I am watching some video lessons from the Machine Quilting - Free Motion and More online class at craftsy.com taught by Wendy Butler Berns.  She shared a tip for centering your quilt backing and batting for pin basting.  I gave it a try and it worked well, so I thought I would share it too...

Many times, it may be difficult to center your quilt backing with your quilt top over the backing once the batting covers it.

1.  To help make this easier, you can tape a few bamboo skewers to your work space to form a "+" where you want the center of the quilt to be.


2.  Soft-press the backing and batting in half length-wise and width-wise to get your centering marks.

3.  Lay the backing on your work space, and use your fingers to  feel for the bamboo skewers underneath.  Line up the center-press marks of your backing fabric with the bamboo markers you feel.

4.  Lay the batting down on top of the backing, and again feel for the bamboo skewers underneath.  Line the center-press marks of your batting with the raised bamboo markers to properly place the layer on center.

Hopefully you can see where the bamboo skewers can be noticed and felt under the layers.

5.  Lay your quilt-top on top and center it on top of your layers and secure them with tape or clips..

You're then ready for pin basting your quilt.


Happy Stitching!