How to baste (layer) a quilt sandwich
Layer backing, wadding and top so they do not shift, then pin them together.
Step by step
- Press the backing and tape it wrong side up to a clean floor or table, smooth and gently taut.
- Lay the wadding on top and smooth it out from the centre.
- Lay the quilt top right side up in the middle and smooth it out from the centre.
- Starting in the centre, pin through all three layers with curved safety pins, roughly every 4 inches (a fist width).
- Work outwards to the edges, adding pins wherever the layers feel loose.
- Remove the tape. You are ready to quilt.
Watch
How to Table Baste a Quilt (Beginner Quilt TUTORIAL!) (6:59)
By Erica Arndt · Open on YouTube
Chosen from its title and channel: a 6-minute video from Erica Arndt on the same topic as this guide. Embedded from YouTube with credit; we don't host it. It only loads when you press play.
All guides ›Quilting
Sources
All checked 1 November 2026. We read these; we did not test the products ourselves.