Best Way to Baste

I don't know about you, but I think basting a quilt has to be the most annoying/boring/tedious/annoying part of quilt making. The first quilt I made back in May or 2017, I was a massive idiot and pin basted. I must hate myself.

I also had no clue what I was doing and didn't even know there were other options outside of pin basting. I hadn't gotten too crazy in to quilting at the time. I am pretty sure I did a terrible job on that quilt. I could place the blame in a number of places, but really, I was an idiot for trying to make a quilt out of upholstery fabrics and poorly measuring everything.

Now, I have finally seen the light! I say this with much intensity:

SPRAY BASTE IS YOUR FRIEND

Seriously. I don't understand how anyone can tolerate pin basting or thread basting. Spray baste has made basting not as hateful as it was that first time. There are definitely some tips and tricks that can make spray basting a hell of a lot easier. I have definitely come a long way from when I spray basted my first quilt. 

Here are some helpful tips if you are spray basting: 

1. Give your floor a quick vacuum or sweep before you get started. I have furry pets and I hate putting my quilts on the floor for any reason. When basting and squaring off quilts, I kinda have to. I always swiffer and mop before I put the quilt down. 
2. Make sure your backing is bigger than your quilt top, and that your batting piece is slightly smaller than your backing. This is mainly to make sure that once you glue it all down, you aren't going to be missing a corner of your backing. It also allows you to align the top with the back a little bit easier. 
3. Tape the back, wrong side up, to the floor. Pull it pretty tight to get any wrinkles out. It is so much easier to spray baste when your bottom layer is fixed and can't run away on you. 
4. Flatten out your batting and top layer before you start spray basting. Make sure everything is nice and even before you start spraying all willy nilly. You don't want to have to fix anything later. Trust me. It's a huge pain in the ass. 
5. Before you start spraying, open a door or window. This is the smart thing to do. I don't do the smart thing because it is cold outside right now. Whoops. 
6. Fold your quilt top back halfway and sit in the middle of your quilt with the batting kinda in your lap. Try not to move the top layer around. Spray the wrong side of the backing in 12"ish increments and press the batting into the sprayed area starting in the middle and moving outward. Get rid of all the wrinkles!
7. Is this too many tips?

Alright fine fine that is enough tips! Let me know if you have any questions on spray basting, or if you prefer another WRONG method of basting. Just kidding. No method is wrong, I'm just being a bit of a jerk. 

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