Within the Frame: A Short Guide to Setting up a Flat Quilt Frame.
By Deborah McGuire
In Britain the most common form of frame for hundreds of years was a simple flat frame. This frame utilises 4 pieces of wood which are braced into a rectangular frame using oak pegs. The two long bars must be longer than the shortest side of your quilt. These bars have a strip of linen woven webbing tape permanently attached with a long row of hammered tacks.
To begin, the quilt back is pinned or tacked to these linen tapes and then rolled around the back bar.
The two shorter ‘swords’ have a series of pierced holes and fit through slots on the end of the bars. Four oak hardwood pegs are inserted into the holes to create tension in the quilt back, making the quilt back rigid. The rigid frame can then either be rested on trestles (simple desk trestles can be bought as desk or table supports from furniture manufacturers) or can be balanced on tables, windowsills or chair backs. Some makers use a D Clamp to secure the frame to the support.
After the quilt back is pinned or tacked to the webbing on the long bars, it is then rolled onto the back bar until the starting edge is taut.
Secondly, the quilt top is then tacked to the starting (front) edge of the fabric quilt backing, close to the front bar.
If using a commercial wadding, the wadding can also be tacked inside this sandwich. If using ‘laid’ wadding ( ie wool top hand-combed and hand-laid, the traditional method) then the top can be lifted up and wadding added across the exposed flat area of the quilt top within the fabric ‘sandwich’ on each pass.
The back of the working area can then either be temporarily pinned, or weighted using a long piece of wood or yardstick to keep wadding in place as you stitch.
Stitching for the right handed would usually be most comfortable to begin the front right corner (or left corner, if left-handed).
The completed quilt is wound onto the front bar. There is no need to baste using this method.