How to Hand Quilt - Basting

Best Method for Hand Basting your Quilt

Hello and welcome to the first lesson in hand quilting. This article will assume that you have already pieced together the quilt top and that you have your backing and batting all ready to go to make your quilt sandwich.

This first lesson will concentrate on the basting of your quilt and the method I use. I do not use the method of pinning your quilt in order to baste it for one simple reason - I am extremely accident prone and I don't care for pins to be sticking me everywhere when I am working with a bulky quilt in my lap.

I use the method of hand basting with a needle and thread. I learned this hand basting technique from a video posted by Sharon Schamber. This is by far the easiest and best option I have found. It helps keep your backing straight, your batting smooth and the entire quilt sandwich lined up perfectly. There is no laying out a quilt on a dirty floor or back pains using this method. Find links to the videos below along with some tips for following this method.

Hand Basting Video 1
Hand Basting Video 2

Tips when using above method for hand basting your quilt:

• You will need different size boards for different size quilts. You want your boards to be slightly bigger than the width of your quilt.
• You will need a work space big enough for you to lay out your quilt width wise on. I use a large dining room table that would accommodate up to a king size quilt.
• Sharon recommends using a special thread for basting. I find that any thread is suitable, but this would be a personal preference. I use the same thread for basting as I use for hand quilting so I am not buying multiple threads, but it is coated and it is exactly the type of thread Sharon recommends against.
• I find this the most important tip to follow: Make sure the boards you use are not warped in anyway and are cut straight. Nothing is more important than straight edges. If the edges are not straight then when you roll your material around them it will be uneven.

I hope this article saved you some time in learning how to hand baste your quilt. I searched long and hard to find the perfect method and Sharon definitely helped me. Please visit Sharon Schamber Network if you wish to learn more about her methods. Please note that I am not affiliated with her in any way, but wanted to give her the credit she deserved!

Thank you for reading my article on how to hand baste a quilt and be sure to check back soon for our next lesson on hand quilting.