I am a loyal owner of all of the Grace hand quilting Frames. I have the Z-44, the portable floor frame, & the lap frame, as posted on the beginning of this thread. Mine looks a little different because it is a number of years old.
All of my frames were left in the natural state & they are still lovely & in excellant condition after all these years. My Z-44 was purchased when they still used the wooden rails at the beginning. They have NOT warped & I almost always have a quilt going on there. I have mine set up in the full length.
I use each as the occasion arises for what ever project I have going on. At the moment, I have an extra large full sized Sunbonnet Sue in the Z-44 & the Jane Stickle Quilt in the smaller floor frame. I have finally developed the skills to quilt in all directions! Took awhile!:wink:
I do have a suggestion to offer mpspeedy with a problem of the quilt getting caught between the post & the hoop of the portable frame:
When you get your hoop where you want it, roll the back/edges part of the quilt hanging down & lightly pin it with safety pins. It allows you to turn the hoop in all directions without being caught. I rarely turn my hoop any more but that is what I did & it prevents that bunching up that you refer to.
Hope this helps!
Riley