The Quilt Skipper

quilting makes me skip for joy

Jenny K Lyon

Quilting makes me skip for joy

Basting a quilt with Mistyfuse

I Mistyfuse basted my recent Morning Hosta quilt and loved the method. It’s super simple as I’ll show you here.

100 yd bolt of Mistyfuse
100 yd bolt of Mistyfuse

Mistyfuse is a unique product-a two-sided fusing product that does not alter the hand of the fabric. Additionally, its melting point is low, allowing its use on even delicate fabrics. I used it to fuse the poly sheer border on “Emerge“.

It’s so easy to use! I bought a 100 yard roll and used a good bit of it putting my kits together to teach at Houston last year.

Mistyfuse can be used to baste your quilts together in preparation for quilting. To Mistyfuse baste your quilts, this is all you do:

Little squares of Mistyfuse
Little squares of Mistyfuse

Cut your Mistyfuse into little squares of 1 1/2″ ish size.

Basting with Mistyfuse
Basting with Mistyfuse

Simply place them upon the surface of whatever you are basting. Place them no more than a fist width apart across the surface.

Goddess sheet to fuse
Goddess sheet to fuse

Use the Goddess sheet to fuse. The Goddess sheet is a Mistyfuse product. It looks like any other fusing sheet but it actually transfers heat better and faster than the others.

Once it’s fused, layer the next piece on top and apply heat-you’re done!

I have used it on wool batting with success also. I wondered if it would work on wool since wool is made from loose fibers-it worked as well as on other batting choices.

When I double batt, which I do frequently, I fuse the two battings together first, then fuse the batting to the backing, then that layer to the front.

The advantages of Mistyfuse basting over other methods are many:

Pin basting
Pins actually add a lot of weight to the quilt. Remember, you have to move every bit of that quilt under your needle many times and any extra weight can be burdensome.
Pins get hooked on your presser foot as you move the quilt-highly annoying.
Pins get in the way when you’re quilting-have you ever quilted so close to the pin that you can’t get it out? I have-many times.

Spray Basting
Some quilters are bothered by the spray in the air.
It can be tricky to spray baste a quilt by yourself.
Spray baste stains silk, which I use a lot.

Hand Basting
Hand basting just does not hold the quilt sandwich in place very well.
I’ve even tried Sharon Schamber’s method of hand basting and did not have success with it-my sandwich was still a little fidgety.

Pinmoors
I tried these and it did not work at all for me. I could not get a straight pin to dip in and out of the sandwich without bending.

Water Soluble Thread
This is the method I have been using: pin baste as normal. Then machine sew a grid using water soluble thread top and bobbin and remove all the pins.
This method holds very well and eliminates the need for any pins.
You do need to immerse the piece or unpick the stitches when the piece is finished.
There may be a bit of movement within the squares you basted, but less than the above methods.

Mistyfuse basting eliminates every single issue with all of the above methods:
Your quilt sandwich is absolutely secure and will not move around.
You do not need to immerse your quilt afterwards.
There is nothing in the way of your needle or hands.

What I can’t show you in photos is how securely the Mistyfuse holds the sandwich together. Even when I had an island of unquiltedness surrounded by heavily quilted areas, the sandwich did not pooch or create the dreaded “snowplow” effect that results in tucks. I’m a fan!

Comments

  1. Hey Jinny,

    I can’t wait to try this!! Thank you soooo much!

    It’s too late for you to mind so I sure hope you don’t… I belong to a sit-down quilting group on Yahoo and I just gave them your blog addy. Your post is very timely. I also told them what an incredible quilter you are and how generous you are with your talent and skills.

    Maggie in Arizona

    • Hi Maggie. Could you tell me a little bit about your sit down quilting group? I just purchased a Bernina Q16 and have been practicing on

  2. Hi Jenny,

    I have always just struggled through pin or traditional basting, but this looks good to me. I do have some Mistyfuse but not lots, so I have enough to try it on one piece. Here’s my question, you only spot fuse about a fist length apart, you never have ‘snowplow’ or slippage in the areas between the Mistyfuse? How big a piece have you used this process on? I have a large one that I am soon to prepare for stitching, about 36″ x 54″.

    PS (hope you enjoy the SAQA Convention in DC!)

  3. I am interested in how well it will hold with a quilt up to 70.” I quilt on on domestic machine and the quilt gets wrestled around a lot as I tend to quilt heavily.

