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Question of the Week

Question for the week of June 5, 2000:

Our question this week comes from Kellie:

Has anyone used and liked (or disliked) the gun-type of baster that shoots out plastic tacks for basting their quilts? Love it or hate it?

Beverly Hicks :
Love it. Got any questions, call me at 231-582-7064.

Ellen Sherman :
I heve used the quilt gun baster. I have mixed feelings. It is definitely faster than pins, however it seems to jam and sometimes it can leave larger holes than pins do. You need to use it with some kind of grid underneath so that the tacks can get all the way through and you have to keep buying new tacks as they are not reusable. Then you need to cut the tacks off after the project is finished. Even though pins may be slower, they can be reused and are easier to see.
Angie Again :
I forgot to include this bit of information when
I posted earlier. When basting with the basting
gun, I always put the needle down through the
quilt and then bring it back up through the quilt
again. Depending how far you go before you bring
the needle back up determines how tight you are
basting. This holds it much better and there isn't
as much slipping.
Cynthia Horacek :
I like the "gun" baster because it is so fast; but sometimes I've noticed that the plastic "tack" may not go all the way through and I have to pull it out from between the layers. Also, I used it to baste a flannel quilt that I was machine quilting, and the tack's just didn't hold the sandwich firm enough, so now I only use it when I'll be handquilting, and I'm careful to check that every tack goes all the way through!
Angie :
I love my Dritz basting gun. If you have one keep trying,
you will get it to work right. It leaves small holes
but they go away, I've basted many, many quilts with it.
I basted one yesterday, took me less than an hour. I got
the grid at home depot, its for a flourescent lighting
unit and is about 3 foot by 18 inches for around $8.00.
I also use the basting spray but you have to use it outside
and I have nowhere to lay it down now. The safety pins hurt
my hands. Lets face it, basting is basting and no matter
what we use, its one of those steps thats not the fun part of
making a quilt but it has to be done.
charlotte :
I like my basting gun. Yes, it leave holes that in time will close.
I find that if I give the gun a quarter turn then the material is freed
from the shaft and the tack goes through easier.
You can also use felt to "thicken" the quilt so thin quilts will not
shift as much. Hope you have good luck if you get one.

Amy from Michigan :
I did my first quilt completely by hand and HATED basting, so on quilt #2 I bought the gun and loved it. Easy, quick and inexpensive. It pokes holes in the fabric, but they went away no problem. Although, you might want to avoid it if you're using a delicate fabric (I was using flannel).
Anne :
I use the Basting gun exclusively for the edge of the quilt. It's much easier than pinning through all the layers of fabric and batting. Because the layers are thicker it holds w/o shifting.
tracy schenk :
I have used it and liked it pretty well. the tacks sometimes catch your thread if you are hand quilting. I have not tried them with machine quilting. Also you have to be careful when cutting them off that you don't cut into your quilt. It's easy to do.
Betty :
As far as I am concerned, it leaves too big a hole. I don't have one but I have seen them used and I wouldn't want one.
Laura in Indiana :
Dislike it.... tacks jam and don't go through fabric/batting/fabric easily. Very wasteful... Also leaves "holes" in fabric... plus if you don't use the "tack-puller" then you dull your sissors. Little plastic pieces are tooooo messy.
Jo Countley :
Hate it. The tacks are so large that they leave visible holes that are sometimes hard and time consuming to close. The process is cumbersome and saves no time for me. I prefer the method that sandwiches, divides in quarters, and pin or thread baste one quarter at a time. A quarter of a quilt fits nicely on any table and is workable for one person. As always when basting a quilt, the more quilters the better.
Peggy Breaux :
I don't like it. I prefer to use my safety pins.
Margaret Day (mmd8@cornell.edu) :
I got the Dritz "gun" at JoAnn Fabrics (at half-price fortunately). I like it when it works, but I found that it jams easily. Also, it tends to leave small holes. I find I just don't use it. I baste with safety pins the most, or for small items, I love the basting spray. It seems expensive, but I've found that a can lasts quite a while. I've used ot once on a large quilt but also used safety pins - but not as many as I would have without the spray.
Marlene Wium :
I have read that you can fold pieces of felt and tag through them as well as the quilt so that thin quilts can also be done with the basting gun.
Judy DeGraff :
I have used a QuiltTack basting gun on
all of my quilts since about 1993. I love
it! I can tack a queen sized quilt in
less than an hour. Some people complain
about holes, but i have never had a problem.
When I basted quilts before hand quilting, i
was very particular to do a good job, so
I am not careless about this aspect of
my quiltmaking. I would say be sure to
get a good product, not one of the
cheapies. good luck!
Carmen :
I like the basting gun for tacking practice sandwiches and smaller quilts. Its perfect for when I want to get something ready quickly because I'm in the mood to machine quilt.
Robyn :
It does leave bigger holes than pins,
and will not keep the sandwich together
tight, and depending on the brand of gun you
use, some jam considerably (a friend
bought one that we could not reload at
all, no matter how hard we tried).
I wouldn't buy another. The basting spray
seems to work really well, but if you
wear nail polish, wear gloves when applying
the spray.
Louise :
When I tried it, it jammed up so much that it took forever! I also thought that the machine leaves larger holes than pins. I've gone back to pinning.
Laurie :
Kellie,
I found that it was useful with thinker quilts, but not as useful with using Warm and Natural. The fabric shifts if the layers are not thick enough.

I use the basting spray and find it much more successful
Good Luck

Carolyn :
My local quilt shop will let you rent one by the hour in
the shop and then you pay for a strip of the little "tags".
I used it for a crib size quilt and loved it, but probably
won't buy one of my own.
AnnDowling@webtv.net :
I used one of those basting guns, but was not real happy. It didn't hold the parts together tight enough(front, batting and backing). It also got jammed up and when I tried to get it apart to unjam it, it fell apart.
Julie K :
I love using the baster for large quilts
that I plan to machine quilt. However, I
think it's a pain in the rear for hand
quilting...my thread keeps catching on
the plastic ends and doesn't pull
through. I will baste my next hand quilting
project.
Linda K. :
I was just thinking last week to ask this same question! For the first time I had used my baster on a large quilt and really did not like it. It was hard moving the plastic grid under a large quilt and keeping the quilt together. The holes left behind from the baster seem larger than a pin, too. I have used the baster on smaller projects (table runner, wall hanging, etc.) and like it for that type of project. On my next large quilt I will go back to pins. With pins, though, I have to watch the curly-Q end not getting the fabric caught and ripping it! Anyone out there with a suggestion on how to prevent this?

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