cutting table question

[maggienoella]

I know this is a dumb question, but I have to ask it. 

What is the best cutting table for trimming these huge quilts on?  I'm trimming my practice quilt of 5 yards for a dog pillow and started wondering how I was going to trim customer quilts.  I just have a Joann hobby table.  Getting on the floor really isn't an option for me. 

Thanks,

Joan

[sewingpup]

What I use for my cutting table is a six foot white plastic folding table...it is one piece and doesn't fold in the middle.....I put it up on bed risers so it is a comfortable cutting height....I actually bought two of them figuring I could put them side by side and the second set of bed risers...but I have not been using it that way because of space....the tables actually come in pretty handy for other things like rummage sales and dinners with two many folks to sit around the dining room table...most of my relatives have also borrowed these as they are pretty light...I find that two of the large cutting matts (24 X36 I think) fit nicely on one table....this set up is not as sturdy as a solid cutting table would be....but the price was right and they are so easy to move...I usually stand at one end and use my ruler to trim the edges and just fold up the trimmed edge and pull the quilt down further and keep going....I know they make eight foot ones too....Lin

[Norma H]

I have the same type of tables as Lin.  Works pretty well with the two large cutting mats.

[Bonnie H]

I have a small sewing room that's about 10 feet square so I wanted my cutting table to do triple duty -- ironing station, storage, and cutting. My cutting table is made up of ClosetMaid shelves. I wanted the ClosetMaid Cubeicals 9 cube units but they were 2 inches taller and I'm short, so I went with their 3 tier cube unit and shelf units. It's nothing special but works for my small space. I have two cutting mats that I can stretch the length of the ironing portion to give me a longer cutting area if I need it. As you can tell, it needs reorganizing badly!!!

 

[chickenscratch]

They are getting rid of an old card catalog table at our school library. I am trying to talk the principal into letting me buy it from them for $25.00.  It will make an awesome cutting table.   I am a floor crawler, but that is getting harder and harder as I get older and fatter and older and fatter.

[Norma H]

_{I like your set up Bonnie.   Did you use plywood to top the chelving/cube units?  What did you use for the padding on the ironing surfaces?}

[sewhappy]

I have found that it really doesnt matter what size my cutting is....My cutting area is still very SMALL due to clutter!!  LOL. I put things on ANY empty table area!!

[Bonnie H]

Thank you, Norma. Yes, it is a piece of plywood covered with a layer of W&N batting and originally I covered it with duck cloth but now I use fabric that comes in bolts in the home decor section at Joann's (it is like duck cloth fabric). I recover it every once in a while when it needs it. 

[fineseams]

I"m with you, Sewhappy!  My DH built me a wonderful 4"x8" table with lots of storage underneath.  I purchased a 4x8" matt for the surface.  The table rolls around so it is easy to move.  I love it.  BUT, whenever I want to actually USE it for its intended purpose, I have to spend a half hour clearing off the junk that piles up on it.........sigh.

[meg]

If I do a quilt for someone else, unless they ask me to, I don't trim it.

I used to have one of those Joann craft tables.

It wasn't very sturdy so I got rid of it.

I use an old folding table for most of my cutting. Mine is 8 feet long and has a wood top.

I'm a bit taller, so when I'm cutting lots of pieces or squaring up lots of blocks, I need to take breaks.

I never thought of raising the table....I bet just 2" would help a lot.

Thanks sewing pup, I may grab some thick wood boards and see if that helps.

[Mrs.A]

I bought my 3' x 6' cutting mat at cutting-mats.net and have been very happy with it.  Now they are advertising a 4' x 8' mat!  You could set them on any table of similar size.  I have a custom table with storage underneath that is a comfortable height for cutting.  I also made flannel covered boards to lay on top on the table for blocking quilts (I can pin into them).

 

Before this table was built, I used 10" pieces of PVC pipe to raise the height of a folding table.  If you're shorter, they also sell 'bed risers' at stores like Bed, Bath & Beyond which will raise the table 4 - 6".  Hope this helps.

[jimerickson]

We are in the process of remodeling our sewing studio.  I've got most of it done.  We had a 30x60 desk that I had put risers on to make it 36" tall as a cutting table.  That has been replaced with a table built on a 72" section of base cabinet we bought at one of the big box stores -three sections all drawers-  For a top I bought a 36" wide solid core door and fixed it to the base cabinets.  It's set to over hang the back side of the base cabinets by 9", and I built an upright bolt case that sets under the overhang.  The self and top of the bolt case are 31" apart, so the long 30" bolts can be stored in it.  The door is 6' 8" long, so it over hangs the ends of the base cabinet by 4" on each end.  We'll probably get a custom matt to fit the top, but for now we're using the old 3 x 5 we had on the desk.

 

The "foot print" is kind of large, so it wouldn't work in a small space, but if you have room, it seems to be a real winner.  Thirty-six inches high so the height is good to work at, and because everything is heavy, it's very stable.  Lots of storage in the drawers.  I think the base cabinet cost $200 and I bought the door at a surplus lumber yard for $15, so the cost wasn't too high.  We built a similar unit for our pressing table.  They sit back to back, 24 " apart, and we can work from all sides of each unit.  I bought a 24" wide hollow core door that fits between them when we want a big (96" x 78") space to lay something out.  Unless we're laying something big out, the hollow core door is stored out of the way behind one of our large bolt cases.

