sewin'sam

I don't understand WHY you're not supposed to put them in the dryer?? My fabrics are all cotton with cotton batting & the fabrics have been pre-shrunk. I once made a set of placemats & the pattern said to PUT them in the dryer & they're fine! We live in a townhouse & are not supposed to have clotheslines outside. ( I have dried my sheets outside, though) Certainly no room to dry them flat!! I need a bigger sewing room as it is! lol.

Yvonne

I can see no reason not to use the dryer. I dry my quilts in the dryer all the time. (I have no clothes line! :cry: )

I even threw a quilt with a wool bat in the dryer. Almost an 'oops!' but I only damp dried it and it came out fine. I hadn't read the directions on the bag! I was lucky so from no on I will read what the manufacturers say and then do what I think is best! :P

NCMtnHigh

I'm fortunate... have a glass top dining room table. Makes quick work of laying out material. Then, I use the curved safety pins to "baste" my layers in place.

If it's practical, you could purchase 2 pieces of glass for top of your table... not very expensive .. maybe $40 or so. Makes a great working table.

I have added glass to ALL my tables (end tables, coffee tables, night stands). Does away with fear of someone leaving white rings on precious antiques. CHEAP to do and takes away the worry.

HAPPY QUILTING !!

NCMtnHigh

Washing Quilts ...

I wash in cold water, double rinse... then hang over a railing in my home to dry. I've also used the wooden deck railing outside. I do not like drying quilts in a dryer.... seems to break down the fabrics and thread.
You could also use the shower rod in bathroom. I've also pulled 3 dining room chairs together, and laid the quilt across the backs. WHATEVER WORKS !!

patricej

whether or not i'd toss a quilt into the dryer depends on a few things:

age. i'm finishing a quilt somebody started more than 40 years ago. no dryer.

materials used; fabrics; embelliments, etc.

intended use. if it's to be a show piece - whether on a bed or a wall - i'd avoid the dryer. if it's going to be used - especially for a baby or by a kid - it had better stand up to the abuse of a warm water wash and a trip to the dryer. i throw all the crib and kiddy quilts i make into the washer and dryer at least once as a test before i give them away.

Feathers

I'm thinking of putting 2 doors side by side on our 3 picnic tables on our deck and pinning my quilts using these door surfaces. I can also do this on our deck and enjoy the sunshine.....Now that the weather is getting warm we can do that.

Another suggestion...every town has a library and there are lots of tables in the conference rooms that are set up all the time. My friend uses our library conference room frequently to ready her quilts for quilting. Works slick and the library is always happy to accommodate.

Most state offices have huge conference rooms and tables and they are also very happy to let a person use them if they arrange for this ahead of time. I used to work in our state office building and we were glad to let folks use the room if it wasn't in use.

Stay off your knees, it's too hard to get back up!!! :lol: Keep sewing.

Feathers

sewin'sam

I only have partial use of my left hand & have used the basting gun on many quilts. I like it except I miss sometimes & stick the needle in my fingers!! You DO have to use a lot of them & yes, have to cut them out. It's not so bad because I remove them as I machine quilt a few at a time & when I'm done, there's only a few left. You do have to be careful not to cut your fabric, though. Some say that they don't hold tight enough but I have not had a problem as long as I put them 3-4" apart. :)

Gloria Purnell

I use a ping pong table (table tennis). I keep it up all the time in my sewing area and it works great to spread out fabric and layer my quilts.

You can find them at yard sales if you keep both eyes open. Good buy!! :

Carla P

That is a very creative idea!!! Thanks for sharing!!!

kathy

Well I went to the expense of buying two 8ft folding tables but the best thing is the curved safety pins and the tool to open and close them, really saves the fingers and is much faster.