Go to you tube and watch Sharon Schambers tut on basting a quilt. She shows how to sandwich a quilt the easy way. She bastes a unique, fast way but you could also spray baste. It is a very efficient way, Ilove it. And before that was the job I hated the most.

You do not need a huge table either, very simple.

I go to my mom's house and she has two banquet tables we use. And this allows me time to spend with my mom. Win Win.

I have to say, i have been quilting for a long time and I do not use boards or safety pins. Basting has always worked and I get a nice smooth back, the only problem is the knees . My mother had two sawhorses adjusted to her tiny height and she put a cutting board on top over a piece of plywood. It stored easily and was the perfect height. I used to wonder why she did that but now I know.

Incidently, I used the bed and it worked remarkably well. I could sit on the edge if I needed tow, it was easy to reach the middle if I folded it up a bit and the back is perfect. This may be my new method, but I certainly love all the suggestions.
I will post a photo when I finish quilting.
Mary

I can't get down on the floor anymore either. I meet with a group at the church on Tuesdays to quilt, and the room is set up for us, tables butted together etc. However one of the ladies in our group brought quick clip clamps the 2" size I believe that you can get at Lowe's or Home Depot. They make laying out the quilt so much easier as they hold it taunt for pinning. You can tighten as needed, and they clamp on to the table edges, but don't harm the furniture. I plan to get some!

I know - if you are referring to the lady with the long boards to wrap the top and back of the fabric - I couldn't believe it. I have never seen anything like it. And it seems like such a great way to do it - and so relaxing and non-stress. Yes - time consuming but you will see all your stitches and get to know your quilt. I probably would do this only for my quilts that took a long time rather than quilts for kids etc. But I loved her method.

I have 5 of the 4 x 6 tables that I set up in my den. The most I have ever set up is 3. (I use these tables in craft shows). I center the backing on top of the tables, then my batting, then the quilt top. I start in the middle and pin them with the quilting safety pins. I pull the backing to straighten it as I pin. By the time I have it all pinned (I put the safety pins about 5 inches apart), it's straight on the back. I can't sit on the floor and we have dogs so I won't put it on the floor anyway. This seems to work really well for me.

The folding cutting boards work fine, each one fits on a twin bed, our beds are bumped together so two folding boards give me a 72 x 72 area to layer, pin and baste quilts together and I don't have to store plywood or extra tables, they fold up and are stuck next to a dresser in our bedroom. And they are cheap.

Carol J.

I can't do the floor thing anymore either. DH isn't a whole lot better, but between us we get the backing taped, then I use spray basting. Spread the newspapers around the outside edges so the floor doesn't get sticky. I do stick a few pins in it when I take it up, just because. I have no trouble quilting with the spray baste, FMQ or hand quilting.

I have a really neat crafting table that I bought from someone I met at a quilting class. It is the right height for my back, & folds up into itself so storing it isn't a problem. It folds out from both sides, so you can use it half extended, or fully extended. I can tape a smaller quilt, or clamp a larger quilt. I have toothpicks taped on the center edges so I can find the centers. I can also use it for wrapping Christmas presents. It was the best $25 I ever spent.

Not knowing just what I was doing, this is also what I did yesterday. I had to add some to the backing to make it big enough for the quilt, so did a decorative touch, wanting it to be the top. I then found the center of each piece and marked it with a big safety pin. Then I sewed the sandwich together, just the top. I put down a board and pinned. I was off a little but got half of it pinned. Now, am just going to sit in front of the TV in my lounge chair and tie. Then I'll pin the last half. I worked on the blasted thing 10 hours yesterday. What a learning curve.

Rita

Me too, I have 4 6ft tables. I have to put them up on the patio and only use ousid when weather is good.

I got 2 six foot folding tables and set them up next to each other in my basement. When not using I cover with an old sheet to keep the dust off. They work great and can be used for other stuff as needed. Great for cutting too, just get one of the really large cutting mats that can be rolled up and stored when not needed.

Since you mentioned Joanne's. I was in the one in Savannah Ga. today and it's all organized and so neat. I never thought I would see it like that. I could have spent the whole day there.

Hello Mary, Why couldn't you base using the same method my grandmother did in tack yarning a quilt. Use two by two's (4) and (4) clamps. (4) chairs EVEN folding chairs. Place towels over chair backs. then two by two's and clamp all 4 ends. Come back with quilt back, TACK, lay batting then quilt top. Bottom is taunt. Instead of yarning quilt pin it or base it, ROLL as you go. LEAVE tacks in all the way around till finished. gets you off the floor. :)

on the table from Jo-Anns--the current model may have better support than the older model, but I call my table the "killer table" because the leg underneath is easy to push and the table collapses. The momentum generated when this happens is enough to rip the center top off its base. Watch out!

Just like Deliliah; I too, spray baste. It's wonderful. No more wrinkles, puckers or creases. And my fingers were constantly getting stuck from the basting pins. I can no longer get on the floor on my knees because of arthritis, so I have a good size table that I use. When you spray baste, you can do it in sections which makes it alot less complicated.

My DH screwed binder clips every 6" to 1 x 2" strips of wood and attached the strips to the wall just below the ceiling (I have only made king size quilts) and I first clip my backing, then clip my batting with backing then pin baste. Works very well for me. I do have to use a step stool to reach the very top. Good luck and happy quilting.

