So you’ve finessed those points, pressed those seams and completed your Quilt Top and now you’re wondering, what’s next? “Creating a Quilt Sandwich” is a quilting term that describes layering your backing, wadding & top in a secure way so you can quilt it on your sewing machine or by hand. It’s essential to ensure the layers don’t move so you don’t get creases when quilting.
You can use many different techniques to Sandwich your quilt, but this is how I do it. I’ve been putting off Sandwiching my Strawberry Mason Jar Quilt (kit available here) so I thought I’d get on and get it done and show you how I do it!
Supplies
- Your Quilt Top/front
- 606 Iron On Adhesive Spray
- Wadding
- Backing Fabric
- Curved Safety Pins
- Masking Tape
- Optional; Best Press Spray
Step 1
If you’re like me, your Quilt Top might have been stored away for a while, so give it and your backing fabric a good iron, you can use a starch spray such as Best Press Spray to get a crisp finish.
Step 2
On the floor, lay down your fabric wrong side facing up and use masking tape to secure it to the floor, making sure there are no creases. Lay your wadding on top leaving an equal border of excess backing fabric (your backing fabric should always be around 5”/10cm wider and longer than your wadding.
Step 3
Then, Spray the wadding with 606 spray, taking care not to breathe it in - open a window if possible.
Step 4
Lay your quilt front/top on the wadding, ensuring an equal border of wadding around the quilt top/front.
Step 5
Using a dry iron (so no steam) on the Quilt Front/top, iron the whole top so that it adheres to the wadding, making sure there are no creases and it’s secure. I often use an extension cord so I can reach all areas of the quilt.
Step 6
Lastly, we’re going to secure all three layers by using curved safety pins. Spacing them out about the size of your hand, pierce all three layers with the curved safety pins. These will need to be taken out as you quilt so you don’t damage your sewing machine.
So, that’s how I Sandwich a Quilt. Some quilters might use just one of these techniques (spray basting or curved safety pins), but to be honest I love using both as I always want to make sure my layers are extra secure because there’s nothing worse than doing all that work only to find the backing fabric has shifted.