    • On the piece I wrote about I did place them a little closer than a fists width apart. I got less snowplow than any other method – zero movement. It was such a joy. I have done smaller work done I’ve been using it so probably no bigger than 20 x 28ish? I would do this on a larger quilt but you may want to build your own confidence with smaller pieces first.

    • I meant reply for Nancy but it applies to both of you. I’m traveling and writing on my phone because I can’t get a connection in my room! Madi I didn’t find that it moved at all -i know what you mean about wrestling your quilt around a lot. I dint think you Will see movement.

  4. I freaking LOVE MistyFuse!!!!! It’s a miracle worker/work horse in the studio. So many uses!!!!!

    I don’t know why more people haven’t heard of it!

  5. Is there a place that reasonably prices the 100 yd roll??? I can think of many opportunities to use this!!!!!

    • I buy directly from them on the mistyfuse site-i don’t think you will beat their prices elsewhere Doreen.

  6. Up to now, I’ve only used MistyFuse for small, many-layered projects (to reduce bulk). I use spray baste on my “miniatures” (the spray doesn’t bother me and I’m careful with it)…but now I must give this approach a try! Thanks, Jenny!

    • I hope you do try it-I think it rocks. I would love to hear your thoughts on it once you try it-thank you!

  8. Thank you so much! I am so anxious to try this. I tried spray basting on a table runner that was batted with a cotton poly blend. It held the layers well but I got a strange wave to the runner. I followed directions on can. When I got the waves, I washed and blocked the runner. Still had a washboard effect. I will try the misty fuse. Thanks for the tutorial.

    • Hi Kay; Hmm-wonder if the backing was just a wee loose when you sprayed? That is no fun when that happens and it’s happened to me too. I would love to hear back from you when you try it.

  11. My question is why not just cut a sheet the size that you need vs. pulling it apart and then heating it together?

    Thank you.

    GiGi

  12. Great question, one I didn’t think to explain. If I fuse the whole front fully, when I fold or roll the quilt, the front will ripple and wrinkle because there is no give. When I fuse only parts of the front, the quilt will naturally “give” and the quilt will not wrinkle or crease. Think about what would happen if you stapled two sheets of paper together all around an then rolled it. Hope this is clear! Thank you for an excellent question.

  14. I am a “quilt by hand” girl and I’m wondering how Mistyfuse would work for hand quilting. I have found that the tackiness of the sprays make it very hard to quilt but it seems this might be much better. Any thoughts for the hand quilter? It would certainly save me tons of time over hand basting!

    • Well that is an interesting thought Anna Mary-I have never tried to hand quilt a Misty Fuse based project. The MF does not alter the hand but might grab the needle a bit. I don’t think it would keep you from wanting to use it. I used to hand baste and I think the MF gives a much more secure baste.

      • Good news! Mistyfuse will NEVER grab or gum up the needle. Mistyfuse is as much about what is NOT in it as what is in it. Plus, with our engineered web, and the way Mf flows up and down like fingers working into fibers to create the bond, your needle doesn’t even feel it as an extra layer of something.

  15. How much Mistyfuse does it take to sandwich a quilt, say twin or larger? Do you tape the background fabric as if you were going to pin or spray baste?

    Thanks!

    • Hi Karen;
      Assuming a 70 x 90 quilt, it would take a 10 yd pkg. It would take 3 1/2 90″ lengths which would take up the 10 yds and leave a 10″ x 90″ piece for all the little squares. You’ll want to check my math!

  17. I need to make a 50 x 50 quilt sandwich and I have been having trouble keeping the backing flat.

    Does ironing remove the loft and flatten the batting? Does this work on 100% Poly batting?

    In what order do you recommend applying the Mistyfuse to the backing, batting and top?

    Do you tape or secure the backing to something first to keep it taut? I don’t know how to do this and have an ironing surface.

    I’m sorry for all the questions but I’d like to try this and don’t know the details.

  18. Thanks Jenny, I ordered some Mistyfuse and a Goddess sheet to try out but I would like you to clarify a couple of things. BTW, the link in your reply is to this page so maybe you meant a different link?

    By ironing the batting I meant when you heated/ironed it to stick the Mistyfuse to it and the top or backing. It seems like that would flatten the batting loft. The quilt I am making uses 100% poly.

