Car Seat Cover Sew Along: Week 5

Welcome to week five of the Car Seat Cover Sew Along! This is an exciting one, because five weeks in, we’re finally quilting!

This week is all about layering up your quilt sandwich and getting those layers quilted together. I’ll cover several ways to baste (sticking all the layers together), and I’ll share some tips for machine quilting on a home machine. Next week is our final week! We’ll cut out the covers and take them out to the car to figure out how to attach them. I can’t wait to get this project wrapped up!

Basting: Getting Your Quilt Sandwich Ready

Basting is when you layer the quilt top, batting, and backing together before you quilt. There are lots of ways to do it, and the best one is whichever one works best for you. I know a lot of quilters and we all approach this step differently. I’ll walk through the two common methods I used, and share some other options as well. As with all things quilting, try them out and see what works best for you!

Welcome to the floor

Regardless of what method I’m using I always start the same way every time: taping my backing to the floor with regular painter’s tape. Tape one end, then move to the other end, stick the tape to the fabric, and pull just the teeniest, tiniest bit. You want the backing taut, but not tight. Pull too tight and you’ll get puckers.Taping the fabric to the floor helps to keep everything nice and flat.

Once the backing is taped down, I gently lay out the quilt batting, softest side up.

A few things I ran into:

Franken batting. I didn’t have quite a big enough piece but I really wanted to use up the batting scraps that I had so I just used a big zig zag stitch to sew two pieces together.
Don’t worry about wrinkles in the batting or backing. With the backing taped flat, the batting smooths right out. I didn’t even press my backing.
Leave a border. Ideally you want at least 3 inches of batting and backing beyond your quilt top, because things shift as you quilt. I was cutting it close (I didn’t want to buy a second length of fabric, so I cut one in half), and it worked out fine, but I wouldn’t recommend making it a habit.

Option 1: Pin Basting

For the first cover, I used basting pins, which are safety pins with a little bend that helps them pick up all the layers. Pin basting is great because you only have to buy the pins once. It also doesn’t leave anything on your fabric that is sticky or that might not come off later. The downside of pin basting is the time it takes and having to remove the pins as you quilt. Here’s my tips for pin basting.

Storing: Store you basting pins open, this will make it easier the next time you go to baste
Spacing: you want a lot of pins. I go for a palm width apart or about 4”
Plan around your quilting design. I marked my quilting lines first, then pinned around them. This will help prevent stopping to remove pins as you’re quilting. (you’ll still have to do a bit of removing.)
Use a Kwik Klip: This tool makes it easier to close the safety pins

My honest take: I’m not usually a pin baster. It takes a long time, and I get annoyed pulling pins out while I sew. For a small project like this it’s a good option but I get annoyed doing it for a larger project. I also find that the fabric shifts around more than when I use the glue method. However I know a lot of people who only pin baste and it goes great for them. It’s definitely an option worth trying.

Option 2: Elmer’s Glue Basting

For the second cover, I used plain old Elmer’s school glue.

For a long time I made my own basting spray (flour and water cooked on the stove, then vodka or rubbing alcohol added once it cools). It works great, but you have to plan ahead because it needs to cool, and it doesn’t keep forever. Then I saw someone online using plain Elmer’s glue and I’ve been converted.

How I do it:

Layout all three layers of your quilt sandwich, then pull the top and batting back halfway
Drizzle glue on the backing, spread it around, and smush any globs with the tip of the bottle.
Lay the batting and top down and smooth it out toward the edges, being careful not to stretch anything.
Repeat with the other half and then again between the top and batting later
Heat set with your iron. Set it down for a few seconds, lift, and repeat over the whole quilt top. This dries the glue so it doesn’t gum up your needle. Make sure the glue is fully dry before you start stitching. (I’ve been doing this on my hardwoods for years and have never had an issue with the heat damaging my floor but it’s always best to do a test spot first!)

My honest take: This is way easier for me than pins, though it is a bit of a leg workout with all the squats. I love the result I get from this method. The layers are all really stuck together. I know there’s a lot of concern with the glue sticking to your needle but I’ve always just made sure everything is fully dry before quilting. Spreading the glue out into a thin layer will help a lot with this.

Other Ways to Baste

If sitting on the floor isn’t accessible (or appealing) for you there’s a few other methods you can use.

Table basting: Roll your layers onto pool noodles or tubes and work in sections on a table.
Wall basting: Tape your backing layer to the wall and then hang your batting and top layers over top. This works great if you have a wall big enough for this. This one isn’t an option for me in my house.
Thread basting on a longarm: If you have a longarmer they can thread baste the quilt for you. I use this option when I am hand quilting because it keeps all the layers really secure over the months I spend working on it.

Whichever method you choose, the goal is the same: sticking your layers together as best as possible so things don’t shift while you’re quilting.

