I think my least favorite part about quilting is trimming the final product once the quilting process is complete.
This is my last project below, which is a large 108″ by 90″ king size quilt. I love it!
After I finish quilting on my Janome QMP18 longarm quilting machine, I’ve sometimes tried trimming the quilt while it’s still on the frame. I cut up each side, un winding the quilt as I go, then trim across the top and bottom releasing it from the leaders.
A pair of large, sharp scissors works well, like the the 9.5″ shears included in the Janome Scissor Set.
This works ok, but sometimes you really need a big space to lay your project flat in order to trim evenly and easily, especially if you have a king size quilt!
I just purchased an Arrow cutting table from my Janome Canada dealer for such a task! Before I purchased it, I had a drafting table which I thought it worked pretty well. Now that I have the Arrow/Kangaroo Kookaburra cutting table, however, I will never go back to a smaller table.
What I love about this table is that the two ends fold down, so it is a great space-saver if you don’t have a large area to permanently set-up a huge cutting table. You have a 70″ x 40″ work surface when you need it, but it condenses down to 20″x 40″ when you don’t. It’s on wheels, so it easily moves it around wherever you need it, then the wheels lock in place to keep it secure.
The bonus is it has fours drawers on one side and adjustable shelves on the other so there’s lots of extra storage for cutting supplies, fabric, pressing tools, whatever you need to neatly store.
There’s lot of storage and organization options from Arrow. Below is the MOD Electric Sewing Cabinet which has a hydraulic lift to raise and lower the sewing machine with just a touch of a button. In the photo below, it’s paired with the MOD 5 Drawer Storage Cabinet, which expands your workspace and gives you lots of storage near your machine.
This is the sewing furniture Michael aka Janomeman, uses in his classroom at the Janome Sewing and Learning Centre, which you can read more about HERE. Check out more Arrow sewing room furniture options on ArrowSewing.CA and check with Janome Canada dealers for details.
The final piece to finish off the sewing room is a comfy chair. All of us educators love these comfortable and adjustable Hydraulic Chairs. They come in many finishes and fabrics to coordinate with any décor, and even have a hidden storage compartment under the seat! These both are on my wish list!
Talk with your local Janome dealer about the Janome Long Arm Quilting machines options and the fantastic line of Arrow/ Kangaroo sewing furniture available to assist you in having the best sewing experience ever!
Happy Sewing!
Janome Life 
One of the best purchases I ever made for trimming quilts were two rulers from Home Depot / big box hardware store: a 72″ aluminum ruler and a 48″ T-square. Total cost then was about $35…probably a bit more now. No more having to chain-gang rulers! I use a 20 1/2″ square ruler or the T-square to make sure the corners are square, then use the 72″ ruler to mark. The cross piece on the t-square snugs up beautifully along the first cut edge to create a perfect corner. I can then use a metal tape measure to double and triple check everything is square and measures the same across/lengthwise at edges and center since we all know fabric wiggles. Only then do I cut (scissors or mat/rotary cutter). Having a large flat surface like the table above is heavenly! Hope this helps!
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Hi Sarah! What an awesome idea! I love thinking outside the box and using tools for unintended uses. Even better when they’re widely available. They will work beautifully on the Arrow cutting tables as they all have large rotary cutting mats to lay on top. Thank you sew much for sharing!
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When I first learned of this I kinda smacked myself upside the head…SO easy, relatively inexpensive, and makes life SO much easier!
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