I am in the process of making my first bed size quilt. It's a twin XL for my brother who is going to college next month. Up until now, I've always made lap size quilts that I could sandwich on my dining room table.

So where do you work on bigger quilts? The only answer I could come up with is the floor, which I will do if there's nothing better.

Thanks :)

i have used the floor.. a bare wood floor if possible.. i use to get pins in carpet and attach them to my quilt.. i have a calif king bed and i now do it there with a cardboard quadfold board on it first.. works beautifully and no pins get stuck in bedding !

Please don't laugh I tack them on my hallway wall.

The church fellowship hall. Push several table together.

I also have a King size bed, but it's hard for me to bend over for any length of time, so I go up to our subdivisions clubhouse and push ALL the crafting(folding) tables together and have my DM or a neighbor help me put it together. Some have mentioned that they do this at their churches.

Once I made a larger quilt and a quilt shop let me use there tables. ( pushed them together) You could ask at a church, community center,library or sometype of meeting room that has tables. I can't get down on the floor, my knee's would take it.

Get a 4' x 8' piece of MDF or plywood, have it cut into 2 pieces 4' square and add a piano hinge so you have a large folding board or table top. I have even seen them in 3 pieces. This folding table top can be laid over your kitchen table and stored when not in use. Really saves your back...

could you show me how you make yours in picture, would be great...

I have used the community room in our library, pushing tables together :wink:
As well as my floor and wall... :D:D:D

Move the furniture back and tell everyone to step carefully, done it several times.

I have used the wall on smaller quilts up to a twin :lol: It really works! gravity helps a lot. I have a fold up table I use for larger.

I use the floor for most of mine. I have to move furniture and hoover first.

What do you, literally use tacks to nail them to the wall?

I use the floor, but I bet this would help with getting them nice a flat.

Try it all, you will find what works best for you!
Good Luck :)

I do mine on my bedroom floor. I pin the back to the rug with T pins.

I use the church too!! Push a couple of tables together, (after grabbing the hubby and sometimes a friend) and spray away!!!

I use my kichen foor!

That's funny I was about to suggest that when I read your reply. The wall.

That's a great idea! I love how men find 'fixes' for things like this!

I use the tables at our church fellowship building. It is close to our home.

usually use the floor in the parlor as it is the room with the least furniture to move.have also used the gym at the local preschool;folks like to watch me put them together and i have helped several folks over the year start learning about fabrics and quilts.it's a nice hobby for busy moms as it doesnt seem to matter how long it takes to do and can be done on a shoestring budget.

I use bulletin board tacks, My walls are yucky anyway so I don't care and when I paint the little holes go away.

Mine roll up on my quilting frame. (Good thing, because I've got a bad knee and can't get down in the floor. Well, actually, getting DOWN there isn't the problem. I just can't get back UP! :lol: )

Ask at your church if you can use some tables to pin-baste your quilt. If you are lucky to have a LQS near by ask them if you can use their classroom. It doesn't take more than 2 hours or so.

I have a large table that DH made for me in my sewing room. I use binder clips to hold down the back and then layer the batting and top. On really large tops I have to shift the sandwich and re-anchor it.

Check with your local library. There is often a "community" type room with long folding tables. I put about three tables together for a queen or king size and I'm set! More fun to do with a friend. Might not be possible with basting spray though!

That's a great idea! :thumbup:

I use my driveway, on an inexpensive blue tarp......

What is MDF?? Sorry if this is a dumb question.

Our library has a meeting room -they let us use the tables there as long as the room isn't booked for an event. We just have to call in and ask and they tell if the room will be empty. Hope you can find a place to baste.

MDF-Medium Density Fiberboard, Not a dumb question!!

If I remember SILs explanation, MDF is tha composite stuff that's like plywood only cheaper (and not as smooth).

I use a ping pong table. Bought especially for my quilts. Occassionally it has been too small for some of my biggest quilts, but then I just pin it in 2 sections. Beats crawling over the floor - besides, I dont think I would be able to get up!

I use 4 2x4s, lay them out like a picture frame, hold the overlapped corners together with C-clamps (screw types). To keep them square (90 degree angles) line them up with the floor tiles in my kitchen. Then I raise them at an angle to the wall because most walls are 8ft. tall. It is a little cumbersome, but I can do it alone, but with help it is easier. The quilt layers get stretched separately and fastened with push pins or safety pins into the backing. 2x4s come in different lengths from 8 ft to 'do it in the garage'. Then pin or baste away.

MDF is much smoother than plywood unless you get furniture grade and that is way too expensive.

This is a good topic! I've used my floor, but it kills my back...I love the wall suggestion and I will be trying that in the future!!

I use any table. center and Drape the backing, batting and top over the table. Smooth out and bast the area on the top of the table. Grab one side and pull to expose another area of the quilt. do this at top and bottom and then each side. The draping on the sides and pulling helps to keep it smooth. Can do a kind size on a card table.

you can also take your quilt to a longarmer and have it basted-very small fee for this-I do that a lot for the hand quilters...

When I took classes from Harriet Hargrave she taught us a way to lay out the quilt for basting without a large table. In fact works better to not have a large table (easier on your back). Find the center of all sides of the quilt (and backing and batting too) and put a pin in those places or iron to create fold lines. Then find the centers of all 4 sides of your table and tape a toothpick in those places. You can then place the centers of your quilts (backing first then batting) on the table by matching up your pins or fold lines with the toothpicks. Toothpicks are used because you can feel them under the quilt and you won't have to lift up your quilt to see where the centers of the table are. The quilt and batting will hang over the edges of the table helping keep the quilt top flat. You will start this same process with the quilt backing centered then clamped down all the way around, then the batting then finally the quilt top. Once you have all this area basted you can undo the clamps and move the quilt from side to side to finish up the basting. Harriet's book "Heirloom Machine Quilting" is an incredible reference. Money well spent.

As a young quilter, I used the floor to baste, but that was many years ago. I could get down to baste but if I did that now, I can't get back up again!

Sooooooooo, when I was about 50, I started going to the library or the quilt shop. They were happy to let me baste. In fact, the librarian was so interested that she asked me to come on saturday when there would be a lot of people there, and she pulled quilt books and put them on the table next to me. Smart cookie, that librarian.

Now I baste on my longarm. If you have a friend with a midarm or longarm, bribe her to let you baste with her machine!