How To Make a Minky Quilt Part 3 - The Layout

The Layout

Now it's time to lay that minky flat, whether it's on a table, the floor or carpet.  If you do stretch minky during the layout process - chances are it will pull back to its original size by the time you quilt.  That means your quilt top will be one measurement and the minky another.  That's why a quilt about 57" to 58" wide is perfect.  It fits just inside the minky's 60" wide standard width.  You have a few inches of wiggle room if your quilt is not totally square at this point - and you have an edge to sew off when you quilt.

With wide blue painters tape - tape all sides to the table or floor. You want to 'grab' about 1/2" of minky with the tape and neatness does not count.  

For a quilt 58" x 73/74" - I get 2.5 yards of minky.  There is a little left over but sometimes the minky cuts drift and its better to be safe than sorry.  I purchase my minky from two sources:  Hawthorne Threads & Fabric.com and mostly get the 'dimple dot' variety.

Time to assemble the quilt.  I use any type of basting spray - June Tailor from JoAnn's is always a good deal when they have a sale.  I find that quilter's pins are just not sharp enough to easily go through cotton/batting/minky - personal choice.  

There are many tutorials on how to spray baste and not have a total mess on your floor or carpet. I admit I have some spray marks on my garage floor carpet - not what you want in your home.  Do what works for your area. If you are spraying outside or on a wooden/laminate floor - protect the surrounding areas and use knee pads - they really help.

What is important is to layout your layers and flatten them well before you start to spray. The quilt top has been ironed flat.  The batting has been cut to hang a few inches over the minky so everything is manageable.  Now smooth it so it looks perfect. (I even steam iron the batting if its really creased.)  It's a pity to mess up all this perfection but only when everything is as flat as it can be (batting on minky) do I pull half of the batting back and spray on the minky. You are only working on half of the quilt. 

Depending what side of the table I am on - I use one hand in a sweeping motion to press the batting on the minky - while the other hand is holding up the rest of the batting so it doesn't flop onto the sprayed area. If you have a helper on the other side of the table it is easier to drape and smooth together.  Work from the middle to the sides when pressing and smoothing down your layers.

I spray half of the quilt at a time - but if you are nervous or this seems too ambitious -  spray and work in smaller sections.  This picture is only to show how to divide your quilt into sections while you work on one half at a time.

If you are doing this by yourself you will have to walk around the quilt from side to side. But whether you have help or not - smooth from the middle to the side on your way down!

After you have wrestled with the batting - do this same procedure with the quilt top - lay it on the batting - smooth it out nicely - peel it back, spray the batting and flatten.  Do this in a well ventilated area.

 I can't emphasize how important it is to have the layers flat and positioned before you spray. Once that spray is on it is hard to wiggle the quilt in any direction.  You want to know everything fits before you squish it all together!  Lastly, remove the blue painters tape and you are ready to trim.  

All posts are linked at the top of the blog under 'How To Make a Minky Quilt" - or scroll down to read Part 4 - Cutting & Timming.