Great tip! I usually use the floor. I have by wonderful hubby get right on that! :P

I use the tables in our town hall, but the library has a room available too.

I do this on my dining room table. Hubby found me a LARGE piece of cardboard to put on the table first so I won't scratch the table with my pins. I clamp the quilt to the cardboard and pin the top in sections. The cardboard folds up into thirds and I store it between the wall and the hutch for future use.

I use the floor for really big quilts or the tables at a meeting hall. I use a sheet of foam-board insulation that I bought at Lowe's for smaller projects and clothing construction patterns. I put this on my dining room table and can put push pins into it. I also store it leaning against my sewing room wall and when covered by a flannel backed table cloth (flannel site out), it becomes a design wall.

Beautiful Quilt! :thumbup:

I use the concrete floor in my photography studio. Because the concrete is hard on the knees, I use knee pads! I also use them when I clean my floors. I love the idea early about the driveway with a big tarp. That is really nifty, just remember the knee pads!

I had planned to do it on my kitchen floor, but since I am having it machine quilted, my quilter told me not to sandwich as she would just have to take it apart anyway to feed it into her machine....! I was so relieved as crawling around on the floor did not seem like something my poor old back could manage. If there is an extra charge for this, I would gladly pay it.

I haven't made any big quilts yet. But when I do, I have a ping pong table just waiting. I read this idea on this forum!

I have had knee replacement and can't do floor crawling anymore!! Soooooo, if I'm in AZ we have a big sewing room with big tables that I can push together. If in MI, I have to punt!! Was glad to hear about the wall trick. Haven't tried that. Thanks

On top of the pool table, just need to get it all done before the game starts!

I use my living room floor... it's big enough for a California King size quilt.

That is what I do we girls go to the senior center, and push severly tables together, it is so much easier then the floor, and they are so gracious to have us come in...easier on the back also..also you can use the church hall and put tables together....

I sometimes use the floor. Best is when I go to my LQS. They have a day they set aside for customers to bring their projects and use their work area to sandwich quilts. One tip I found helpful. I'm short so have difficulty in getting the centers smooth in large quilts. Then I spotted my husband's cheap yardstick. I laid it out over the quilt, turned it on its side and started sweeping it over the quilt. Smoothed the sandwich layers out much better than my hands.

kitchen island, living room floor, basment floor and am considering hubby's pool table :)

Most Joanns or Michaels have a classroom that is not used often, they will let you use the tables when the room is empty.

I pin mine at work on my lunch hour using the conference room tables. Nice quiet and relaxing!!! I have also used my parents ping pong table by removing the net. It works great.

I use my double bed and fold and pin. Once this is done I lay it on the floor to make sure it is laying flat. :)

I use the floor. I position the backing and tape it down with masking tape, then lay the batting and finish off with the top. I then use safety pins as close together as I think is needed. Probably more than necessary but I don't want things to shift whn using my rather small quilting frame.

ken, i don't think most women would be able to lift that without help. is there something lighter in weight?

I used the floor for a while, but it was too hard on my back. My DH bought two blank doors (the cheap ones from Home Depot) put them side by side and put legs on them then painted them and put on a polyurethane finish - Now I have a lovely table big enough to work on large quilts and not hurt my back. I can easily reach into the middle from any side to do the pinning. I am fortunate to have a basement to put this table so it's not in the way in our living space.

I sometimes send it to a long arm quilter to baste only. for me, it's worth the expense.

I just checked on Walmart.com and they have several cernter fold tables that might work for those who are concerned about the weight of Ken's MDF idea. They had 4' up to 6' tables, 30" wide, 29" high from $34 up. Now that I'm not sending out to a longarm quilter anymore, I think I'll need to invest in something like this to set up in the middle of the living room to sandwich.

I seem this method used on a quilting show a few weeks ago and I have used this method ever since and I does work very well. First if you have a wall large enough protect your wall space with newspaper or flannel back tablecloth, then pin or tape your backing up first smoothing it out as you go then take some 505 basting spray and spray backing fabric with a good coverage amount then place your batting on top of yor backing fabric smoothing it out as you go and after you've done that spray somemore 505 on th top of the batting then apply your quilt top oothing it out as you go! Now your ready to take it to your machine and quilt it. The 505 spy doesn't gum up your needle and this system works awesome.!

One thing I can add...I'm tall-ish, about 5'10", and any method I use that involves bending over a table gives me bad back pain. I bought some bed risers from Joanne's, 4 for $10, and put the table legs on top of the risers. It raised the table about 5 or 6 inches and was a perfect height for me! No more back pain!

Right now with back to school sales going on, you can find the bed risers pretty easily.

I go to a location that has several 6 ft. tables I can use, like my church, put two or three side by side, tape down my backing (good sidedown), spray advesive a little, add batting, spray a little more, then put my quilt top on and then safety pin baste the whole thing. This is also a good time to roll myquilt so it is ready to put onto my machine.

I use my kitchen table and a folding table I have for cook-outs. I have to boost the folding table with books so it's the same height as my quilting table. I damaged one knee so I couldn't use the floor

First I "T" pin the backing to the living room carpeted floor. The place the batting, then the top, carefully smoothing as best I can. Then I shoot it all over with a Micro stitch gun. (can be purchased on line at lots of different places) The little plastic thingies aren't long enough to catch into the carpet but sometimes don't catch all the way either but that little tool is a lifesaver. I can probably "micro stitch plastic thingy" 20 times faster than pinning. AND no broken machine needles either!!!

I used to do them on my living room floor. Oh my aching back. I now have a frame so I don't have to sandwich them.

We have a pool table with pieces of plywood on top (seldom use it for pool anymore!) and this works well for sandwiching quilt tops. Also, its a good height and not terribly wide so I can reach to the middle from either side. I use it for cutting too!

I thought that I was the only one who used my hallway wall. It just goes to show, we quilters have to come up with clever solutions!

I usually do mine on my livingroom floor. I put the backing down (wrong side up) and use masking tape to keep it s

I usually do mine on my livingroom floor. I put the backing down (wrong side up) and use masking tape to keep it sMooth. Then batting followed by top. Then I pin.

My dinning room table with the leafs in holds a king size.

Never thought of hanging it on the wall. I usually do a portion at a time.

I actually like that idea. Wish I'd of thought of that with all the "human" traffic at my house.

church basements, or librarys

what an excellent idea! I have a 4' x 8' table on my front porch and it is the only place big enough to work...I can't get on my floor.
lol...my floor is clean...it's my body that won't cooperate.
I could have hubby make me this so I could lay the center on the table, then fold it up! thanks :XD:

Have you tried the Sharon Chambers method? It is on her website. Using her method you just need a table to work on....I really like the method and think that it is much quicker.

BTW, I am a school principal and have no problem when people want to come to the school after hours to use our tables in either the library, lunchroom or art room.

Great ideas everyone! I go to the club house or just use the living room floor.....

This is a very nice offer.... if I ever come through Georgia, with a quilt that needs basting....I know who to look up!

Sharon Shamber has a great way to pin her quilts, she has a tutorial on You Tube also on her website. I watched the tutorial and did exactly how she shows and I can now pin my quilt sitting down at the dining table.