Quilted Holiday Table Runner - Day 5

We're coming down the homestretch!! We're gonna get this baby quilted!  Now that your quilt top is completed, you have to press your quilt backing.  The backing should be at least 2"-3" larger in diameter than your quilt top.  Lay your quilt backing right-side down on the mattress of your bed.  Smooth it out with your hands like a fresh clean sheet.

Using straight pins, pin the backing to the mattress so that it is taut and flat.  Place your batting on top of the backing and your quilt top, face up, on top of the batting.

Smooth it out nice and flat.

Do you have "quilt basting pins?"  They're the best.  They have curved bottoms so that they are easy to pin the layers of your quilt together without fuss.  Pin the layers together, careful not to cause wrinkles in the layers.  You want all three layers to be flat and wrinkle free!

I place pins about every 7 inches apart or so.

When you are done pinning your layers together, take out the "straight-pins" that were holding your backing to the bed.  You may have taken some out while putting in the basting pins.  That's fine.  Leave the basting pins in place and trim any excess backing and batting to about 2" - 3" the diameter of the quilt top.

Tomorrow we're going to machine quilt our table runner.  It isn't as intimidating as it sounds.  First of all, a table runner is much smaller than a wall, lap, or bed quilt.  Try putting one of those under your machine and you'll learn a whole new vocabulary, and it won't sound friendly.  But this?  This is fun, and if you have never quilted before and are just learning, this is the perfect place to start!