I'm with you Roxanne. I have two 4x8 sheets of insulation attached to my basement wall. It's so easy to just pin the backing to the wall, then use spray basting to adhere the batting, smooth it out with your hands from the center to all the edges, then spray again and attach the top. No folding, rolling, pinning, crawling on the floor, bending over a table, etc. You can easily see where there might be a wrinkle, so you can smooth it out, and it really is very quick too!

many years ago I joined my first quilt guild -- we all helped each other pin/baste our quilts. There were long tables that we pushed together. Now a group of snowbirds are gathering each week for the same reason.

I also got the joann's tables when they were on sale... but after buying 2 my dh insisted we get 2 more. 4 is perfect for me. I share my quilting room with a ping pong table and five kids and their "crafty" mom (dad has a shop down stairs). When I'm not here for a bit, or between quilts, I fold up two or three of the tables and they take about 1'x3' space and they get pushed aside. I usually leave my sewing machine up on the fourth table, leaving it open for safety reasons. They go up in minutes, are on wheels that lock (sort of) and I've even drawn lines on their white surface to help me square my quilts.

Right after I got these 4 wonderful and indispensable tables I read some awful reviews about them closing because the holder for the swing-out legs didn't hold the legs in place and they "wing" of the table would fall. I'd noticed that also, and had put velcro on the top of the swing mechanism and in the holding bracket and never have had a problem.

I also spent some years crawling on the floor (using gardening knee pads) but, hey, I'm older now and absolutely love my tables. Put together they are about 10' by 6'... a very good size! Now I kin quilt lak a ladee.

Sierra
:thumbup:

How do you hang it from the top?

maybe you could ask your local quilt store to use their classroom and tables?? I used to use a ping pong table minus the net and it worked pretty good for most quilts. Good luck!!

I used to use table at work, when not on duty, but now living in sheltered housing so have access to community room. Bit of tut-tutting when I move around tables. However I often get help and its a real giggle, all these crumblies staggering round a quilt!

a very large table or piece of hardboard laid on and go to www.sharonschamber.com----------nothing more simple, no kneeling or running around and most of all LITTLE stress, I use safety pins and then tack after which is not what she does;give it a whirl!!!!!!!!!!!

I use bulletin board tacks to pin it up.

Patsy Thompson also has a video clip on her web site on how she does it on the wall. The biggest reason people don't like spray basting I think, is they use temporary spray. There is re positional Permanent spray that lasts for years without quilting. I have friends that have made walls with foam core, too. Another friend just bought a wall you can fold up and put away from a quilt show last month- looks great and works for a King. She lives in a mobile home, so has no room for a permanent wall. I envy all you guys with a basement!! I put the address in for the U tube video for Patsy, but it looks like you will have to copy and paste it- it's my first time replying here- I ashamed to say I've been a lurker for a long time. I need a good pic, too! Sally in Florida
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwV8tUkhxUM

I hang mine. I tack small nails in the beams in the basement and use those office clips on the quilt (the kind that you can flip the finger portion down to make kinda flat) and slide the open metal part over the nails. Don't have much experience, but the 2 I did this way worked fine.

No need for shame here. I think most of us were lurkers for a time before actually posting. lol Welcome and I'm glad you decided to post.

What an idea!!! Never thought of the hallway!!!! Thanks!!!

I have never used spray baste -- what does it do? I am assuming it must be something like photo spray glue. Does it hold everything together without pins or anything? You must have to do it on both sides of the batt so both back and front will be smoth.
I would think if it holds that well, it must leave a coating in the quilt?
I think I must have been out of the room when the whole topic of spray came up -- We have so many allergies in the family --even to dryer sheets, that I hesitate to add anything I am not sure of.

i use the conference room @ work... after i'm off the clock...usually on a nite that i have to wait for dd to be done with orchestra or robotics... saves me the gas from making an extra trip to pick her up too!

Mt dearest husband made a sewing table/ cabinet, that when open, is 5 1/2' by 4', and made an insert for the hole where the sewing machine goes if I need to use that whole dimension. The hinges that hold up part of the table are rated to carry 500# each, and there's 2!
It's on my 'list of things to do' to share photos of the whole room, because other pics were so invaluable to us, these might be to others too, just haven't gotten there yet.
The reason he made the insert was to put the machine'sideways' to use a FMQ table, but he hasn't made that yet.

wow...that is an awesome table he made...did he buy a plan or just do it up himself?

I take mine to my mom who is a long arm quilter. She puts them on the machine and uses a long stitch and odds and ends of thread and bastes them for me. It sure beats crawling around the floor.

I discovered this method last fall & have sandwiched 3 quilts this way. 1 is a full size & the other 2 are lg baby quilts. Only 1 is quilted but they are sandwiched!

my dining room table works for me also.

Senior Centers, Community Buildings, Churches, Libraries, etc. all have large tables and most are more than willing to have them used for putting quilts together.

I just typed a bunch and decided I'll just put this in it's own thread. We sort of made a plan with what we had to work with and was available

Got this idea from my quilting class, made my own stretcher bars. They are about 7-8 feet long for length, 6-7 feet in width of 1x2, four pieces of lumber all together. Using staples I wrap in pieces in muslin allowing a piece of about 1 1/2 for pinning. I use c-clamps to hold the frame together. First pin the backing fabric, lay out the batting and then the quilt top. Make sure everything is taut and then you can either pin or baste. I usually work with this in the garage when there is plenty room and I can turn it around if I need to.