Who doesn’t have a wish list? Mine is quite simple. It involves 2″x 4″ and 1″ x 4″ lumber lengths. It is called a wish list as it cannot come into fruition here on Stauffer Avenue. . . for lack of square footage. Perhaps if we would ever move to a different location, I would be whipping out a tape measure to size up a room suitable for a quilt frame. Dad made Mom the quilt frame that served her oh so well for as long as she could do full-size quilts. A king sized quilt is 92″ x 102″ and this gives an idea as to what was needed for the frame. The 2″ x 4s” were used for the longest length and they had holes drilled into them about every 5″ on the width side of the board. The 1″ x 4s” were for the narrowest length of the quilt and also had holes drilled into them every 5″ into each end. Dad had made four wooden stands that were about waist high. The four boards were made into a rectangle held up by the stands and what held the frame together were long bolts that slid into the holes.
The backing of the quilt, with the wrong side of the fabric facing up, was the first item held in place with thumbtacks on all four sides of the frame. You can bet the frame was adjusted to ensure that there would be no slack or puckering. You have heard of military beds checked so a tossed quarter would bounce off of the taut blankets . . . so was the quilt backing checked on Lena’s projects. Much time was spent making sure the batting and the pieced quilt top was placed with as much care as possible. A sprawling area for a quilting project was not to be had for Mom, but the quilt frame loaded with the goodies was set right over the dining room table. Dining room chairs were a good height to sit on while at the frame. Then began the many hours of intense handwork. As the stitching went across the width of the quilt, there was no need to reach very far into the quilt, as a few thumbtacks were removed, the bolts came out of the holes and a 1″ x 4″ was rolled and the completed stitched area was out of the way, making for a new area to work. The process of rolling and having the bolts to secure the adjusted size allowed for very little stress in the shoulders of reaching too far to be comfortable.
I don’t have a quilt frame, but I do have two church tables sitting together, allowing for a flat area of 60″ x 90″. I go through the same process of layering, using painter’s tape to secure a taut backing. The batting and pieced top are put into place and thumbtacked down. At one time it bothered me that I was putting tacks into the surface of these tables, but I had bought them to use. In times past, I needed to secure all layers with safety pins . . . many, many safety pins of various sizes. Not being able to reach under the quilt to tie or hand sew it, I wanted the three layers to be held in place as taut as possible. Bending over the tables and pushing the safety pins in and then closing each one was difficult on the back as well as my less than straight fingers.
The bag of pins is retired and the basting gun has
really saved on the fingers and hands.
I can say with huge relief that the bag of pins was retired when I discovered the basting gun. Much like labels that are attached to garments when we purchase them, these basting pins are much shorter to allow for a tighter pinch in holding the quilting layers together. Yes, there is still a lot of bending over the tables, but the fingers get a much needed break. This afternoon Dennis took a shift will the basting gun and he agreed, this is much easier and quicker than using pins. This quilt has a high loft batting and will be tied with embroidery floss. The recommendation is for the knots to be placed four inches apart. As I slide my hand beneath the quilt to guide the needle carrying the floss, there will be no chance of fabric shifting.
This plastic grid is slid along under the quilt layers to
allow the basting gun to apply the tacks.
This quilt is queen size and there is a secret in getting it tied: you don’t think about how many knots it will take to get the job done. I don’t have a time frame and no doubt there will be breaks to help Dennis with the yard work, keep the house tidy, take care of laundry and keep the Curry Cafe going with meals.
Quilting is either something you enjoy investing energy and time in, or . . . you shop for blankets and curse when you cut one of those nylon basting tacks and one end of it disappears and you find it later when the sharp end creeps out and pokes you.
In life, please remember to give and have no remembrance of it, or take and remember it always.
