I have a chance to buy a large hand quilting frame for a very good price. I now use a hoop on a floor stand and a lap stand hoop. I like both of them very much...but...I can see some advantages with a floor frame. Quilting with a hoop in the summer is very hot and our summers here are hot and long, using a frame would mean it is not sitting on my lap making me sweat. The frame is a 3 pole frame so no basting is needed, another big plus. The negatives would be, the amount of room it takes up, though it is one of the narrowest made, I think, and, I have only once quilted on a frame, many years ago. Using the hoops that I have allows me to turn my quilt in any direction, so I don't really have to quilt away from me, how easy is that to learn? Any insight on all of this will help me alot. Thanks.

I had the floor model of Q-snap, but it had to be set up in the living room, so that was not great when company came. I also found it hard to reach across the quilting area & so moved the quilt in the frame more often than needed. I'm not very good at quilting in different directions so had to keep moving my chair. I much prefer my little frame & I can sit in my recliner with feet up & quilt until my eyes give out... if you had the chance to work at a frame before you purchased one, it would be a good idea. Some church groups etc. have them set up.

I have a Hinterberg Classic floor frame. It is big, but it's very sturdy. I think it holds the layers better than a hoop, but it may also be that I've used it for so long. I've always found the backs of my quilts look flatter coming out of the frame. Plus, with 3 poles you don't have to baste the quilt....if you're like me, you will appreciate not having to crawl around on the floor basting. :)

I use a tailor's thimble to quilt away from myself. It looks like a regular thimble with no top. I didn't think it was any harder to learn to quilt away from me than it was to learn to quilt towards myself. You might try practicing in your hoop.

Janet

Quilting frames get in my way, though I have a couple of larger hoops, one being an antique hoop and the other from JoAnns. I like the liberated feel of having the quilt rest on my lap and this way it's easier for me to make smaller stitches.
But everyone's different and discovers their own comfortable technique.
I enjoy hand quilting when the opportunity is available.

I have my great grandmother's quilting frame and I love it. i don't have to baste it because it's rolled onto the frame similar to a LA and you quilt a long space before rolling it again.

Thanks for your help, ladies. I am having a hard time making this decision as quickly as I need to, so I will consider all the things you have said.

I have a Grace frame, with 3 bars, so no basting. I don't have it set up right now because it takes up so much room. That's my only issue with it.

How easy/difficult is it to load the quilt onto the frame? Is it a one person job?

It's a one person job, and not hard. It takes me about an hour to pin a queen size quilt in the frame. I don't get that much practice...it takes me a long time to quilt.

Not everyone likes quilting in a frame. It does take up a lot of space -my frame is the size of a living room sofa. But it's nice to have the quilt ready to be worked on whenever I have the time, it keeps the quilt clean because it's not touching the floor, and I find I do my best stitching on it. I'm in between quilts right now, and it's sad to walk by the frame and not see a quilt in it.

Janet

Sharon, I have the EZ3 Grace, it folds down with the quilt still in it...does yours not fold down?