I use PVC. This is an article I posted on my website before I started redo-ing that and made the article impossible to find. :roll: Everything needed to be updated, including this poorly written article, and I am not done yet.
The Ups and Downs of Quilting
Hoops
A very important factor in the quality of a finished quilt is the basting that was done after piecing and before quilting. It’s a temporary thing, but if your basting is inadequate, your quilt may have bubbles, bumps, and creases!
The way that your “quilt sandwich” is set into the hoop or frame will have an impact on the finished quilt, also. You want to get the quilt quite taut, without pulling the layers in different directions and always checking for pleats in the backing. There are several different frames on the market.
The PVC frames, although more expensive, are gentler on the fabric and are easier to use. I own a 14” square and an 11” square – so I end up with two 11” x 14” rectangles, a great size for me.
Inexpensive wood hoops are perfectly adequate, but they do break and sometimes splinter. If you like a wood frame, buy one of the better-quality ones. Remember that the quilting frames are “deeper” than embroidery frames, which are not strong enough to hold the layers of fabric and batting.
Many quilters prefer an oval or rectangular hoop. Your hoop should not be too big for you to reach across comfortably, but you don’t want to be stopping to move the hoop too frequently, either. A 14” round hoop is a good size for beginners.
Floor frames are nice if you do all your quilting in one place (in front of the TV?) and have a good chair and the room to leave it set up. You will need one if you are doing a group project, for several quilters at one time. The PVC models, especially if you have the extension kit, are the easiest to use – and by far the easiest to store between uses! There are floor stand wooden hoops, also, but they can only be used by one person.
There are half hoops, which have one straight edge, for quilting the outer edges of your quilt – really a challenge with round hoops!
Some people actually quilt beautifully without a hoop. Don’t ask me how they do it… It doesn’t work for me.
Whatever kind of hoop you have, you first position the basted quilt on top of the bottom section. Always start in the middle of the quilt and work out toward the edges, to push out bubbles of excess fabric. If you have a wooden hoop, loosen the nut and slip the top part of the hoop over the quilt and bottom. Tighten the nut most of the way. Turn over the hoop to look at the back. Make sure the backing is smooth and there are not pleats. Grasp all layers of the quilt and pull it snug in the hoop. It should be taut, like a drum. Tighten the nut all the way. You may need to re-tighten the quilt as you work.
If you have a PVC hoop, after positioning the fabric over the bottom part, snap on the top parts: first two opposite sides, twisting them outward just a bit, and then the other two opposite sides. If the quilt loosens, just twist the tops out, away from the center, and the quilt becomes taut again easily.
© Catherine Timmons 2001