Originally Posted by MarthaT

My quilt frame is also homemade. It's like the ones the Amish use for their big quilting bees, but you have to have space to use this one. (I designed our house so the great room has a flex space that's available to quilt in when needed.) I have "sticks" of various lengths that are about 3 in. wide and 3/4 in. thick to fit the different quilt sizes. They have strips of fabric nailed onto them to pin the lining to. They are held in place by C-clamps at each corner. There is a stand at each corner to support it at the right height to sit up to. You start with the sticks clamped into a rectangle shape to fit the size of the lining and pin the lining in all around, stretched tight and then you lay the batting and the top on, centering them. Pin around the edges to hold in place and start quilting. Two opposite sides are rolled in as quilting progresses. It takes up a lot of space to have the whole quilt spread out to start with, but it makes it so easy to keep everything smooth and unwrinkled. I think it's the simplest one to use. No basting and no rolling in layers separately. I found a picture of my sisters, my mother and I quilting on mine. Not sure if you can see much of the frame or not.