    I am confused about how you apply the Misyfuse. Do you use a full coverage between the top and batting and the 1 1/2″ pieces between the back and batting or do you the small pieces between both top and backing to batting?

    Thank you for the info, a very nice site.

    • Lari, the link to the tutorial is here: https://quiltskipper.com/2014/05/basting-a-quilt-with-mistyfuse/ I steam the MF to back and front and am mindful to not press, but hover right at the surface of the quilt to fuse together. Otherwise you might accidentally fuse the back to the front through the batting. The MF is fused to the back and front not the batting and I do MF the entire backing. I fuse the small squares to the front. This keeps wrinkles from forming if the the quilt is folded. Hope this is clear-write back if not!

  19. Hi, I am wanting to try this method of basting a quilt. I need a little clarification, please.

    Step 1: lay backing down, wrong side up
    Step 2: place MF pieces all around (fist width apart)
    Step 3: Using Goddess Sheet, place GS over area to be fused and press, continue until entire backing is covered in MF pieces
    Step 4: Move backing aside
    Step 5: lay top down, wrong side up, place MF pieces all over, press using GS until entire top is done
    Step 6: Next sandwich with batting in the middle (backing wrong side up, batting, and then top with wrong side down
    Step 7: Press until entire quilt is fused.
    Step 8: Be careful not to press too hard as this will possibly fuse the top and backing together through the batting???
    Step 9: Do you flip it over and press the other side???

    Please clarify the steps.

    Thank you,
    Melanie

    • Hi Melanie; It’s almost complete. In step 2 I fused the entire backing with MF, not just spots-I want that hold. Step 9, yes, you do then flip over and press from the other side. Let me know if you have additional questions!

      • Hi there, I have a question I haven’t seen covered in any of the comments: why can’t you just place the MF between all the layers and fuse once, instead of using the Goddess Sheet? Thanks so much!

      • Good question MJ. If you do all the layers at once there is a really good chance that you will fuse through your batting to the other side. That would definitely affect the hang of the quilt as well as how it felt, it would go stiff. So if I fused it all at once and accidentally fused the front to the back in areas, it would be like a permanent safety pin in there yet the rest of the quilt would be all squishy/movey like a normal quilt. I hope my silly words helped to explain this. It is a very logical question.

  20. Hmm, how thin is your batting!? I use Quilters Dream Select Cotton and I can’t imagine a fusible product going thru that. I’ll have to test and report back! Thanks for your answer.

    • Select is beefy for sure, it may work just fine to do both sides at once. My only thought is that there may be some scootching involved trying to do both sides at once. I use wool batting and it would be very easy to accidentally fuse to the back. Pls let me know if you try this, I’d love to hear.

  21. Hi Jenny.
    really glad I came across your post on this. I am looking for a much easier way to baste other than pins or spray. Just to clarify, you first cut the squares and heat baste to the backing, then add the batting and more squares and heat again and then add the top and heat again? Or do you just cut the squares and lay them on the batting first then flip the batting over and attach to the backing? Then cut more squares, add to the batting and lay the top on first?

    Hope my question is understandable.

    • Hi Shann; I hope my explanation makes sense: I first fuse Misty Fuse (MF) all over the backing. Then I MF the top with little squares that I tear off and fuse. Then I fuse the back to the batting. Then fuse the top to the batting. Let me know if this is not clear. You’ll like this MUCH better than pins!

  22. Thanks for your post on Misty Fuse. I had bought some, and I immediately thought that it would be helpful for quilt basting. I found your post that way.

    Rather than making squares, I cut it into 1/2″ ish strips and laddered.. I was making a baby quilts, so I did not need any more fixative than that. It was a very quick way to get very good results. I was able to sandwich and quilt and bind 3 baby quilts in a day.
    My mad scientist brain also wondered if you could put it in a blender and sprinkle it on a quilt!

    Definitely see the wisdom in buying a 100 yd roll. I did see a post where a blogger used it 100% coverage on both front and back of quilt. Not an economical use of product.

    • Hi Leisa; Glad you found method that works for you – I prefer to MF baste over all other methods. She does now make it in “zips” which are maybe 1/2″ x 2″ strips. And yes, some do rotary cut it into confetti and sprinkle on their batting. Whatever works! I would not fuse both sides – it would make the quilt stiff for quilting. And I travel my quilts so I need to build in some ability for the quilt to flex when folded or it would arrive at my destination very wrinkled! Thanks for commenting!