The QuilTak Quilt Basting Tool and System
The QuilTak quilt basting system was invented by avid quilters, quilters like you who wanted a faster and easier way to complete the basting process. Since the early 1990s we have been offering quilters the best quilt basting tools available. We’ve also continued to evolve, updating our products to reflect the needs of our customers without changing our pricing or quality.
We started with clear taks. Our customers asked for colored taks, to make it easier to see the tak when quilting, and we responded, first with purple taks, and then, in 2000, we added rainbow taks to our inventory. We also added an extra needle in each starter kit at no additional cost. More taks are included in all of our refill packages and our Starter Kit. This quilt basting system is the best on the market and our customer’s satisfaction is guaranteed.
The story behind the QuilTak basting method is MY story. It began in August of 1992, when I had been quilting for over 15 years. I love quilting now and I loved quilting then. The more I quilt, the more I want to quilt.
However, I don’t love the whole process of quilting. While I feel creative and productive, relaxed and inspired, and relieved and challenged when I quilt, basting does not inspire any of these positive feelings. I loath the time wasted in the tedious, painful, boring process of basting. I kept telling myself that the time spent basting is not wasted time, that proper basting means a fine finished quilt. But I was not finishing my quilts because I dreaded taking the time necessary to baste them.
One day an idea popped into my head: the concept of the QuilTak System! I could “see” the plastic “gun” with its plastic tacks that are used to attach tags to merchandise. I knew it would baste as well or better than safety pins. Plus I knew it should be a whole lot faster than safety pins or needle and thread. An idea was born.
A Bit of Background
As a student, I had worked in retail, marking items using a gun and plastic “strings,” so I was familiar with the tool. Although quilt basting was a totally new application for this approach, I knew it would not only work, but it would also save time and take the pain out of basting.
Coming up with an idea and following through with it are two different matters. The process of bringing my idea to market was difficult and complex. The most important aspect of the research was testing the many plastic tacking tools available at the time. It was essential to determine whether the tools made holes in quilt fabrics. We tested all on the market, and found only one tool that did not make holes in quilt fabrics. That was the tool we started marketing and have been loyal to it and its specially designed needle and Taks ever since.
After an amazing amount of concentrated effort and research, the QuilTak™ Quilt Basting System was on the market in January of 1993, less than 4 months from the date the idea came to me. It is now 25 years later and there are several basting tools on the market. We have tested them all, and I still feel we have the very best quilt basting product on the market.
The QuilTak™ Quilt Basting Tool
The QuilTak tool has a special needle with a fine finish allowing the needle to go between the fabric threads without cutting, following the same principle as a ball-point needle. Please test the tool on all fabrics. Batik fabrics are so tightly woven through the dying process that even a fine needle may break a thread. Also, what is known as “white on white” fabrics can be a problem if you insert a Tak into the “paint” on the fabric. Again, just test on your fabrics to be sure.
QuilTak also has the shortest Taks available for the Fine Fabric tool. They hold the layers of the quilt in a secure position for both hand quilting and machine quilting.
The Taks are rainbow colored, Clear or Black, in strips of 100—no tangling—plus they are easier to see & find on colored quilts.
Quilt Basting “Gun” Instructions
Basting with a “gun” is very simple. Load the “gun” with a strip of Taks. Insert the needle into the quilt, pull the trigger, and a Tak is released. The Taks hold the three quilt layers together. This basting process usually takes less than an hour from the time you lay your quilt out to the time you pick it up to quilt. It’s fast, painless and almost fun. It’s very fun to do with friends!
This tool can also be used in other applications such as home decorating, sewing, and crafting. Your only limitation when you’re using the QuilTak tool is the need to be conscious of the delicate needle.
Bari’s Book of Quilt Basting & Batting Basics
During my travels, while teaching quilting classes, and in talking to quilters on the phone, I realized that folks had many questions surrounding basting procedures and batting choices.
Although many quilt books have a few wonderful ideas concerning basting and batting, there has been a need for one handy resource book. “Bari’s Book of Quilt Basting & Batting Basics” provides information gathered from many sources, and will likely be a handy reference for your basting and batting choices.
- PROPER BASTING: Proper basting is an essential step in quilt construction.
- PROPERLY BASTED quilt layers remain stable during quilting and the finished product appears smooth and square.
- IF LAYERS of the quilt have not been secured together correctly, they tend to shift as they are quilted, resulting in a lumpy, bumpy, skewed quilt.
- FINE QUALITY is achieved by the care taken in the basting process.
There are just a limited number of these books left to purchase. We will not be reprinting.
Our Blog
BariPatch, allows Bari to write on various topics that interest her. A previous version of our web site included information about many areas of art, travel, friends and workshops. Our customers have missed being able to view those inspiring bits of information. The hope is that BariPatch can host that aspect of our creative life. And now that it is housed on this website, it will be easier to update and add “Bits and Pieces” of fun information.