dunster

I'm trying to use my John Flynn quilting frame for the first time. My quilt is 98"x111". I'm having trouble rolling the fabric on the 10' rods and keeping it really straight, especially the top and batting.

Does anyone have any tips on doing this? Has anyone done a large quilt successfully on this frame? I'm not sure this was a good idea. :(

kluedesigns

i did a king size quilt on my flynn, actually it was the first quilt i ever did on the flynn.

the best way to deal with rolling up something this size on a flynn is with 2 people, one at the top holding the rod level and straight and the other doing the actual rolling.

you need to mark registration lines every 6-8 inches down the sides of the quilt. this will let you know that you're rolling the piece evenly the entire way.

i also do all of this quilt rolling on my bedroom floor because the carpeting provides a little bit of drag which actually assists in the rolling on of the quilt/batting/backing.

amma

Can you mark those intervals with flat head pins? Or will they get in the way of the rolling process?

kluedesigns

the pins might begin to add bulk on a very big quilt.

i like having the marks because then i know that i'm feeding the quilt forward at the same rate and i use them for design registration marks.

dunster

Thanks, Klue, for the tips. I did as you said, marked every 5 inches, and got the backing and top/batting rolled up much, much better. I have the whole thing on the machine now - had to go out to get more grosgrain ribbon to tighten up the sides - and I will start basting first with water soluble thread to see how that goes.

kluedesigns

i'm glad it worked out.

definitely baste the quilt and try to pull that middle rod out as soon as you can that way you can move the quilt in any direction with ease.