Preparing a blanket for machine quilting

What you'll need:
Basting pins (giant safety pins)
Tape that is not super sticky (you don't want it to tear your fabric when removing it. (I used painters tape)
Basting Spray (optional)

My grandmother told me that the secret to a good machine quilting is basting spray.  I bought some, but ended up not using it.  My fabric naturally stuck very tightly together.  It was strange, but it worked for me.  Truns out pregnant women shouldn't use the spray anyway! (If you buy it and want to use it just follow the instructions on the can)

 Find a flat, clean surface to lay your backing on.  Preferably anything NON-carpet related.  You could pin the carpet in with the quilt rendering all your efforts to remove it from the floor useless.  Lay the batting on the floor, right side down and tape one side.

 Then tape the opposite side.

 Repeat with the top and bottom.

 Finally, tape the corners.

Next you'll lay the batting over the top of the backing.

 Followed by the quilt top.

Start pinning in the center working your way out to the sides.  I don't know if how I did it was correct, but it worked for me.  I started at the very center and pinned all the way up to the top, then all the way down to the bottom in one straight line.

 Next I started, again at the center, and pinned out to the sides in a T shape.  I proceeded pinning all the remaining rows in T shapes till the pinning was finished.

 Every pin should be place approx. 2-3" apart.  You should be able to lay your hand down on the quilt and feel two pins.  Once you're satisfied with the pinning, remove the tape from the quilt and roll up the sides of the quilt.  Your quilt is now ready for the machine.

 Make sure you change your thread accordingly (bobbin thread matching the quilt bottom, proper foot on machine for quilting choice, etc)  Also, change your stich length to 2.5, start quilting in the center and go crazy!!!  Wait, not that crazy...One last helpful hint: When maching quilting, NEVER turn your fabric.  You ONLY quilt forward, backward and side to side.  For any details I may have left out or questions you have go here:

http://www.generations-quilt-patterns.com/machine-quilting-a-beginner-quilting-project.html