If you have a large quilt to quilt on your domestic sewing machine, it’s always recommended that you work on a large table, preferably one where your sewing machine can drop down so the sewing area at the same level with the table top. The other requirement is a smooth surface so the quilt can skim over the table top and not get too bunched up or drag.
You can go out and spend $1000 on such a specialised sewing table, but not all of us have a spare $1000 to spend, nor the space to put such a table even if we could afford it.
The other alternative is to think outside the square — instead of dropping the machine down to the table level, why not bring the level up to the machine? Sounds silly, huh? Not if you follow the instructions here: http://shedrum.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html
With some large sheets of styrofoam, some tape, a knife and a large sheet of plastic, she ended up with a great quilting table — and all for about $18!
Rhonda Bracey: At Random 