non-quilty tools

Vicki over at Field Trips in Fiber is having a Real Studio Tour. This week she asked us what non-quilty things we used in our studios. I have many, but my favorite I use on my Innova long arm. I usually 'float' my tops. That means the top is not attached to one of the rollers. It just hangs free and is rolled up as the quilt is quilted. I use a tool shop magnet, the type you attach to the wall to hold the quilt to the roller.



 
this is the magnetic tool bar
 
 
here you can see it on the bottom of the top. Once it is attached to the quilt top
with the roller underneath, you can tighten it up on the roller. No pins!
 
I purchased these at Harbor Freight for $5 on sale.
Look near the tool boxes and organization items.
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Comments

elle said…
I'm not a long arm quilter but I can see that this is a good idea! :)
2:33 PM
Frog Quilter said…
Love the quilt you have loaded.
3:00 PM
Anonymous said…
What an awesome quilt! I love it!
3:15 PM
Debbie said…
Love this idea!
11:19 PM
Mary said…
Great idea. I have an HQ16 and had stopped trying to float my tops because I was never happy with the results. This may be something I try down to road. Thanks for sharing.
6:00 AM
Eileen said…
I've never tried floating anything larger than a baby quilt because it was never tight enough. Thanks for this tip!
6:38 AM
Magpie's Mumblings said…
I'm by no means a long arm quilter - and really don't know much about it, but it seems you have a good idea! Anything that avoids the use of pins is a great time-saver.
10:12 AM
Sharon - IN said…
I am not a long armer, but this is a great idea to share with my friends who are!
7:10 PM
Sarah said…
I also don't own a long arm but I have a friend who just got one - I'll pass your tip on!
10:57 AM
Missie of Traditional Primitives said…
Thank you for this idea! I have seen the small magnets used for the backing but not this easy idea of the large magnets. If I may ask a question? When floating a quilt top, how do you ensure that it is straight down the center as you quilt it? It does not look rolled up, which is the only way I know to make sure it is aligned straight. Thanks!
5:55 AM
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