps through the fabric that you can see from the top. It washes out beautifully and you can machine quilt through it without any issues.

But if you have an art quilt you never intend to wash (perhaps raw edge applique), that glue spot can remain visible. So it's something I avoid for any quilt that I will not wash when it's completed.

I've done a light drizzle of the glue as you do (my preferred method) and have also used dots about a hand width apart (like you would for safety pins). I've often thinned the glue just a bit in the bottle (maybe a tablespoon or so of water) to help it come out easier without quite so much squeezing, which is hard on the arthritis in my thumb. I personally lay out my quilt on a bed, sometimes using pool noodles to roll it, and I give it a light pressing with a warm iron to help set the glue. I would still let it dry at least an hour after that before quilting. If it's totally dry, there's no gumming of the needle.

I also sometimes do the big stitch hand quilting with perle cotton thread as you did at the end of the video. I personally would find it hard to hand stitch through some of those dried spots of glue, so I also avoid school glue if I wanted to do big stitch quilting. Just my preference. I'd suggest trying a sample as the video shows and hand stitching before gluing up an entire quilt to see if you like it.

[KathyMoranPaul]

I have recently been diagnosed with a COVID related lung disease rendering spray basting taboo for me. Spray basting with the sporadic placement of a few pins has been my favorite go-to method for sandwiching. Until now. I haven't tried the Elmers Glue yet but can't imagine it won't work. Thanks for the info! P.S. I'm not a "cat person" but Kimmy is really beautiful!

[elizabethtrimble]

Just discovered your channel. I've only watched the two about glue-basting, and loved them both! I needed to baste my granddaughter's birthday quilt. I usually spray-baste my quilts with 505 spray (not nearly as toxic-smelling as most other sprays), but I knew I wouldn't have enough for this quilt, so I looked up glue-basting and your video popped up. It was so easy to do, and so much cheaper - I'll never go back! Thank you!!

[martiparsons]

Great tutorial!! I have been a glue convert for years!!! Well, at least 8 or 9! I can tell you that I know for sure that it will sit around basted for at least 3 years and still be just fine!! At the rate I'm going it may end up being 4!!! It is the only way I will baste anything anymore. I also use the glue stick when doing a small project like a table runner of placemat. Keep up the good work!

[sherrystaples]

Hand quilting is very therapeutic but so much fun and relaxing. Enjoy

[poodledoodlequilter]

Thank you so "sew" much! I tried a sample myself and I only hand quilt! It is got me through a few difficult times, my boys were small and my husband was in the USMC and I worried about him. Hand quilting and hand piecing (I don't own a machine) gives me time to think, it makes me slow down and I love watching the quilts come together. Thank you for all you do to help and teach others! Take care and stay safe!❤

[martismith]

Glue basting, what a game changer! Thank you, Miriam for a great tutorial on this easy basting idea! Subscribed right away, I love learning new techniques to make quilting even more enjoyable. I now feel more confident to sew my quilts together knowing I don’t have to worry about pins, toxic adhesives or slipping fabric. Love the cat, she’s an adorable helper ❤

[Amritadivya]

thanks for your video, very helpful. I have to add that school glue is a starch and that is why it washes out. Elmers makes glue that is not school glue that is not starch and can not be washed out as far as I know. People should know about that difference. I took a zoom quilting class in2020 that specifically was using school glue for binding a quilt in place if using pins. That teacher encouraged ironing the glued edge to secure the binding prior to sewing it.

[glendam]

I started using glue basting several years ago. I glue al of the back to batting with a thin zig zag sabout 6"apart, moothing it as I go; allow to dry overnight. Repeat the process for the front to batting the next day. Agaim allow to dry overnight. Next day ready to quilt. I've never had a problem with t sticky needles or f fbric shifting. Happy to see you sharing this tried and true method and so much faster than pinning.

[ZeldaSews]

My stitches are wonky too. When I hand sew anything, but I like it. 25 years ago I took a class on making a log cabin quilt. I ended up making a queen size quilt that I hand quilted and it took me almost a year to get it done.😅😮😅