Quilting a King-sized top
 

I've got all the fabric ready to go for the quilt top for my bed, and now I've got cold feet. Can I really do a king-sized top? I'm not worried about the piecing. I can piece until the cows come home. I'm worried about quilting it. I don't have enough floor space to lay it out with batting and backing. And even if I did, how in the world am I going to man-handle a king-sized quilt in my machine? I have a 9" throat, and I've successfully done two twin-sized quilts which weren't too bad. The local longarm quilters are a little out of my budget. Has anyone quilted a king top? If so, do you have any tips about basting and/or quilting?

I have not done this and I am just like you. I think it would hurt my neck and shoulders and hands.

Why not do a modified quilt as you go? Divide that king into 6 or 8 equal sizes, piece and quilt each piece, then connect the pieces and bind.

I have done it a few times and not just stitch in the ditch, but FMQ as well. It takes a bit of thought to make sure that you position your quilt so that you don't have the majority of it in the harp space. As for sandwiching, I don't have a lot of floor space so I sandwich half of the quilt and then do the other half after I have spray basted and ironed the first half. the sandwiching is the worst part of it but it can be done.

It can be done, just not easily or at least I don't think it's easy, and I certainly can't FM good, but I can get it done. There are a couple of different ways that I've tried, 1-quilt as you go, 2- you put the sandwich together, to make sure everything's going to fit, then fold the top into 3rds, then cut the batting in large wavey curves, mark right/left and top or bottom, then remove that section, do the same for the other side, then quilt the center but leave some space so that you can hand stitch the batting sections back on, then quilt each section. I've done it both ways and did get them done, but I personally didn't find them a whole lot easier than wrestling with the whole big quilt.

You don't say if your quilting table is the same/approximate height as your machine, if not, that's the first thing I would recommend. Also, I read about the silicone "pad" for your machine, the only thing is, it's just a small pad. I've also read about the fabric safe silicone spray, that you spray on the bed of your machine and quilting table. Just for the heck of it, I bought a can. I COULDN'T BELIEVE the difference it made in being able to MOVE the quilt. I highly recommend it, and when I'm at a quilt/fabric store, I'm going to get several cans of it. GOOD LUCK and I hope that these tips will help you.

Marti Michell has an excellent book called Machine Quilting in Sections. It explains several different methods and gives excellent examples of when each method should be used. I did this for quite a few large quilts before getting a longarm.

Good luck, can't imagine doing one on a personal machine.

Hmm..that Marti Michell book could be helpful. I also like the idea of silicone spray. I don't plan to do any FMQ, just straight line echo stitching.

I've done several quilts on my dsm and yes, it can be tricky....but...it is very rewarding when done! I starch pretty heavy on the final pressing as it helps to eliminate puckers and wrinkles when basting the sandwich and also helps to move through the machine easier. I also find a large place to lay it out flat and use spray basting....the layers do not shift, no puckers, no pins! I don't cut the batting, but some do. I use my ironing board as a second table, just to the left of my sewing machine, to hold the bulk of the quilt. I don't roll the quilt when moving through the machine, I "puddle" it, seems to be easier for me. When you start a new design or color of thread, make sure the bobbin is full....pulling out the quilt just to change the bobbin can be a real pain! With the spray basting, I don't have to start in the middle, I start quilting with some basic SITD all over the quilt, mostly to secure the layers, then switching over to fmq if desired. Take frequent breaks as manhandling a king size behemoth quilt will wear you out! Lastly....have fun with it!

Some places rent time on a long arm machine. I think the one place quoted $20/hour. You will probably want to and be required to take a class to learn to use the machine. Much less expensive than the LAQ charge + S/H to the LAQ.

I choose carefully which quilts I will pay to have LAQ. It is a special treat for me to have quilts LAQ'ed.

I thought about doing a LAQ intro course and renting time, but I've heard the learning curve is pretty steep.

I plan on quilting a King size sometime soon. I have a King size top almost done and I am hoping it is not going to be a big deal. to quilt it on my old Singer.

I'll tell you why I no longer try to FMQ anything larger than a small twin at home.

Several years ago (when I was much younger, less achy, and more nimble than I am now) I pushed to get a quilt FMQ'd at home for a show and didn't want to pay for a LAQ rush job. For 8 weeks after that show, after quilting that quilt myself, I visited the chiropractor several times a week to "fix" the shoulder I'd "killed" trying to do it my self.

I could have paid the LAQ easily with the co-pays/deductibles I spent! Never again. I PROMISED myself.

Jan in VA

I'm going to do a king but I'm taking the other road lol I'm tying it.....probably machine tying!! Like you I have a simple machine with a small throat. Good luck and Happy Quilting

I had posted a link to Oh, Fransson! where she shows how she quilts large quilts. She has some interesting techniques that make the job less taxing on your body. It's in the links and resources forum.

