How to Tie a Quilt on a Not-So-Old Quilt Frame: Blue Resistance Quilt is Compete

I tied this quilt with a big fluffy wool batt from my friend Laura.  I got it done in record time -- I think it only took about 2 hours with the right equipment.  It will be a wonderfully warm comforter this winter!

This is the disappearing hour glass 2 pattern that was so much fun to make. 

Earlier in the summer, I was watching a quilt frame on FB Marketplace selling for about $25.  I was waiting until after July 4th to ask about it ...  But then it completely disappeared, not sold, just removed.  Perhaps the seller had an arbitrary date in mind to sell it, or they put it in a local rummage sale?  Or they trashed it, because no one appeared to be interested.  I'm not sure ...   

 

Then I remembered my friend Nancy had one like this in her basement that she said she would never use again.  It was made by her ex-husband.  She made 2 quilts on it and decided that was enough, so it's been sitting unused ever since.   She was willing to give it to me because she knew I'd actually use it.  ;-)

 

The design is very much like the one I was watching on Marketplace.  So I asked her if I could have it -- since I have about a dozen quilts waiting to be sandwiched and finished.  This will be good for tying quilts with too thick a batt to get under the sewing machine.  It will also help to pin baste other quilts.

I used to tie quilts sitting up in bed, but that was fraught because it was always hard to get the done parts out of the way.  This is a much better set-up for tying a quilt!

 

Bonus that you get to see some of my weaving samples hung up on the wall behind me! 

 

 

I used sturdy T-pins to attach the edges of the quilt to the rails.  Then it can be rolled on the rail as you progress through the quilt.  

 

 

I used wool yarn to tie this quilt.  Apparently, though, you can use just about anything -- acrylic, cotton, whatever you have.

 

I was remembering Oliver's Little Blankie baby quilt made by his Great Aunty Marge.   It had wool ties on it that would felt down ...  He used to work them off and chew on them.  I guess they had a nice mouth feel?  Better to go with natural fibers than plastic in that case!

 

 

Here are the basic tools:  

• Needle with a nice big eye to allow the yarn to be threaded.  Darning needles don't work so well for this as the points are unbelievably dull.  You need a point sharp enough to get through the cotton and wool batting layers.   I broke the eye off of 1 needle (I never even knew that was possible!) and had to run to town to buy some more suitable needles.  
• embroidery scissors
• Shelf liner for gription 
• pliers to pull the needle through when it gets tough 

 

It took me a little while to get started on this one, because I wasn't quite sure where in the pattern of blocks to place the ties, but it just took a little time studying the pattern to figure it out.

In the phot above, I am nearing the end of the quilt.  About 2/3 of it is rolled up on the rail, and still isn't too bulky -- even though it's a puffy wool batt. 

 

Still--as I got closer to the other end, it was easier to flip the rails so that the rail with the finished ties was on the far side from me.  

 

I tied them with a surgeon's knot, which is common in weaving, and famous for not easily coming undone -- until you want it to.  

 

Here's the back side, where you can see the puckers of the ties.

  

How to tie a quilt - I found this old video by Donna Jordan.  I kinda wish I'd done it this way, especially for closing the opening for turning.   The tying is easy enough.