Once you begin your quilting journey you start to refine your needs and tools a bit better. You'll know what you use on a regular basis, you'll know your favorite techniques, and you'll have a few completed projects under your belt. But one thing I didn't see enough research about in quilt books and online when I began was the importance of a quilting table. I primarily machine quilt and I struggled through many projects, with sloppy free motion quilting and lot's and lot's of seam ripping before I discovered the trouble wasn't with me, it was my lack of a quilting table! I'll share more of this in a minute.
My dad was a HUGE help and created a lovely and very inexpensive quilting table insert that I use every day I quilt. It's amazing and makes my life so much easier! My quilting table is a board that easily inserts into our dining room table, as you'll see farther below, in a minute.
What is a quilting table?
A traditional quilting table is designed to give you extra space and a flat surface for quilting on your home sewing machine. You always want an even surface between your sewing machine and work surface areas so your heavy quilting won't be dragged down when you quilt the layers together (if you machine quilt, as I do). Ideally, you want one where your sewing machine rests inside the table or cabinet and your machine is even with the with the surface for a smooth surface.
Why do I need a quilting table?
For those of us who don't own a long arm quilting machine that needs it's own room (and is VERY expensive), we need something to help our home sewing machines carry the bulk of the heavy materials as they slide along when we quilt. You need a smooth surface when you quilt, especially when working on a large project. When I first began quilting, I often would have pulled, and messy stitching. Yes, sometimes that was my stitch gauge, but much of the time is was simply that gap of space between the table and my sewing machine!
See how high my machine is from the table? There are at least 4 inches of space above the table to the sewing machine plate there. That's an enormous gap that creates drag when quilting. The larger your quilt project, the more difficulty you will have creating neat stitching this way. You won't be able to move your quilting around freely as you quilt.
Are there different styles of quilting tables?
Absolutely! You can purchase small quilting tables that sit on your table surface. And there are various styles of diy quilt tables and cabinets you can purchase.When deciding on a quilting table for your own home, take into account where you will be doing your quilting, how much quilting you plan on doing in the future, and how large your projects will be.If you won't quilt often, or on smaller sized quilting projects (not humongous quilts!) then a Sewing Machine Extenders that sit on top of your work surface and extends the sewing area around your sewing machine might be just the thing. These are raised up and better for quilting piecing blocks together than for the majority of bulky quilting, but I've read of many who use this method for their projects too with no trouble.
Then there are actual tables, or cabinets such as these where your machine can sit inside. That's much more what you want if you plan to do a lot of quilting, or work on large projects which are much heavier and weightier. However, not all cabinets are created alike, and if you want one to quilt with be sure your sewing machine not only fits inside, but sits level with the tabletop.A table style such as this became my choice and that my dad made for me. I can work on any project, small or large and have plenty of space to cut, piece, and quilt. There are a variety of cabinets and homemade variety's. I have a collection on Pinterest for inspiration if you'd like to see some more styles - there are some great idea's from other quilters! :D
Here is my quilting table:
My quilting table is our family's dining room table! We have a large table that pulls apart to add more leaves and seating. So all my dad had to do was create an insert to fit my sewing machine. The insert is quite large, a bit heavy but I can manage to place it together myself most days.
This is my insert that measures 24x42 inches to fit into our table and give me space for my sewing machine. You can see where it has been cut out. We measured around my sewing machine, then pencil marked the measurements on the wood. (If your machine comes apart at the front to make it smaller for sewing sleeves and such, be sure to take that OFF before measuring!) I have an old Kenmore so my measurements were: 3-1/2 x 6-1/2 for the very tip of my machine; then a 2-inch depth in the front and about 1-inch depth on the back side, and 7 x 11-1/4 on the long sides. If you look closely, you'll see a small notch on the 1-inch deep spot. That's where the attachment for the end of my sewing machine slides off and connects. Each machine is a little different, and you may need to make some adjustments for your own. :)
We ended by sanding the wood smooth, then shellacking the entire top and along the inside just where my sewing machine would sit. You don't want any splinters or spaces where your cloth can get caught!
To give my sewing machine something to sit on, we made a small stand that sits down inside the gap in the table. This measures 9-1/2 x 18-1/2 inches and is bolted in place underneath. The front section with the gears are is where our table pulls apart.
The hole was an addition we added later and sits directly beneath the area where the switch for my feed dogs is (those little "teeth" under the needle). As a quilter I change the feed dogs constantly from the up to the down position. Some sewing machines have this button or switch on the top where you can reach it easily, but unfortunately mine lie behind and under in the back. I used to have to move the table apart and reach around my sewing machine and under the insert EVERY TIME I needed to change the feed dogs to quilt! Bleck! So my dad drilled me a hole - now all I have to do is reach under and flip the switch! Yes!
Here's another look at how our table is put together - there are small pins on one side where we needed to drill a few matching holes for everything to fit together. This helps keep my insert from sliding apart too much, as well.
If you create your own table in a similar way, make certain your cutting measurements are accurate! The most important thing is to have your sewing machine rest snuggly in the space you created. There should be no gaps, and your machine shouldn't be able to slide around in the hole. Just tight enough to rest against it, but not so tight that you have to force it into place.
I LOVE having a large space to work! The smooth surface makes it easy to quilt everything from piecing blocks to entire quilts without any trouble.
If you are a quilter, I'd love to hear what you use to quilt on...do you use an extender, or some kind of quilting cabinet or table? Or do you hand quilt instead?
What is your favorite method of quilting?
Thank you for visiting today, and I truly hope this tutorial has been of help to you.
Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Bloglovin' for the latest news and posts! :D
~Rachel~
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