frecklestweety

What do other quilters do to stretch your quilt to make the layers taut before you hand quilt it. I hand quilt small quilts and wall hangings but send out the larger ones for machine quilting.
Does anyone have any suggestions. Is there a frame that can be made or purchase to do different sizes???

thepolyparrot

I made an 8' square "table" out of 2X4's and OSB plywood. It's a bit of work to carry all the pieces in and set it up, so I baste a batch of quilts all at once.

No bending, no stooping, no crawling around on the floor. It's waist-high or taller and a perfect height to work at and it was super cheap, too. :)

The OSB plywood is rough enough to hold the fabric where you put it, but you can use clips or clamps around the outside edges if you want to. I use them as an extra pair of hands, to hold one edge while I pull the other end taut, etc.

When you buy wood at most of these home improvement stores, you can get two cuts free on each piece of wood, so you don't even need power tools to do this. I had Lowe's cut the 4X8' OSB sheets lengthwise down the middle - the 2X8' sheets are easier to handle and store.

I made a pair of sawhorses 34" tall and set them up with three 2X4's across them, then lay the OSB on top of those.

I start basting on one side and fold up the completed rows as I go. When I've basted two feet, I either remove the closest OSB sheet or I pull the quilt toward me and keep on basting.

If you only baste small quilts, you can do this with your dining room table or coffee table.

Get some 2X4's and OSB cut to manageable sizes that will work in the space you have. Cover your table with an old blanket to protect it, then lay the 2X4's across the table and the OSB across the 2X4's.

You can use this "table" to iron fusible batts in place, too. Sure beats crawling around on the floor! :)

Mattee

I'm severely limited for space, so I have a LA'er baste my larger quilts for me. It's pretty cheap, and works great!

frecklestweety

thanks