Have a large quilt to spray baste (are there still people who pin baste?) and in a quandary exactly how to do it? Just do it on a door, a garage door that is! It takes two, either an accommodating husband, partner, or another quilter, but it is really quite simple, and not only that, you have gravity working with you as well.

Two givens before you even start are a day that is not windy and a garage door that has few indentations. You will need a roll of tape: I use Lacquer Masking Tape (Scotch 2060) that I get at Wal-Mart and spray adhesive, Sulky Temporary Adhesive that I get at my local quilt shop.

Cut the batting, and press the top and backing before you start. Next, tear off about 20 pieces of tape three to four inches long and tack them lightly across the top of your garage door, which you have, of course, closed. Now with your helper, take your quilt backing and tape it to the garage door, wrong side up, using the pieces of tape you tacked along the top of the door. Smooth the backing with your hands, allowing it to fall naturally, and tape the sides down with more pieces of tape.

Now you are ready to attach the batting. Fold the batting in half and have your helper hold it while you spray the temporary adhesive in a strip about a foot wide across the top of the backing. Next take hold of the middle of the edge of the batting and match it to middle of the edge of the backing. Then you and your helper each work one side, smoothing the batting onto the adhesive from the middle out to the side edges.

Your helper next lifts up the unattached part of the batting holding it out of the way while you spray adhesive on the rest of the backing. Start in the middle and work downward, again letting gravity work for you as you smooth out the batting toward to the side edges.

The top is next. Determine a point or a line on the top edge of the backing that's visible that you can use to align it with the top. With your helper holding it right side up, using straight pins, pin the edge of the top exactly where you want it to be across the batting, which you have already bonded to the backing.

Now you are ready to spray the batting under the top. As your helper holds the top out of the way, you spray adhesive on the batting. Starting in the middle and working downward, you both smooth out the top to the side edges, once more using gravity to make it lie flat.

It's a good idea to make sure the edges of the top are firmly attached to the batting by lifting them slightly and re-spraying them.

Remove the straight pins along the top, and take carefully your quilt down. Pressing out any rogue wrinkles before you, start will make the quilting easier. Try spray basting your quilt next on a door: it’s the latest wrinkle!

©2003 Patricia Littlefield

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