 

We've only been using this set up for a few weeks, so it's a little early to tell, but so far, we are very happy with it.  Jim

[srichardson]

I bought my 3' x 6' cutting mat at cutting-mats.net and have been very happy with it.  Now they are advertising a 4' x 8' mat!  You could set them on any table of similar size.  I have a custom table with storage underneath that is a comfortable height for cutting.  I also made flannel covered boards to lay on top on the table for blocking quilts (I can pin into them).

 

Before this table was built, I used 10" pieces of PVC pipe to raise the height of a folding table.  If you're shorter, they also sell 'bed risers' at stores like Bed, Bath & Beyond which will raise the table 4 - 6".  Hope this helps.

 

That is a neat site Nancy.  Did you get the green mat or the thicker Rhino one?  Someday when I have a room big enough to open out both leaves on my cutting table I will be looking for a large cutting mat.  I will keep the site bookmarked for further use!

[Mrs.A]

I got the green one.  Their only caution was to not cut batting on the mat.  I use a scissors instead of a rotary cutter for batting.  My experience with most of the white mats (like from Hancock's or JoAnn's) is that they don't self-heal very well and they're harder on the cutter blades.  The Rhino one on the website claims to be self healing.  I have a different white one that I purchased because supposedly you could pin into it.  Not so much.  It is rolled up in a closet.

 

I love Jim's set up.  Actually mine is similar...I described it as a custom table but in actuality it is two large cabinets.  They're on casters.  Most of the time they sit back to back but, when I need to block a show quilt, I roll them apart and put the pinnable boards on top.  I can handle up to an 84" x 84" quilt but when that stuff is set up, there isn't much room to walk around in the studio...they fit much better in the room when they're pushed together.

[srichardson]

Thanks Nancy for the info.  I did notice the comment about not cutting batting on their mat.

 

Sue

[Helen Baczynski]

I use my machine table. I have an old cutting mat about 32" x 60" that I cut in half lengthwise. I placed the two halves end to end on my machine table. I throw the quilt over the bars with one edge on the mats and trim the quilt with a ruler and rotary cutter.  I turn the quilt to cut each border. Where the two mats come together can be a problem but I just move the quilt over slightly to complete the cut.

I have a Gammill - I know some APQS machines ride closer to the table top so there might not be room to place a cutting mat on top and keep it there.

I only had one customer who asked me to trim the quilt ready for binding . I never trimmed anyone else's quilt. I trim my own on this set up if I need the quilt squared up. For other quilts, I just lay the quilt over the bars and trim with scissors at the edge of the top, turning it for each side - no mat or surface required.

 

Helen Baczynski

[KathG]

My Son Graham just recently made me a new cutting table. It was made from two Ikea bookcases and two sheet of plywood and some casters. I love it. It is 6ft x 4ft . The plywood sheet were 8ft but I did not have the room to make it that big.

I'll try and post a photo but google have changed things again so not sure if the link will work.

If you would like you can go to my blog where there are lots of photos.

E24A2139 by Kath Garvey, on Flickr

[KathG]

Here is the link for the instructions for the cutting table. It was quite simple to make.

http://www.ikeahackers.net/2012/06/quilters-table-with-storage.html

[Anniquilter]

I made myself a work surface/ironing board using a hollow core door wrapped in batting and a fiberglass ironing board cloth.  When I need this I place it on top of 2 folding plastic saw horses from Lowes/Home Depot.  When I'm using it to cut/trim quilts I just put 2 large cutting mats on it.  When not needed this set up is easy to pack away.

[apylinski]

Love your table Kath. Will have to show my hubby the instructions!

[Mrs.A]

Me too...I agree. Kath's table is terrific...nice storage underneath...gotta love IKEA pieces!  And her son too!

[gypsyquilter]

i use a horn cutting table - had I seen these "hacks" made from Ikea furniture I would have been tempted to go that route.  I use Ikea furniture under my long arm, though, for storage.  I use the Stuva kids furniture without the legs and it fits perfectly.  I even took the kids wardrobe, laid it on its back an added wheels and it is the perfect storage for my circle lord long boards (ok, hubby actually did it, but I helped by staying out of his way :-) )

 

http://www.ikeahackers.net/search/label/craft

[maggienoella]

Thanks so much for all the suggestions!

Joan

[srichardson]

Another wonderful idea from Ikea!

[RitaR]

When I quilt for cuistomers, I do not trim the quilt, unless they want me to sew the binding on the top.  I let them do that trimming and binding on the back.

 

My cutting solution is in another room, and is like another cutter said, a folding plastic table with no joints in it.  The legs fold under to store the table.

 

Himself got a piece of PVC pipe and cut to let the legs of the table set into them and get it up to proper height.  It has to be able to be removed for when we have company.

 

Works real well for me, and when not covered with "stuff" and fabric, works as A nice cutting center.  Since it is too covered at this time, I cut on the kitchen bar, perfect height for me.

 

Rita