It can be done. I lay it across my kitchen table to do the pinning and then I quilted it on my Janome with only a 9" throat. I had quilted several that way before I got my Tin Lizzie. If you use your ironing board or two kitchen chairs to help keep the weight from dragging, it is not too bad. I have done FMQ and crosshatching on my Janome, including SID. It can be done! Good Luck!

Which brand of silicone spray is safe for fabric? I'd like to order a can!

I split the batting on large quilts into 3 pieces and quilt the middle section first. I first saw this technique described in a Debra Wagner book, but I think it is included in the Marti Michel book too. I use a Sharpie permanent marker to create registration marks before storing the other 2 sections of batting; makes putting the batting back together much easier. I also use the new batting tape (or pieces of nylon tricot fusible cut into strips) to fasten the batting back together.

I recently finished quilting my king size quilt on my dsm (and a vintage machine at that - a Singer 15-91). And I was worried about the same things you are worried about. So - decided to cut my batting into thirds. I chose to do meandering on the entire quilt, and I started with the middle section. I used a fusible tape to attach the batting back together. I used 505 spray for basting.

When reading about cutting the batting for a larger quilt, it was recommended to cut in in a wavy pattern, not a straight line. I ended up with an extreme wave, which I would not recommend. Next time (yes, I would do this again) - I will do a gentle wave. Also, I think it would make it easier to add back in the batting pieces if the stitching stopped in roughly a straight line down the quilt a couple of inches in from the edge of the batting. The quilt was so big, I kind of got lost as I meandered around, feeling for the edge of the batting. Some of my stitching came perilously close to the edges.

Honestly, I think I could have done this without cutting the batting in thirds. Yes, it would have been tight in spots, but doable. Next time I would probably just cut the batting in half. I have to admit it was nice to be able to move around the middle of the quilt easily. I puddle my quilt when I FMQ.

I am attaching a picture of my quilt while I was working on it, as well as the end result (almost end result - I still need to do the binding). I also added a picture of my favorite sewing machine - the one I used to FMQ on this top. :p

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Being cheap, instead of buying another something - silicon spray - I used Pledge spray furniture wax and it worked excellent. Didn't hurt my machine or my table.

I have also heard - but haven't tried - using car wax.

The next time I am quilting something large I am going to try the technique mentioned on Oh Fransson. That sounded very logical.

Would you share the link again. I did a search, but couldn't find it. Thanks.

I have managed it with my 9" throated machine by putting two large tables behind the machine and the whole quilt is supported on the tables as I go. There is minimal drag as I sit on the very right hand side of the front table and the quilt is thus to the left of me and to the front of me. All the best with your efforts.

I quilted a king size quilt on my dinky Brother mechanical. It was stid, but the blocks were set on point, so i started in the middle and worked out down the corners. It was tricky at times, but doable and came out fine.

Been there done that several times this year. Here is the link with all the posts when I asked a similar question about doing a CalKing quilt.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...ne-t94447.html

You could try a quilt as you go technique. That way it is in managible sized pieces.
MaryKatherine

I've done it, both piecing & quilting. I used the gym floor of a local school where my DH works to lay it out.. Maybe you could ask a local school, church or someplace with a large enough floor space to borrow a floor for an hour or so. As far as quilting, I begin in the middle, rolling up the quilt to fit under the machine, I didn't use a long arm, and quilted it in sections, pulling the quilt toward me as it goes through the machine. It takes planning but its do-able. Good luck.
Cathy S/Willowwind

I have longarmed for 10 years now and was interested in this discussion. Recently, I sat at a hq sweet sixteen sit down at a LQS and had so much fun "sitting" and pushing the fabric around, but I thought oh, dear, pushing a king. As a challenge, I would still like to try, but I do think it would be very hard on the shoulders. My hats off to the gals that can wrestle it. I shorted my batting on a huge quilt of mine the other day, after 10 years of this, lol. Thank heavens for zippered leaders. I removed it to zig zag on the batting needed. I was stressing and sweating. My husband held the rolled up side as maneuvered the end with the batting to get it done. Wow was it heavy with a flannel back.

Long story short. I think renting time is a great option. It is so much $ and time invested in my hobby business. Being the DIYer I am, I do love it, but..... Even if it seems like a lot of money to rent, it is still worth, and so much less investment and $ in your own. and, even if it seems about the same amount of $ as paying someone quilt it, you get the satisfaction of having done it yourself.

Pay to rent time to do a small quilt, that can have some warbles and mistakes. If it is a busy quilt, you won't notice. Like paying for entertainment. You will be surprised how quickly you get comfortable. And the owner will be there to help you. I always encourage customers and anyone to give it a try, and they nod and don't go for it. It is intimidating at first, but so much easier than you think! I think people say it is a steep learning curve cuz it is so different it is scary, but practice a at the rental place on a couple of baby quilts, it will be worth it.

