Glue Basting Basics

Glue Basting MicroFine Glue Tips

July 15, 2014

All about Glue Basting

Glue Basting is a game changer and is one of my favorite sewing and quilting tools. It helps me with efficiency and accuracy when I sew, which makes me happier with my results. Most of the time, when I mention glue basting to new quilters, or to experienced quilters who are new to me, I see confused looks come over their faces. But, they change their tunes really fast when they see what can be done with glue basting and how much it can improve their results.

My mom (the amazingly talented Sharon Schamber) introduced me to glue basting when she taught me how to appliqué, 24 years ago. Since then, my love for glue basting has only grown and I find uses for it in almost every sewing or quilting project. Here are just a few of the things I use glue basting for:

Precise Piecing
Appliqué
Curved Seams
Zippers
Bindings
Clothing.
Plus more!

Basically, you can use glue basting almost anywhere you would use pins or clips.

Elmer's Washable School Glue, topped with a MicroFine Glue Tip, is my go-to for glue basting. The Elmer's glue is easy to find in local stores, especially just before school starts, like now. (If you live outside of the US, I sell Elmer's in my shop, and happily ship it to you.) The MicroFine Glue Tips are made especially for my shop and fit perfectly on the 4oz bottles of Elmer's Washable School Glue. They're made from clog resistant plastic, and I find that they clog much less often than other glue tips out there.

There are other products out on the market that can be used for glue basting. I've tried virtually all of them, but the Elmer's Washable School Glue and Fine Tips combo is, by far, my favorite.

The accuracy that I can achieve with glue basting, is addicting. I love when my points match! I know you'll love it too!

Pretty, right?!

Glue basting is so simple:

Simply draw a fine line of glue inside on the inside of your seam allowance. I draw mine about 1/8" from the selvage. The glue shouldn't be right on your seam line.

Line up, or nest, the next piece with your first. Be sure that all edges are lined up, just as you would if you were pinning. Then, heat set the glued edge with a hot dry iron. Heat setting dries the glue completely, and just takes a quick second or two because the line of glue is so fine and thin. The heat setting also prevents any shifting. Awesome, right? Immediately, you'll experiece more accuracy in your sewing and piecing.

Then sew as usual. When I piece, I prefer 1.6-1.8 stitch length. After sewing, press to the side.

That's it! Super easy! If you want to see glue basting in action, I have some videos for you to watch on YouTube.

Glue Basting FAQs:

Will the glue ruin my iron? No. Absolutely not. Elmer's Washable School Glue, is water soluble. If any glue were to get on your iron, it washes off easily.
Will the glue gum up my needle? No. Absolutely not. As long as you apply the glue close to the selvage, you wouldn't be sewing through the glue. Even if you did sew through the glue (like with appliqué) it won't cause a problem because heat setting dries the glue quickly and eliminates any gumminess.
Will the glue wash out of my quilt? Yes, it sure will. I always recommend washing quilts with a textile detergent like Synthrapol.
Do I need to pin when I glue baste? No. In almost all situations, glue basting replaces the need for pins.
Can I glue baste if I press my seams open? Yes, if the seam needs to be opened you can easily pull the seam apart or use a sewing stiletto to open the seams.
*My take on pressing seams open: In most cases, I would encourage you to press to the side. Pressing your seams to the side will make your quilts stronger, putting the strength of your quilt in the fibers of fabric as well as in the thread. This protects the seam and creates a stronger hold. When you press your seams open, the strength of your seam is only as strong as your thread. Open seams run the risk of popping with dense quilting, washing, wear and with time. There are times to press a seam open, for example: mitered corners and binding strips, but in most cases pressing to the side is a wiser choice.
Is glue basting faster than pinning, or just sewing and "going for it", without pins at the machine? I believe so, yes. Glue basting may take a bit more time to prep before you get to the machine. But, any extra time is made up by how quickly and efficiently you'll be able to sew everything together. The time that was spent having to unpick and resew mismatched seams will be virtually gone. Sometimes faster isn't better. Sometimes good technique and efficiency is better, especially if you're happier in the end.
Can I use this type of glue basting to baste my quilts before quilting? No. This type of glue basting is not recommended for basting your quilt to prepare for machine quilting.

If you only try one new thing to improve any aspect of your sewing or quilting, please let it be glue basting. I think you'll love it as much as I do!

Here are some examples of my favorite ways to use glue basting:

Glue basting and machine pieced hexagons are a match made in heaven! (Tutorial & Pattern in my shop!)

Prepping my strips with glue basting, before sewing, makes chain piecing more accurate and pretty darn quick.

Glue basting rows together keeps my points matched up, and I never accidentally sew over pins.

Glue basting makes Paperless Paper Piecing possible. This technique will rock your world!

I use glue basting with Piec-lique to make any type of curve, including inset circles.

When I glue baste my appliqué pieces to the background fabric, I can easily sew them down by hand or by machine. Without pins in my applique pieces, I get no puckers or distortion. Love!

Using the MicroFine Glue Tip with a bottle of Liquid Stitch (permanent fabric glue), replaces the need for fusibles with raw-edge appliqué.

I also glue baste when I make clothing. Here, I used glue basting to attach the binding/strap onto the edge of the bodice of a dress for my daughter.

Quilt bindings is probably the most popular place to use glue basting, largely due to my mom's wonderful binding video. The best part of the video is at the end, when my mom shows you how to do that final join for the binding strips. It's life changing!

When I glue baste my binding, I can stitch it down by machine or by hand, without the need for any pins or clips. It stays in just the right place, until I sew it down. Magic!

If you have the fine glue tips, my favorite way to keep the clogs away is to use the thick end of a price tag holder. Clip off about an inch and put the stick of it into the glue tip to prevent clogs. To make it easy to find on your pressing board, you can color the "T" of it with a Sharpie, or put a washi tape flag on it. (Big thanks to my friend Becca at SewPixie for these fabulous ideas.)