Basting a Quilt on a Table

 If you're a person who bastes your quilts on the floor, as I did for years,

you might want to know that you can save your knees and do it on a table. 

I learned this method from my friend, Sally, some years ago.  

It's made my least favorite part of the quilt-making process a pleasant afternoon or evening.

Here's how it looks when you're ready to start pinning.  

All you need are some clips from the office supply store, 

And a used 6 foot folding banquet table. 

You can also use your dining table, as long as you protect it with a mat.

Tape two toothpicks in a cross to mark the middle of the table.

You can also mark the middle of the sides and ends of the table with toothpicks and tape.

Use painter's tape if you're concerned about damaging the table surface.

Fold your backing fabric in quarters and iron at the center corner.

Line this up at the toothpicks and unfold it over the table,

right side down.

Clip your backing to the table.

Iron the center corner on your batting and quilt top.

Then place them over the clipped backing.

You will be able to feel where the center lines of the table are because of the toothpicks.

Pin this section of the quilt together.

When the first section is all pinned, move it off the edge,

leaving a row of the pinned area on the table.

Peel away the quilt top and batting. 

Clip the backing to the table and carefully smooth the batting and top over it.

Repeat until the whole quilt is pinned.

When finished, I fold the table and store it under the guest room bed. 

It was a snow day here today,

the perfect time to baste my corduroy quilt!

Lattice Quilt Top

Some quilts take many inspirations to find their way.  

This is one of those.   

It started with this floral and gingham yucata cotton, 

a gift from Patricia at Okan Arts, a few years ago.

I was new to using neutrals (still am), and felt very challenged by the prospect (still do.)

I pulled coordinating fabrics from my stash, and the red hopped in unexpectedly.

I was captivated by the Lattice Quilt in Sujata Shah's book,

Cultural Fusion Quilts, page 55, and wanted to make it.

I made a bunch of "Free-form Blocks" and took them to Sisters, Oregon, 

for a class with her in the summer of 2017.

Sujata very sweetly helped me lay out the design in class.  

I loved it, packed it up, brought it home unsewn, put it on my UFO shelf,  

and forgot about it.

Lattice Quilt 64" x 64"

Then, Sujata got us going with the UandU Quilt Along at Basket Full of Scraps.  

I looked through the book, Unconventional and Unexpected by Roderick Kiracofe,

for the upteenth time, and saw his Lattice Quilt on page 34.

It jogged my memory of the unsewn quilt blocks from Sujata's class.

 A few tweeks and a few hours later, the quilt top was done!

Many thanks to Patricia, Sujata and Roderick for your inspiration.