Thanks so much for all the lovely comments on the Back to Amsterdam quilt. I can’t tell you how much time I spent fretting over various little bits of that quilt, so it’s great to have so many people say they like it and even that I should enter it in a quilt show! Wow! That’ll boost a gal’s ego.
At a sewing class the other night I noticed how much fun everyone was having checking out everyone else’s set up and all the little gadgets that other people couldn’t live without. I decided that some people might enjoy seeing how I have my space set up for quilting, and since I was working on the free motion quilting for the Plain Spoken quilt, I thought it was the perfect time to snap a few photos and maybe even try out the video function on my Canon G10.
This is exactly what my sewing space looked like, mid-quilting.
That hump I have in the quilt is there intentionally. Once the quilt gets past a certain point where it becomes hard to move it because of the weight on that side, I scrunch it up to make a hump. This really helps, because now as you sew you are only moving the fabric in front of the hump.
I thought this might be a bit hard to explain, so I made a little video (and got to learn a bit about iMovie at the same time – fun!). If you think the yellow squirt bottle on the shelf looks particularly bright, it’s because I accidentally shot this in color accent mode, which kind of grays out most things and brightens the colors on certain objects. At any rate, I think you can see how only the fabric on the front side of the hump moves as I quilt. (The video is 1:21.)
In case someone is interested, the table is available here. I totally love mine!
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that table looks fantastic!
Thanks for posting this. I was looking forward to what you were going to post. I saw the video and pic on Flickr last night. I’ve started working on larger quilts and the bulk is very overwhelming.
Wow, great idea. Just in pefect time too, as I have 3 quilts ready to quilt, and your tip is going to be very useful. Thanks
Thanks for posting your tips! Maybe I should try a setup like this. My quilt wrangling has no special tips…I just yank it around and hope it works.
I love how your PS quilt is coming along!
Thanks for posting this, i thought for a while that you needed to rotate the quilt to create the “Squiggles” i didn’t realize that you just move the quilt around in what ever direction you please, certainly looks easier that way! Can’t wait to try it…but i am going to start on a mini quilt !
Had to have this table. So glad to have seen it on your website. I have just ordered it and am hoping to get it before 4/30/10 for a retreat!!
My back ALWAYS tires before I am ready to stop quilting. I will also look for an ergonomic chair. Is yours the kind that has no back and you rest your weight on your knees?
Thanks for the hump tip. I live in a small space too and was wondering just how I was going to get those larger quits quilted! The use of your bed to hold up the already quilted part is brilliant! I don’t have the same table but due to your ingenuity I think I’ve figured out a way to put casters on mine in order to make it so much more useful. Thanks Amy!
Thanks for the video! I am 5’7″ with long legs and am considering the Sew-Ezi table, so am happy about the open back. Do you find it wide enough to sit at and be centered in front of the needle? Thanks!!Beth