by Beverly Hicks Burch

Created on: March 31, 2009

Quilting is a multi-step process. Traditionally, you think about two big major steps when quilting. Those steps are: the making of the top and the quilting process for the quilt top.

In making a top, you create the major "event" or part of the quilt. The top is the design of the quilt and the part that is most often seen, admired and copied by others. It is usually colorful, and is pieced (machine or hand pieced) or appliqud. There are other techniques, but these two are the most common. Sometimes several techniques may be combined on the top, resulting is a dazzling creation.

But, once the top is finished, is the quilt complete? Are you through? Is it ready to give as a gift as a "quilt"? The answer is a resounding "NO" (unless of course you're giving a quilt top for someone else to quilt!).

There are at least three more steps before your creation is complete. You must next "baste" the quilt together, then "quilt" the quilt and finally finish the raw edges of the quilt by applying a binding. Although this may sound complicated (it's not) and like a lot of work, there are intrinsic rewards and gratification in the completion of a quilt-especially if it is your first one.

Let's look at the next steps, paying close attention to the basting of the quilt...

Basting is crucial and critical for several reasons. In days gone-by, our grandmothers had frames upon which they rolled up the top, batting and backing. These frames were design to be left out somewhere in the house so that the quilter could put in a few stitches when ever she had some free time.

Or, as in the case of my great-grandmother, her frames could be raised to the ceiling when there was no quilting being done on the quilt and lowered back down for her to put in stitches when she had time. When using a frame of either kind, the quilt had to be placed securely in the frame, and as a result, slippage of the three layers was not an issue. Once an area was quilted, the quilt was rolled on long wooden dowels, revealing a new area of the quilt that needed to be stitched.

But, today's quilters use different techniques when they perform their quilting. Many nowadays machine quilt their tops. Some do a type of lap quilting where as they stretch small section of the quilt over a lap size frame and then quilt the quilt "sandwich" in their lap. A very small number of quilters use no frame whatsoever.

So, you can see it is imperative the three layers of your quilt "sandwich" are secured-to prevent slippage of the layers-and

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