I have offered so many friends to come over for free to try, so they can do their own. 0 takers to date, lol.



That big rack sure is great for kings, but boy did I love that cute HQ sweet sixteen.

I am working on one 120" x 100". It is such that I can make it in two pieces then sew the two together. I have most of the first one done. I just quit the quilting on block (2") away and will only have to quilt that area after the quilt is put together. I am waiting until I finish the quilting on the main quilt and put it together before attaching the 4" border. I can then quilt it all together. By the time I finish I hope someone will come along to help me post pictures.

[QUOTE=DawnFurlong;5157229]I recently finished quilting my king size quilt on my dsm (and a vintage machine at that - a Singer 15-91). And I was worried about the same things you are worried about.
I puddle my quilt when I FMQ.

I am attaching a picture of my quilt while I was working on it, as well as the end result (almost end result - I still need to do the binding). I also added a picture of my favorite sewing machine - the one I used to FMQ on this top. :p

I am inspired! I have the same machine and a bedspread sized queen quilt to do. But, what is puddling?

I can't comment on doing the actual quilting however as to the sandwiching....see if your LQS will let you come in and put a couple tables together (or three) to lay out your project and baste in whatever fashion suits you. If not LQS, how about a church or some meeting room that has banquet tables. Never hurts to ask....

Now would be the time to watch a tutorial on *lap quilting.* When I first learned to quilt in a community class, I was taught the lap quilting method. I made my first two huge quilts in less than 6 weeks that way. I carried each section with me everywhere I went--doctors' offices, school meetings, social gatherings, etc. It was a wonderful conversation starter too, because everyone gathered around to watch. You really ought to consider this method if your space is limited and if you do not have a long-arm quilter.

My message is probably somewhere in outer space, but I did reply in detail.

To shorten and simplify, I say watch a video or read a book about lap quilting. I made my first two quilts that way and they were huge. It is a practical and logical way for those with limited spake or time.

Hey there: just Quilt as you go; one row at a time or one section at a time;; like doing small baby quilts; then just attach each one into rows. Sure--You Can Do It.......Its yours so it would not hurt to try and see how great it will be when you are finished and you will supprise yourself.......All things are possible. You won't know till you try. Let us know how it comes out. Leave a little extra on the square so the attaching will be easy.

I have found that people really "ooh" and "ahh" over anything hand quilted. Why don't you give that a try. It won't be done as fast, but it will be absolutely beautiful.

I know an awesome quilter who did it this way and hers were always amazing, now she has a long arm.

I have done a queen-sized quilt on my 1923 Singer 66. Yes, the quilt was big and bulky, but it was doable. Look at your quilt as if divided into quarters, work on one quarter at a time, beginning in the center. Make sure you have plenty of table space to hold the bulk of the quilt. I even put a small table (wood tv tray) to my left to hold some of the bulk while I work.

To do the pin basting, I moved some things to create enough floor space to lay it out. If you don't have enough floor space, how about wall space? I've seen youtube videos about spray basting on a wall, and it looks like it would work nicely. Spray basting has the added benefit of not having to remove pins or basting stitches as you work. I personally have not tried wall basting though.

I cover my king bed with a big flannel sheet and spray baste. The flannel sheet holds the project in place and protects from over spray. Trick to spray basting is to start lightly and increase according to need. Some projects take to the spray better than others. Doing it on the bed saves the knees and back and spray basting a king quilt can be done in less than an hour.

I also routinely quilt large quilts on my 9" Janome, but have done them on smaller machines. All but one of my 151 quilts have been done by me on the domestics. It takes practice and patience. Just finished one 108x108, another 96x104, and one 108x120. Some are done straight line diagonal, some SID, echo and shadow quilting, and most have at least some FMQ.

I started out with small quilts and slowly got the confidence to do larger ones so don't get discouraged. Like I said, it takes practice and patience. My first attempt at FMQ is embarrassing and I wish that quilt was not being used by a grand niece!!

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This is the 108x108 and it has several different quilting designs and techniques.

Here's the link again. It is on the Modern Quilt Guild site, but it is by Elizabeth Hartman of Oh, Fransson.

http://themodernquiltguild.com/2012/...quilt/Fransson.

I have done 2 king sized quilts on my domestic machine. They are a challenge to do but deninately 'doable'. I signed up for a Craftsy online quilting course and have been following her suggestions for sandwiching the quilt on a standard cutting table. You use large clips to fasten down first your backing, then batting and the the top. Once that area is pinned in place you remove the clips and move the quilt refastening as you go. PM me if you want more info on the class!

I have done one on my DSM.If after you have put and pinned the layers together-you can divide it into fourths and quilt each quarter at a time.Sort of like cutting a sandwich into 4 pieces.I just start towards the middle of the whole intersection and work my way outwards.Hope this is as clear as mud to you!