Marking Quilting Lines

There’s a lot of ways to mark quilting lines before you machine quilt. Here’s a few options and their pros and cons.

Tool	How it works	Pros	Cons
Hera Marker (my preferred method)	This simple tool works by leaving a crease in the fabric	Doesn't leave any residue that might not come off Affordable and accessible Works great with a ruler for crisp straight lines	The crease can be hard to see It takes a lot of time to mark all of your lines
Guide Bar	The guide bar attaches to your sewing machine foot. Mark your first line then just use the guide bar to maintain your spacing	Easy and quick. Your machine probably came with one Only have to mark the first line	It can get bumped or moved easily Has a tendency to get caught when shoving your quilt through If you have a mistake in your line it will be echoed in the next line
Marking Tool	A tool like a water erasable marker, heat erasable pen, or chalk that leaves a clear line that can then be removed later	Leaves a clear easy to see line Affordable and accessible Can achieve crisp accurate lines	IT MIGHT NOT COME OFF I've seen this happen to a lot of people and it's too risky in my opinion Lines may come back depending on the tool used

Machine Quilting Tips On a Home Machine

This isn’t a full tutorial, just the things that make quilting on a home machine go more smoothly for me.

Before you start

Clean your machine and put in a fresh needle. Right before quilting is a great stopping point. A fresh, sharp needle helps prevent bearding (when batting gets pulled through to the top), and a clean machine gives you nice even stitches.
Wind all your bobbins first. Load up at the beginning so you don’t have to stop mid-quilting.
Test your thread on the quilt. Unspool some and lay it across your project to see how it looks over all the different colors. Fair warning: you might spend way too long deciding. I used a 30 wt organic cotton and chose the more muted green so it would blend in.
Clear everything off of your table. Or it will end up on the floor.

Machine settings

Stitch length: I like the look of a longer stitch so I bump mine up to 3.
Presser foot pressure: I turn mine down to around 25. With thicker material, less pressure helps keep the top layer from getting pushed along.
Even feed or walking foot: An even feed foot (the little attachment that clips onto the back of your presser foot) pulls fabric through from both sides. A walking foot does the same thing with its own set of feed dogs on top. Walking feet are bigger, more specialized, and more expensive. The even feed foot does enough for me, but if you’re struggling, a walking foot is worth looking into.
Extension table: Helpful for bigger projects. The plastic feet on mine slip on my table, so I skipped it since this project is small.

Planning your lines

Start with wider spacing than you think you want. If you’re imagining half-inch lines, try 2 inches first. You can always add more lines later, but if you start with ½” you’re committed for the whole thing. I did 2" spacing with straight lines. I liked the way this lined up with the design in the block.
Gentle Waves are easiest. If I want to just quickly get something done I do organic gently wavy lines. You don’t have to mark them and you really can’t mess it up.

While you sew

Start in the center and work outward. And try to start and stop each line on the same side. If you zigzag back and forth, the layers shift in opposite directions and you can end up with drag lines between your quilting lines.
For a dense grid, space out your lines. On a half-inch grid, for example, I’d quilt a few widely spaced lines first, then fill in between. Those first lines act like glue and hold everything in place, and any puckers stay isolated to one section.
Think of it like driving a big bus. Keep a wide grip so you can gently ease the quilt along, and don’t grip too tight.
Support the weight. Lift the quilt so it isn’t pulling on the machine, which can cause uneven stitches. With a bigger quilt, I just shove it through the machine rather than rolling it up.
Get comfortable. Sit up tall, adjust your table, and make sure your pedal is placed at a comfortable position.
If the fabric starts to buckle, slow down. Stop, lift your foot, and gently smooth or stretch the fabric to the side. Sew a couple of stitches, then repeat. That usually avoids the pucker.
Don’t stress over every little bump or mistake. You’re up close and personal with your quilt while you’re quilting it. Remember that once you wash it all sins will be erased. Any little mistakes won’t be noticeable in the bigger picture.
Take breaks. Machine quilting on a home machine is physically intensive. Drink some water, grab a snack, and stretch your shoulders.

That’s all my tips for this week! Hopefully these were helpful for you. Overall just remember that quilting is supposed to be fun! If you’re not having fun take a break, get a snack, put that thing in time out for a minute. I promise once it’s all quilted and washed you won’t notice those little mistakes.

This Week’s Goal

Get your car seat covers basted and quilted. This went faster than I thought it would. It took me about an hour to get them both basted and about 40 minutes to get them quilted up.

Coming Up in Week 6

Next week is our last week!. We’ll use our template to cut out the covers, then head out to the car to fit them and figure out how to attach them. I’m a “cross that bridge when I get there” kind of person, so I have some ideas (knit on the headrest, elastics, and ties), but I’ll be sorting out the details once I see it in the car.

Thank you so much for sewing along! I’m super excited to see everyone’s finished covers!

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