It all started when I bought my APQS George sit-down longarm machine in 2016.
Prior to that all of my quilts had been quilted by others.
My new machine needed a name . . . What about Max?
Yes! Max from Where the Wild Things Are.
(I put this reference photo book together for myself in 2020 after I had mastered a few liberated unmarked allover quilting designs/motifs)
Eventually I found some stickers and added those to Max.
I use Hobbs 80-20 batting in all my quilts and I buy it in these huge rolls (currently I buy mine from Linda's Electric Quilters - shipped by FedEx ground in a carton so it arrives in pristine condition).
The roll is stored on a length of conduit pipe suspended under my drafting (cutting) table using rope and two large caribeeners.
(thank you DH for the genius solution)
Here's a view from the other end that shows how the parts connect together.
Leah Day uses these silicone nubs in many of her videos. I have purchased them from various places including Amazon.com. Prices vary and sometimes you can get lucky and find them for "cheap" from a local quilt show vendor.
I am still using the ones I purchased in 2016 . . . they're extremely durable.
I also use Clover flower head pins (again, they're available from LOTS of different sources).
Leah Day recommended bending the pins so they leave less "hump" in the basted quilt sandwich, but I've gotten used to just using them straight. Whatever works best is my motto.
Instead of the wood boards shown in many board basting tutorials, I use three larger size pool noodles (lighter weight, easier to handle, and less damaging if you drop them).
In the photo above you can see the standard length noodles to the right and my double-length ones near the counter's front edge.
The doubles are lined up end to end with tape to secure the join. DH added lengths of conduit to stiffen and stabilize the longer noodles. Our first attempt at stabilizing involved dowel rods - they work but conduit is less expensive here.
I'm sharing several photos at this stage since we all pick up different ideas from photos on other blogs.
You can clearly see the tape wrap on the double length noodle in this photo.
The backing is rolled with the right side out.
The quilt top is rolled with the wrong side out.
The batting will go on the third (empty) noodle.
Another view but this time with batting on the third noodle.
At one point I had multiple tops and backs rolled and ready for pin basting.
Here's a view from the opposite direction.
Now we'll shift to the actual pin basting process.
The backing is unrolled part way first (uppermost noodle).
The batting is unrolled next (middle noodle), and the top is unrolled last (front noodle).
I use the top of my drafting/cutting table for pin basting.
Our grandson, age 5 in this photo, helped me pin baste the two Camp Sefton quilts we made when he stayed with us while Mommy and Daddy took a long trip.
He learned quickly how to insert the pin into the nub without pricking his finger.
(and if you're thinking this is easy enough for a child to master, you are correct - but a grown up needs to handle the noodle prep-unrolling and such)
I use Pinmoors in several colors. Depending on the fabrics, one color over another makes it easier to see the Pinmoors/pins while quilting.
Hint - the weighted tape holder is used to prevent the noodle rolls from rolling back down the slanted table top.
And the squirrel? Click on the tab in the sidebar for the Ad Hoc Squirrel Club and my studio squirrels for their stories.
Another quilt being basted showing the secured portion falling forward over the table edge until the entire quilt sandwich has been pinned.
Another view . . . this time showing both the weighted tape holder and two small hand weights being used to keep the unrolled noodles from shifting.
Another view showing the basted portion extending down towards the floor.
This basting method also works for smaller quilts and wall hangings.
In this photo you can see the partially used roll of batting below the basting process.
And if you have measured correctly this is what you want to see when you unroll the last of the quilt top - backing and batting extending beyond the top's upper edge.
Since my batting is 96" wide, I cut the folded-in-half layers that come off the roll to the width of the quilt top plus 8-10". Then I unfold the cut batting and spin it 90 degrees so that cut edge is at the front edge of my table and the 96" length extends towards the design wall in the background.
I've never run out of batting while unrolling the noodles but I do have lots of leftover pieces that end up being used in utility mats or turned into Frankenbatting for larger quilts - I use fusible batting tape rather than zig zag stitching.
This is one of my 2025 quilts being sandwiched. You'll notice the pins and pinmoors are in drawer organizer bins now instead of Tupperware containers - better use of the drawer space where they are stored and the containers have no slip feet.
Here is a semi-staged photo showing a pin basted quilt draped over Max's original table with the extension DH added in the back.
The rolling cart to the right is from Ikea and I use the top basket to collect the pins and Pinmoors as they're removed during quilting. The lower baskets hold all manner of items - from practice sandwiches (lower tray) to my Machiniger's quilting gloves, new needles and tools to change the needles out, etc. in the middle tray.
When our grandson was helping sort the removed Pinmoors from his two Camp Sefton quilts (see pin basting photo above), the cart was rolled to the opposite side to keep his fingers away from Max's needle.
This is the current support table arrangement for Max showing his original table (gray), the extension table DH added (behind, lightest color), and the narrow folding table to the left.
I use a magnetic Zirkel pin cushion to keep the removed pins under control.
I can remove the entire tray when it is time to return the pins and Pinmoors to their storage containers.
Ideally, I should do that each time I finish quilting a project instead of letting multiple colors of Pinmoors get all mixed together. Sigh - ideally . . .
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You can read a bit more about Max and my early quilting adventures HERE. While APQS no longer offers the George model in their lineup, Max has a forever home in my studio.
