homemade batting bar

it is said that necessity is the mother of invention. well, i necessarily wanted a batting bar. i was getting tired of stepping on it and having to pick transfer threads from the carpet cause they shadowed through a quilt top.

so i got online (the best research resource ever!) and wasn't too happy with the examples i was finding. i needed something more heavy duty cause i quilt heavy duty :) i talked to my friend bonnie (my other best research resource) and she sent me pictures of her homemade batting bar, which i liked, but not what i had in mind. so about a month ago i had one of those sit-up-in-bed-at-three-in-the-morning epiphanies.

this what i came up with. ( i feel so smart- this came outta MY head. scary) it's 'removable' and basically out of the way....i can still change bobbins, clean the bobbin area, and sit down to quilt. the clothesline hooks make it adjustable up and down, so i can move it for variable thicknesses of batting.

here's the materials list if you LA and want one. if you have a lighter duty frame, just use a wooden closet rod with eye screws in the ends. be aware that the wooden closet rod will eventually bow in the middle though.

all it is : (i got everything at HomeDepot except the rigid conduit)

(2) clothesline hooks 3/8" x 7 1/4"

(1) 10ft stick of 2" schedule 40 PVC pipe

(2) 10ft sticks of 1 1/4" rigid conduit (they need to be threaded on the ends- that is important!)

(1) 1 1/4" rigid connector

(10 ft) of the hook part of industrial sticky back 1 1/2" wide velcro (i used the soft part to replace what is in my brake, well, one day i will)

note! you'll want to connect the two sticks of rigid, THEN cut it to length.

if you buy the conduit, costs around $65. it took me and davis around 30 minutes to put everything together.

now i have to include this little disclaimer: this solved an issue for ME, but also created some 'now i have to figure out how to move around it'. but i'm okay with it...i made it for me and i thought i would share. if you are so inspired by mine to make one for you and it's completely different than mine- kudos.

the batting edge is 'stuck' in the hook part of the velcro, which is stuck to the PVC pipe. then you carefully roll the batting onto the PVC pipe. the rigid acts as the axle. now, to get the batting fluff outta the velcro- i'll figure that out when i get there. bonnie says a toothpick ran down the length does the trick, and i've learned she's pretty reliable when it comes to these things :)

if you want more details or have any questions, email me....