How to handle the rest of the quilt....
 

I have done a little hand-quilting and really enjoyed it, but I have not gotten back to it because it was so frustrating handling the bulk of the quilt and finding a comfortable position to sit in. I get hot really easily and find that having the quilt draped around me makes me feel smothered. I have tried a google search but suspect I am not putting the right thing in the search engine. So do any of you have any tips or tricks to use for maintaining the bulky quilt around the area you are hand-quilting? I hope my question makes sense. Thanks, Terina

Are you lap quilting or using a frame? You may try the ring things that they use for holding the quilt when machine quilting. At least you can bundle up some of the bulk and would have a roll laying across instead of a blanket.

Some quilters use a table to support the quilt, keeping it off their lap.

Janet

This thread is by a couple who just finished one of the PVC frames. It really looks like it will make FMQ'ing a much easier task by taking the weight of the quilt off of you. Check it out -- http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...a-t259653.html

a table? Since I like to sit and watch tv with hubby, I think I'll set an ironing board up and drape the quilt over it. that would surely take the bulk off of me and make it easier to manage and an ironing board is easy to move around.

I'm fortunate that I'm not bothered by the weight/heat of having the bulk of the quilt on me when I quilt. I mostly use just a hoop and quilt in my lap. The only thing I find cumbersome is shift stuff around when I have to switch direction. I guess I'm also just naturally fidgety as I'm always shifting my sitting position - whether quilting or not - so being in one position for prolonged periods isn't really an issue either.

If you don't want something as bulky as an ironing board to rest the quilt, possibly one of the folding TV tray type tables? Smaller to deal with and folds up out of the way fairly easily???

I was practicing hand quilting the other day. Had a 3x3' sampler and just practicing away. Next thing I knew DH was trying to wake me up. I got so warm and toasty and comfortable. Took a 2 hour nap. Could hardly sleep the rest of the night.

Personally I have never had this issue about getting hot when hand quilting but I do keep a fan blowing on me if I get hot. But this week I got my new Mary Maxim magazine and I saw an adjustable quilting frame that rolls up. Its called a EZ3 Quilting Frame it is 299.99 I found this one also on amazon for 199.

Here are some more that might be cheaper

[h=1]Dritz 28 by 39-Inch Quilters Floor Frame 89.48[/h]

Maybe even a tall laundry basket in front of your chair could support the weight of the quilt, and keep air flowing between you and it?

I like to sit in the corner of my couch and throw the bulk of the quilt over the back of the couch. gives me room, no heat and no weight. of course, in the winter, I keep the quilt on me and like tessagin, I get a nice nap out of it too.

I have the Hinterberg quilting hoop with a floor stand. It works all year long. I had a standard frame that did fold up but it took up too much room.

That was a big problem for me, too and using what I had around this is my ideal set-up! I quilt the stab-stitch way, so it may not work for you.

The first pic shows how I lay it out and the second shows how the quilt is ready for quilting.

Can even pull the table over to my recliner or use an office chair. The table is an inexpensive folding one from Walmart. My couch has many cushions which are handy to prop around you to rest arms on, etc - the red one is to lay across my lap under the quilt for more support.
The boards are left over molding and the "weights" to hold them are painted rocks and an old iron!

A big arm chair would work, too if you can drape the quilt over the arms while you sit. Good luck!

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I feel your pain!! I'm a stab-stitcher so invented this method out of household items! Sure does work!

Of course my old couch has many cushions to prop around yourself, but I can also use an office chair or my recliner!

The pictures will show how I do it!
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Hope this gives you some ideas!

I have tried twice to reply to your post, but for some reason the posts won't - well, they won't POST? Sorry!

There are lots of home made frames you can make. Also some pricey but comfortable large oval frames with a stand.

My system is to put most of the quilt on one of those 6 foot tables and just have the hoop in or near my lap. Most of mine are large lap quilts. I've made 3 tops big enough for a bed, but not one of them is quilted.

Been there, did that!! LOL

My mom (almost 87 years young) puts the quilt on a chair that rolls. Then she rolls it to where she is going to sit. (Usually the recliner.) She leave the quilt in the roll-y chair and just moves the section she has hooped onto her lap. She has arthritis and this seems to work well for her.

Back when I hand quilted I wasn't too bothered by getting too hot. I wouldn't quilt at the height of summer. I loved in the winter during cool weather. But I see you live in the deep south where it never gets really, REALLY cold. but does get really REALLY hot and humid. I think if I lived in Mississippi I would definitely be bothered by it too. Maybe you can try doing hand quilting quilt as you go so you only have a small size in your hoop and on your lap at any given time.

I solved this problem with a floor stand/laptop hoop from Harry Barnett. I'm nothing more than a very satisfied customer of his. In fact I heard about his hoops here on the QB many years ago. just do a google search:
laptophoops.com might be the address... He's an artisan! I definitely identify with your problem!!! good luck!!!

This might sound just a little bit off the wall, but the first and only quilt that I hand quilted, for my daughter, I sat at my old, but rather large and wide, kitchen table, using a large quilt frame, and using the edge of the table for stability. It was a full size quilt, so it was large, plus I quilted it in the summer, so I had a floor fan going in front of the table to keep me cool. I did almost the same thing when I quilted a large king size quilt, 110" x 110", but on my sewing machine. The table completely supported the quilt so I could machine quilt it more easily; and it had 10" pieced baskets that I used SID to quilt. Was I crazy, probably certifiable, however, it was the first large quilt I had machine quilted, I hadn't been quilting that long, so I probably broke a lot of rules that I never even knew about. I might do it differently now, but I was pretty much a self-taught quilter at that point in my quilting career, and learned through books, magazines and Georgia J.Bonesteel's video from Spinning Spools.