Minky ........HELP!
#11
Power Poster
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Northern Michigan
Posts: 12,861
do not 'pull tight' your minky- you want to smooth it- but not stretch it- then baste very, very well. you (can) use spray basting if that is your preference- then baste the edges to hold it well- personally I prefer thread basting (lines of large stitches in a grid) some people like 'pin basting' -- with minky you need to make sure you are using really good, sharp pins-- what ever your basting method- baste very well (at least every 4" in a grid- more is good, less- not so much) smooth- don't stretch-- loosen your top tension just a tad= lengthen your stitch length a little bit on your machine. put together a small practice piece with what ever your top is and a piece of minky on the back- batting if you are using batting (make your practice piece like your quilt-except much smaller) and practice - making adjustments- until you are comfortable with your results and ready to move to your quilt.
#12
Super Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 9,563
I agree - be very, very careful not to pull it taught. I made a baby quilt with a minkee back and sent it out to a pro longarmer. When I sent it to her, it was square. When it came back, it was a rectangle. It was a commission quilt, and I was upset that the minkee had been stretched, but the customer who commissioned the quilt was very happy with it and didn't care, so I let it go.
#14
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,340
I've made a lot of quilts with Minky on the back. Every time someone asks for one I groan because I don't like working with it, but the results are always great. Here's what I do. I lay the minky on the ground and measure batting and my quilt top to make sure I have enough of everything. I use Elmer's washable school glue to glue the batting to the minky and then I glue the top to the batting. let it dry for a day. I have a quilt sandwich with cotton, batting and minky to check the tension. I quilt with the minky on the bottom and use Machingers and quilt like I do any other quilt. Try to ensure that the quilt isn't hanging off the sides of the table. The drag can really mess up your FMQing. Good luck and have fun!
#16
I have done two quilts backed with minky. The first was a baby size with cotton batting. I just heavily pin basted and stitched in the ditch with my walking foot. I didn't stretch the minky just laid it out and made sure there were no wrinkles. The second quilt was a t-shirt quilt with no batting. I did the birthing method and this quilt was a little more problematic. The t-shirts plus the minky made it very slippery. However once it was turned I used the digital dual feed foot on my machine to stitch in the ditch again and it turned out fine. I did pin along the blocks again to minimize shifting.
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DonnaPBradshaw
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02-09-2016 07:33 PM