Sharon Schamber board basting method.

[rubywishes]

I'm going to try this method with my Desert Sky quilt. I am never completely happy with spray or pin basting.....spray just doesn't seem to adhere very well to the wool/poly batting I use, and when I pin I always end up with some shift in the top that then requires repositioning of some pins and glue basting made my Juki throw a major tantrum.

i want my Desert Sky to be a wall hanging so I really want to do it justice so I thought I might give the board and thread basting method a try. So today I have pressed and starched my top and bottom and rolled them onto their boards. Tomorrow I thread my specially bought basting needle (tried ever so hard to look as though I knew what I was doing at the LQS when purchasing them and the embroidery thread......don't think I succeeded  ) and sally forth into the world of hand basting with a herringbone stitch . It remains to be seen if I survive the day or simply give up in disgust, reach for the red wine and the can of 505 which I've firmly shoved to the back inner depths of the cupboard.

So has anyone else used this method? what do you think of it? Apart from the obvious "slowness" of thread basting, it looks like a very tidy/compact (and comfortable) way of basting. I'm looking forward hopefully to having a very nicely secured quilt sandwich. Am I dreaming????

[Kenora]

Need to go and gen up on Sharon's method before I can give a considered answer to this. But I've been leaning towards hand-basting (tacking in the UK) rather than pinning or 505'ing recently. Because:- the quilters' safety pins are just too thick (imho) and leave holes in precious fabric; if I use straight pins they always "get" me while I'm quilting  ; and the 505 is just so expensive, very messy and I hate trying not to inhale it.  So I've gone back to hand-tacking my quilts together and, although it seems slow at first, it's quite therapeutic using long stitches, and holds together much better while actually quilting.

[Iminei]

good luck

[rubywishes]

Progress has been made  . I bought my boards at the local hardware shop, laid my top, batting and backing out and placed the boards squarely on each of them. I rolled them up, flipped them around and was set to go.

This is certainly a slow method of basting, I'm only halfway through doing it and have spent probably 3 or 4 hours at it. On the plus side, it is very relaxed and comfortable, and most importantly for me being a bit time poor I can leave it set up on my sewing table and come back to it when I have a spare moment. I like the rhythm I get into when I hand baste and I very quickly got used to the herringbone stitch...it's very meditative and relaxing. I thread about a dozen basting needles in one go which then allows me to baste a whole section without stopping. When I finish the section, I roll up my basted section, pull all my boards forward and then unroll them one by one so I have my next section to baste. Each section is only about the length of my elbow to forearm, as per Sharons' Tutorial which keeps everything manageable. It's obviously not something to do if you're in a hurry to get on with your quilting, or on a time constraint.

So I'm only halfway along but feeling very optimistic that this is going to give me a good, stable sandwich. Time will tell.....who knows, I may get to the end of it and find it's all turned into a right proper botch!

[Lowena]

Way to go Rubes 

[Iminei]

This is going to be a triumph!
It looks so sophisticated, elegant and I think the colours probably capture Aus at its sunbaked best!

[Lowena]

When I was in Australia ( NSW and Victoria ) we never saw the sun at all 

[rubywishes]

It's been a few weeks due to problems with my eyes but at last the steroid drops are doing their thing and I've been able to get on with a bit of sewing.

So I finally finished thread basting my quilt using the boards as per Sharon Schambers' tutorial.  I must say that it was a slow process, probly took me maybe 4 hours or so but it had the advantage that I was able to sit comfortably at a table and chair whilst I did it and I could get up and leave it for a day or so if needed.  I did my herringbone stitches smaller and closer together than shown in the tutorial, only because it was the rhythm I got into. The end result was a basted quilt soooooo much lighter and easier to lug around my table and sewing machine than a pin basted quilt and made a much more secure sandwich than spray basting ever has for me.

I have started the quilting which is going to be vertical lines 1/2" apart right across the quilt.  I have only done about an hour so far so it is "early days" but my initial impressions are positive. The quilt feels much more manageable and secure and the basting thread snips and is easily removed either as you're sewing or, as I've opted to do, once I have finished sewing a section. Even when the basting thread is sewn over by the sewing machine it is easy to remove without disturbing the quilting stitches.  I'm hopeful that the rest of the quilting goes as smoothly and if so, then this will become my preferred method of basting....anyone want to buy 500 curved pins and a half used can of 505?

[Kenora]

It's looking fantastic @rubywishes 

[Iminei]

That is one beautiful quilt in the making!

Do you fancy a visitor, Rubes?? Im in need of a break from blighty!

[Pinkstar]

That looks fabulous.