Styrofoam queen

Yep, that is what I'm famous for these days.  Why, you ask?

Recently, I took a machine quilting class with Martha Schellingerhoud and amongst the items that we needed to bring was an extension table for our sewing machine.

Well, there was no way that my special extension table that DH made for me was coming to the class.  It is way too big, too heavy and too cumbersome to transport.  You can see how big it is just by the ruler that is laying in front of my sewing machine.

So, what to do about it?  Enter Styrofoam and duct tape.  DH had some leftover 1-1/2" thick rigid Styrofoam that he used to insulate our sky lights.   It was fortunate that the height of my sewing machine base and the Styrofoam doubled up was the perfect match up.  This is what I came up with.  Mind you, it works well, it just is not pretty.  The Styrofoam is doubled up and taped very well together.  The red duct tape works the best as the adhesive is very good.  The ladies and the teacher at the workshop thought my special table was a great idea.

Once it is slid into place, this table doesn't move or slide around at all.  To pretty up my special table, a few ladies suggested that I look into designer duct tape. You know, if anyone is on a tight budget, this would work very well for you and you could make it to whatever size you want.  Who knows, you might even be able to buy half sheets of Styrofoam from your nearest home hardware store?  This table is perfect for quilting workshops and retreats.  Red Green would be very proud of me!  :o)

When my DH saw me making my special table, he said that I would be getting comments about it.  Actually, I wondered if the ladies would laugh me right out of the room.  They didn't (thank you guild ladies) and I enjoyed my classes because I was able to machine quilt with ease.

Below are my samples of the machine quilting workshop.  They also are not pretty, but for the first time trying it out (except for meandering and straight line machine quilting which I've done in the past) they turned out pretty darn good.

At our guild's September meeting, I gave a demo on how to make a design wall using 1" thick rigid Styrofoam and duct tape.  Perhaps I should bring my special table to our next guild meeting for my show and tell.  :o)

If you are interested in how to make a folding design wall out of rigid Styrofoam and duct tape, then go here.

Have a great day!