Baste for Better Embroidery Part 2: Three More Top Reasons

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Basting stitches are one of machine embroidery’s most useful tools. Here are three more reasons to use them. We have already discussed how basting is useful for keeping embroidery layers secured in place, holding toppers in the hoop, and lining up designs that need hooped multiple times. They can also be stitched on stabilizer to aid in positioning oddly shaped items that you can’t hoop. Turns out there are several other ways that basting stitches are useful in machine embroidery.

Floating Fabric

Thick items, like towels or blankets, can be unruly to hoop. If you float them on hooped stabilizer, basting stitches help to keep them from moving out of place.

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The same is true with many in-the-hoop (ITH) projects, like quilt blocks, needle keepers, and mug rugs, where fabrics, batting, and backing are all pieced and stitched in the hoop. Thicker stabilizers, like Battilizer, are often floated rather than hooped. Without basting stitches, it would be difficult to keep the batting in place.

Positioning on Fabric

Fabrics with directional lines, like borders and plaids, make perfect alignment essential. If the design is off just the slightest bit, the error is magnified against the straight lines of the fabric. Running basting stitches lets you see if the design will be lined up properly before you start stitching. If the basting stitches are nor parallel to the plaids or stripes, snip them, rehoop, and try again.

Rehooping a Hoop Malfunction

If your project suddenly pops out of the hoop, and it will at some point in time, you can rehoop it with relative certainly so long as you have already run basting stitches. All you really need is a thumbtack and the basting stitches on your stabilizer. See how easy it is to do here.

Debbie Henry
Sew Inspired by Bonnie