Quilters Table Top by Sue N

Here is a little Tutorial that one of our Aussie Hero Friends, Sue N, was kind enough to share with us.   For those who do not know, in order to quilt a quilt on a domestic sewing machine you first need to layer it and pin it.  A quilt is made up of three layers -

1. the quilt top which is the pretty side usually with all the pieces sewn together or decorated in some way, 

2. the batting which is the padding that gives a quilt its warmth and substance

3. and the backing which is usually one piece of fabric, or maybe several depending on the size needed.  That is usually where the label is sewn.

These three layers are quilted - sometimes with simple straight stitching and sometimes with fancy stitching.  
To get all three layers to stay together without moving and causing wrinkles in the finished quilt these three layers must be stretched taut and then pinned together so there is no movement whilst they are pushed and pulled and manipulated through a domestic sewing machine.  Often quilters have trouble finding a table surface and sometimes even a floor surface that is big enough to spread the layers out on to work on them.  Many of us cannot get down on the floor to do it so need to find a table.  I am lucky in that my kitchen table is just the right size to pin an Aussie Hero Quilt on but not everyone is as fortunate.

This is Sue N's solution to the problem.  I hope some of you find it useful.

:-)

Quilters Table top.

I thought I would share what I did to make a removeable quilting table top.

This saves me from having to be on the floor when I quilt.

This table top fits on top of my desk.

My finished surface is 50 inches by 80 inches.

I bought the sheets of 12mm plywood from Bunnings that had them on special for $5 each.

They will cut them to size for $1 each.

The wood lengths and table covering I already had.

This is the view from the underside. I used 4 pieces of 12mm plywood each measures 40 inches by 25 inches cut to size in Bunnings. these are glued together on a flat surface and left overnight to cure.

The brown lines represent the wood that is the measurements of my desk that the table goes on top of.

Before you glue the wood together you need to find the centre of your table and I used masking tape to do it. You get each piece of ply wood and place it on the table top and trace around the outline of your table.  

This is now your template where you would add the wood that is glued and screwed in place.

You are creating a lip that surrounds your original table. Use wood thicker than your original table top.

I then covered the top with rubber backed floor covering and pulled it tight using bull dog clips to hold it in place then I then used carpet tacks and nailed it on.

I can still see and feel where the centre is on my table.

Here it is in use. I have found that I can actually use the table for sewing too, as long as the machine is where the actual real table is underneath it is strong enough.it does not move because of the wood surrounding it holds it tight.

Till next time..................keep spreading the word and happy stitching!  JMxx