The quilt frame I "inherited" from my MIL consisted of four sticks: narrow boards with holes about a foot apart that are 80 inches and 90 inches long (two of each). They could accommodate about a 76 X 86 quilt. That was a full size quilt in those days. They may have come from the 1800's. The fabric was held on with thumb tacks.
Then my son made two longer ones (108 inches) with the baseboards from this house when we remodeled. Last year I made two more short ones (48 inches). Now I can stretch out almost any size quilt I care to make.
These were held together with C-clamps, but I figured out a way to use bolts in the holes in the boards. My friend used to use pegs to put into the holes, but they fell out too many times.
We support these frames with the edges of two tables with another table in the center to support the quilt (at the town hall), or support each corner on the back of a chair (at home). Here I would put a card table under the center so it doesn't sag as much.
I have put a sheet on it to use as a design wall, or as a display wall for small quilts and such in a show.
They've seen a lot of use.
Last edited by maviskw; 05-14-2013 at 10:55 AM.