MacGyver approach to quilting

Every year our church ties quilts for the graduating senior girls. And this year I got put in charge of making it happen. But I ran into some trouble. Problem #1: I've never set up quilt on a quilt frame and I have very little experience tying quilts. Problem #2: Our church's quilt frames are lost.

Thankfully, my Mom had mentioned to me that a lady she knows ties quilts without frames using the long church tables. So, I was able to get them set up and and ready for our quilting activity this morning and we were able to finish tying 2 out of 3 of the quilts. (Big sigh of relief!!!)

Here is how:
Step 1: Get two long church tables and set them up side-by-side.
Step 2: Tape the backing fabric (wrong side up) to the tables. (On one quilt I used masking tape and the other quilt I used packaging tape. Both seemed to work pretty well.)
Step 3: Lay the batting out on top and smooth it out. Tape it down.
Step 4: Lay the top fabric on top of the batting (right side up). Tape it down.
Step 5: Thread your needles and start to tie the quilt! Just make sure that you really feel the table when you poke your needle through so you get through all of the layers of fabric and batting. And I recommend using big needles and needle-nose pliars if you're tying the quilt with yarn. (And when you buy your needles, make sure that they are NOT ball-point craft needles. They do not work.)