My DH brought home a quilting frame similar to the picture but home made. The horizontal poles are metal tubes about 2 inches in diameter. Anyone have any ideas on how to attach the quilt to them?

I think you have to create cloth "leaders". Basically this is just a strong fabric (can even be pillow ticking or canvas) that goes around the pole. You attach the quilt to the leaders. With metal poles, I'm thinking you will need to create a sleeve to slide the leaders onto the poles. Basically you could take a rectangle of fabric, fold it in half, sew a seam so that the resulting sleeve fits over the pole, and either leave the ends free or sew them together for a strong leader. You want this leader to be long enough to make it easy to pin a quilt to it; I'm thinking maybe 6 to 8 inches.

Make (2) 6 inch leaders of duck cloth (canvas) or ticking. This is a 6 inch by length of pole strip of cloth with a hem sewn in (lengthwise)-big enough to put the pole in. Slide onto poles. Mark the center of the leader with magic marker.

With your kind of frame, you will need to baste the quilt before placing on the frame. After basting the quilt, place onto the leaders by pinning (with flat quilt pins), beginning with the center and working outwards. Start at the top of the quilt.

Roll the quilt taut in one direction. Pin onto the bottom leader. Now distribute the quilt so that the center of the quilt is in the middle of the frame. Begin quilting.

Leader cloths just like on a machine quilting frame would be my guess. Clips on bungee straps would work also. I'm sure there is a youtube video.

Here's a video on a 3 roller frame: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twnRd47TC0o

This link tells how to put the canvas leaders on: http://www.ehow.com/how_5943036_atta...ing-frame.html



Here's a link to download a pdf file that supposedly explains how to load a 2 rail hand quilting frame: http://www.quilting-tidbits.com/free...mini-book.html

if the metal poles have a groove all the way down the length of the pole you may have a grace ez3. If this is the case you can order new plastic tubeing from their site for around $10. This is used to attach the quilt leaders to the pole instead of using pins, it is pressed into the groove and holds the quilt very straight and square as long as you put it in straight. also you should remember to release the tension on the frame between quilting sessions because if you dont and it takes a while to finish the quilt your quilt could stretch our of shape.

I used adhesive velcro hook on the pipe and sew-on velcro loop on the leaders. Holds tight and no slippage.

wonderful ideas