Thread: Quilting Frames
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Old 01-25-2007, 12:22 AM
  #7  
patricej
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Location: Southeast Georgia, USA
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Whew!!! I was getting worried for a minute. I had a hard time finding my frame online.

The frame is made by F.A. Edmunds. It's their Maple Quilting Frame 25" x 87" #5560D. You can also buy extension poles.

It took a while to find a source for this exact model. The place from which I bought mine doesn't seem to carry them anymore. The price has gone up, but it's still quite reasonable compared to the fancier frames made by Grace. $85 for the basic frame; $30 for the extension kit; plus shipping. (Those are well worth the price, I'm sure. Just out of my range.)

http://www.embroideryetcetera.com/quilting-frames.htm

I don't know if you can find it for less from another source. This was just the first one I found that sells the exact model I have.

Do not confuse the "Maple Quilting Frame" (the one I have) with the Bedford model. You can adjust both the height and width of the frame I have in several combinations. It will adjust to much more than a 25" deep quilting surface if you're willing to sacrifice a bit in height. (I'm nearly 6' tall, so I have mine set higher than most women would likely find comfortable, and still not as high as it'll go. I'll bet male quilters on a budget would love this frame.) Also, the poles are held in place with an adjustable vice-type arrangement. My guess is that makes it less likely the poles will just pop out on their own while you're moving it. The reason I like that feature is that it means I'm not restricted to using only the poles that came with it, (which are square; about 1" x 1").

I put the whole thing together myself. I don't remember how long it took. About a half an hour, I think. It was so easy, I think it took longer to lay out the parts and read the instructions than it did to actually put it together. No tools necessary; not even a screwdriver.

The upside of the square poles is that they "lock" easily into place and the extensions are easy to add. The downside is that you can't make minute adjustments to the tension. Also, you need to install the additional bracing parts once you extend it, or the poles bend and sag. (The parts come with the extension kit, but I was way too lazy to spend 10 more minutes adding them. LOL)

I popped across the street to the local lumber yard and bought a wood closet pole. They cut it in half for me. Voila!!! Just the right length for the quilt I was working on. Tension adjustable in teeny-tiny increments. Don't have to take the poles out when rolling up to the next section of quilting surface. Just loosen the big bolts, roll, tighten the bolts, keep quilting. :-)

As you work, the tension gets loose, but with this frame, that's because the poles have turned a bit on their own - not because the fabrics are getting stretched out of shape.

Sorry to have turned this into a book, but I figured I might as well share as much as I could about my experiences with it so you can make a more informed decision about whether or not it might work as well for you as it does for me. Nothing more annoying than the disappointment and hassle of having to send something back.
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