Sharon Schamber Pinless Basting, Part 2

I've started to wrap the backing onto its 1x4. This doesn't have to be super snug, but it does have to be relatively straight. Notice that the top still isn't fully wrapped up. You get another opportunity to line the top and the backing, which I was relying on to ensure that the square nature of the pieced back didn't look stupid. Of course, I won't know for sure until I've sewn the binding on, but I did my best to keep it from being too katty-wampus!


Another view of top and back in mid-roll.

Here, bot the top and the backing have been fully rolled onto their boards.

At this point in her video, SS rotates the boards on the surface she's working on, so that she doesn't have to move to the other side of the table. In my case, I just walked around and started unwrapping from the left where I had rolled up from the right side of the table.

It's at this point that you introduce the batting to the process. First, unroll about 16" of the backing, leaving the rest on its 1x4. Next, drape the batting over the backing. Remember, this process is pretty much the same as the standard pin basting with one CRUCIAL difference: because the backing and top are rolled smoothly on heavy pieces of wood, they don't need to be stuck down on the table.

After the batting is smoothed (I actually pat it in place, figured that bubbles can be encouraged to lie flat more easily than they can be stretched out to either side), place the top where you want. Here's where I got somewhat fussing, lining up the center seam with the seam in my backing. In most instances, it would only be necessary to center the top from side to side, and allow a reasonable margin of backing along the edge of the table.

I've just folded back the quilt sandwich to show that the backing is really the right way around. That's the genius of laying them out properly first -- once they're rolled up, it would be hard to get the backing upside down, but it never hurts to double-check.

In SS's video, she suggests starting with a length of sandwich roughly equal to the length of your arm from wrist to elbow. That's another good thing about her teaching style: she uses common sense concepts like measuring with your body rather than getting hung up on precision at this stage. Trust me, she's got precision nailed elsewhere in her quilting!