Basting distance

[RangerAnna]

I just finished the top for a smallish quilt, about 4x5 feet or so, and don't have time to get it to a pro for quilting. So here, goes, I'll do it myself.

First question--how far about should basting be? I'll hand baste, making big, ugly 1 inch stitches. But how many rows/columns should I do? (Note to self, buy basting safety pins for next project.)

Next question: Because of the pattern I used (made up) I just need straight rows and columns of stitching. The quilt is for a 10 year old girl, so it will probably get handled quite a bit. So how far apart should I space them?

Thanks ahead of time for your help.

[MrsSimmons]

Re: Basting distance

I would advise you to watch this youtube by Sharon Schamber on hand basting. It is Part 2 of a two-part on how to nicely sandwich and hand baste your quilt. You can watch Part 1 if you are intrigued by her rolling technique as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_EjB...1&feature=fvwp

She does a tailor's basting stitch that is a zig zag and is about 3 finger widths long.

As to the quilting, you might start at lines 2" apart and then decide if you want to fill them in 1" apart, then decide if 1/2" would be nice, etc.

[RangerAnna]

Re: Basting distance

Thanks for the link, she answered several questions! I did watch the first video also--the board idea looks great, too.