QUILT HARNESS

Cindy's harness in action

Cindy Vough, one the Co-chairs for QAK, has come up with a great idea for a "quilt harness" that is an easy and inexpensive variation of the ones used by Caryl Bryer Fallert in her studio. 

What is a "Quilt Harness"?  It's a contraption that can act as a third and even fourth hand, depending on how many you think are needed, while you are machine quilting a piece large enough to slide off of the table or create uneven weight. It evens out the weight distribution of the quilt.

Following Cindy's directions, I headed to Lowe's to buy the needed supplies.  Here are the parts that I found there:

Closet shelf bracket and support. 

The shelf support bracket is about 2' tall. The shelf support is double walled and very strong. It also has a hole in the notched end that allows for a piece of rope to be pulled through it.

Holes in both pieces that allow for a piece of rope to be pulled through.

A clamp-on vise is needed for holding the closet rod in an upright position.

My table has a beveled edge and the clamp was not big enough to go over that edge far enough to hold it in place, so, I used a small piece of wood, that was left over from making quilt rods, to act as a level edge for the vise.  It's a very small vise and rather cute in that blue color.

Place the shelf support bracket into the vice-grip, with the open side of the bracket facing away from the table, and with the round hole at the top. Tighten the vise-grip until the support bracket is firmly in place. Place the shelf support into the bracket near to the top.

Tie some of the clothesline firmly around the vise-grip.

  Thread the clothesline through the hole in the shelf support bracket and then through the hole in the shelf support.

Attach a large clamp clip to the clothesline.

 The quilt harness is now ready to use. Here is a photo of me using it when I finished the edge of my "DRAGONFLY POND" quilt.

I placed my harness next to my left arm. I can easily reach up and move the clip without having to get up. It is also in the right position to keep the quilt from dragging off of the table. It also holds the quilt above the table and takes off the weight of the quilt on the table.

I am wondering if the shelf bracket should be taller. I have wound the rope around the end of the shelf support to allow me the option of making it shorter or longer as I am working. A taller support bracket might make it even easier to hold the quilt up and off of the table. 

I think a larger clip clamp would also be better. I just haven't gotten around to buying one yet.

I really like this idea of Cindy's and am grateful to her for allowing me to share it with all of you. Let us know if you give it a try and how you like it.

Create Always,

Karen