Last night while scrolling through Facebook, I saw a request posted in a group I’m a member of, “We Love APQS.” One of the members was asking for others to share how they store their batting. Being uber proud of my batting stand (and my husband), I quickly snapped a picture and shared. Well, several other members were interested in my husband’s DIY, so here I am putting together a post of how he made it in case others would like to make their own.
First, I gave him my requirements. I wanted it to fit under my longarm table, I wanted it on castors, and I wanted to be able to pull the batting straight from the roll. He delivered on all three. Here’s what he worked up and what he used:
FYI: We built this to suit my 90″x40yrd roll of Warm & Natural batting. If you are building to suit a different size roll, you may need to adjust the measurements accordingly.
Ends and base: The ends are cut from 3/4 inch plywood and measures 20″ tall (in the middle) and 24″ wide at the base. As you can see, he cut the top rounded and a rectangle at the bottom to connect to the base (the bottom edges of the rectangle are 4 inches). The center hole is 8″ from the top (to the top of the hole) and is about 2″ in diameter.
The middle of the stand, he created a frame from 2x4s. The length-wise boards are four feet long, the width-wise boards are 21 inches.
Last, he got a dowel to run through the middle of the batting roll. It’s 1.25″ in diameter and about 54″ long. He drilled a hole through each end and secured it with eye bolts to keep it from slipping through the holes.
So as a recap, here are the pieces and cuts you need.
2 – End pieces cut out of 3/4″ ply wood. 24″ wide at base, 20″ tall in the middle, cut rounded at the top. 2″ hole cut 8″ from top.
2- 4′ 2x4s
2- 21″ 2x4s
1- 1.25″ wooden dowel, 54 inches long
2- eye bolts with nuts
4- swivel castors
Wood Screws, approximately 20, plus screws for castors
Once you have all your pieces cut, assemble!
First, lay your four cuts of 2×4 boards in a rectangle. Lay your 4′ boards on their sides, and the 21″ boards on their backs. Screw together at each corner
Place one end piece to end of base frame and screw together at each corner and one screw in the middle for support. Repeat on other side.
Attach castors to bottom of frame at each corner. We used 2″ castors for mine and it slides under my Lenni frame perfectly. You can also use larger castors, or locking castors if you would like.
Run dowel through batting roll. Place one end through hole on the frame, then slide the dowel through the other end. Secure dowel in place with eyebolts and nuts.
Roll your new stand under your long arm or where ever it easily tucks away!
Feel free to send me any questions you may have about materials, dimensions or anything else I might have left out. I wish now that we had documented the assembly so I could have provided better pictures. But the design is pretty simple, so hopefully you’ll be able to create your own easily. I’ve also included a free pdf. instruction sheet you can download here:
Patchwork Aplenty 