I'm sure there are lots of opinions on whether or not one should even use the stuff (basting spray). However I believe when you plan on doing an all-over curvy
quilting design where pins would get in the way, spray basting presents a handy option. I do feel it
must be done outdoors. But have you ever tried to tape a quilt back to
concrete? Not easy, nor is manipulating the layers once you've sprayed.
So.. one sleepless night, I spent a few hours surfing the internet and Youtube, trying to find a better way. I eventually came across this technique , which I think its brilliant!
I first tried it over the weekend on my Rail Fence quilt, as you can see above. Its amazingly fast and easy. One tip I'll add is that I placed a little rubber bumper in the middle of the garage door, as a placement guide for my layers. Then all you have to do is find the exact center of each layer (back, batting, top) and make sure the centers are over that dot as you layer. No guessing, and is crucial especially when your backing piece ends up being barely big enough, as is often the case with me.
On to the quilting. I used one of my favorite patterns, the large arcs, which are like an oversized, random Baptist Fan. Easy, with a walking foot. And dense enough to give a wonderful crinkle after washing and drying in the dryer.
I was able to use a little wider arc on the plaid quilt, about 1 1/8", and only two "fans", which made this one even faster. I love how they turned out.
Now, what about this crazy weather! It was oppressively hot over the weekend here, with temps above 100 three days in a row, topping out at 111 on Saturday. This was in Watsonville, which is on the Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast of California, where people who live inland come to cool off! It was actually hotter here than most of those inland cities. Very strange, and a bit scary.
None of the houses here have actual air conditioning, because it "never gets that hot" here. We do top100 from time to time, but "it always cools down at night" - another constant that never happened last weekend. It never got below 65, so the house never cooled down. My "air conditioning" consisted of a small fan in front of the window in my sewing room, which I had pointed directly on my face as I was working, about two feet away. My tiny little oasis in a sea of sweltering heat.
I'm happy to say its cooled down to a muggy mid-70's this week. But you know I can't complain too much, at least we're not in the line of any major fires, or hurricanes. Keeping fingers crossed on that ....
My heart and thoughts are with the thousands of folks being burned out, blown out, or flooded out by these devastating events. Not to mention the wildlife, and loss of habitat. I pray for relief, all the way around.
love,
Sandy
