117becca

many people quilt w/out a hoop. The key is to baste the quilt really well so that it all acts as one.

applique

I have never used a hoop or frame.The larger quilts are now glue basted and draped over a smallish table that is just the right height for me. Sometimes I use a heavy piece of stainless steel to anchor the quilt as I stitch. I use a modified running stitch and sometimes have as many as ten threaded needles going in various directions (usually three or four from the middle to the side, another three or four from the middle to the opposite side, and sometimes three or four in the other opposing directions) shifting the quilt on the table as I go.

MargeD

I have only done one hand quilted quilt, but had to give up hand quilting because of severe carpal tunnel because I was a secretary for years. I actually found that I preferred to not quilt in a hoop. I would hold the quilt in my lap or while sitting at our large dining room table that had been moved to my basement sewing room. I was able to spread the quilt out so that it wasn't as heavy in my lap, it was a full sized quilt, and in summer I would put the fan on and was able to quilt all summer long. My daughter still has this quilt and plans to pass it on to our darling GD Zoe at some future time. She now lives in Australia, and I don't know when she's going to be able to come home to visit.

Jane Quilter

I hand quilt most of mine and have never mastered a hoop. I use my left hand to scrunch the quilt and move the fabric, not rock the needle. But there is a limit as to how much you can scrunch in your hand. So I usually section a king size quilt into six , 18" sections/rows......hand quilt each section, sew the sections together, quilt the section seam area, add the next quilted section until it is done. Some call this QAYG, I call it quilt assembly.

elizajo

I've been quilting the middle of my 100" wide quilt for a few weeks, using a high table or bed to hold the quilt and sitting in a chair next to it. The easiest way for me to manipulate all of the fabric is to reach up under the quilt with my non-dominant hand and arrange the fabric to the left of the stitching area like a mitten. The fabric lays smoothly over four fingers and palm of my left hand and the thumb is encased in the folded quilt. The four fingers can manipulate the fabric as needed.

I rock the needle out of habit, but after that I use my thumb on the other hand to fold the fabric down and shorten the stitch length when the needle comes back up. The index and third finger are spread out a little so that the needle comes down between without pricking. Controlling the smooth tension of the layers is achieved with those three fingers. It works for me.

magicmoonmusings

I also quilt in my hand without a hoop. Basting closely using Sharon Schamber's method is essential.

I'm planning a bed sized quilt and I'm going to try the 'splitting the batting' method to reduce bulk - I found some info here (scroll down in the second link):

Splitting batting into thirds for easier quilting?

https://www.quiltingboard.com/resources/article-73.html