Domestic machine quilting help needed.
 

Can anyone tell me if there is a product on the market or anything that fellow quilters use to hold all of the material that hangs off to the left side of your machine while you are machine quilting? My DH gave me his vice grips (mechanics tool) to hold the roll together so it is easier to maneuver around while I sew. Thank you in advance for any help or suggestions that you may have for me.

I just pull up my ironing board and "flop" all of the excess quilt there while quilting. It is usually a constant movement of the quilt from one area to the next and I "puddle" instead of rolling up the extra, so I dont tether it down to anything.

:D Another Puddler and Flopper checking in here! :D

some people set up a card table- use an ironing board- even chairs...what ever can be found to help support the weight of the quilt.

I set up a small table behind my machine and one to my left and use the ironing board as well. I've even stacked encyclopedias on the table to make a level surface. It worked.

Vise grips! Wow, that is inventive! I know there are some quilt contraptions out there, if you are trying to tame to large roll to your left side, but also can be used to keep the roll on the right side under control (so it will fit through the harp).
I tried a friends' red sort of hard plastic "C" that fit over the roll, not a fan. I just puddle and flop like the others here. I think it takes a little creative manipulation: I start in the center, work outwards on 1/4 of the quilt and stop and start all over for another 1/4. Not the way our heads tell us to do it...but it works for me.

I tried the roll-the-quilt method first, since it was recommended by Harriet Hargrave, who truly is an expert quilter. However, I couldn't maneuver the large roll of quilt, so I tried the puddling method. That worked much better for me.

I think rolling is better for SID while puddling works easier for FMQ. I also use the ironing board as an overflow catchall.

I have a big corner desk I sew on, so it rests on the desk. I also am a puddler and flopper.

Vickie

I bought two tables at Target for $25 each. They fit perfectly next to and behind my machine. So I can spread out to the left and spread out behind the machine.