I LOVE the Barnett's Laptop hoop: http://www.laptophoops.com/ Harry's a member here, and a real peach to work with.

i started using her method and have had great results. I've hand quilted several in my lap with no hoop and was pleased with the results.

Add me to the 'doesn't use a hoop' list

I have two hoops..one on a stand and the other is a lap hoop. I found that my back got too sore using the stand because I always had to sit just a little forward. I recently bought the Barnett's Laptop Hoop..the one that rotates and tilts..and I love it! It's so easy to maneuver.

Same here. I quilt hoopless.
Well basted and just hold it in my lap.

for me i use the q-snap frame made from pvc pipe i like the mobility it gives me but would love to learn to hand quilt without a frame q-snap frames come in 17by 17 inches,11 by 17 inches and 8 by 8 inches

I used to use a hoop that I could put on a stand but for the past 10 years or so I haven't used a frame. It has to be pinned tighter (more closely together) and I lay it out every week or so to repin if I need to. I'm able to get better stitches, it's not cumbersome to use, I can take it in the car easily. Sometimes I use straight pins to hold it together if I have an area I'm working on that I'm concerned about. Try it on a small quilt and see if you like it. Just be sure you baste or pin it well.

You don't have to be a contortionist but it helps. :lol: I learned to quilt on a large wooden frame,however i have a oval lap and a half oval for getting closer to the edges , Good Luck.

JaKnits,

Thank you so much for the kind words. It was another quiltboard member that suggested the bottom of the frame can be used as a mini table to mark as you go. Pretty cool!

Harry Barnett

I use the Morgan double hoop stand. It brings the fabric up closer to your face so there isn't as much hunching over your work. It also breaks down into a flat hoop for storing purposes or for travel. It works well for me!


http://www.amazon.com/Morgan-Product...321137&sr=8-12

I use the Hinterberg version of the one linked to this thread. Got it several years ago in Lancaster at the Quilters Heritage show and I use it a lot! I recommend it. I found that having the base on my lap puts a lot less stress on my left hand, arm and shoulder...So I give it two thumbs up!

Pat

I also quilt without a frame.

I used to use a hoop but found I can make smaller stitches without it. I was probably using the hoop wrong because lots of people seem to love using their hoops.

I have a floor stand I like it too. I use it alot but now I just got a Vented Tilt and Spin Laptop Hoop from Barnett's and I really like it I can carry it anywhere I go.

Same here no frame or even hoop, and happy with my work.

I use my Q snap frame for cross stitch - works well.
Hand quilting - frame held in my lap. I do not have a floor stand.

I am have tried making a square hoop, and it hard to get the tight corners without splitting the wood. If anyone knows of a company, that sells just a square hoop, (no frame), I can make it for you.
- Harry Barnett

I am short and have them all but I go back to the 14" or 12" hoop
easy to control Those stands just get in my way and I am one the likes control

I have a square lap stand and love it.

I hand quilt queen size quilts and I use the simple 14 in round hoop on my lap. works great for me.

Does the 14 inch hoop give you a big enough area to work in?

absolutly, I just work on one area and then rehoop and keep going. very comfortble

14"is perfect. Bigger is not better in this case it only gets in the way.

I am thinking their is a problem with the site....it is not updating my post properly

That is the one I have. I got mine off eBay. It was never used and sold by a charity. It is originally from the Gruber's website.

That is the one I have. I got mine off eBay. It was new and sold by a charity. It is from the Gruber's. :-o :shock:

Thanks so much. I will look into buying one.

I just hand quilt on my lap. It is more comfortable for me as a hoop stand is very uncomfortable

I don't baste mine before quilting it. I just make sure I have extra fill and backing so if there is any shifting it doesn't effect the project. By the time I quilt what is in the frame it's secure enough to move around. This isn't the right way to do it but it works for me.

I've managed to end up with a very, very nice (and expensive) oak floor frame that adjusts to different size quilts, a floor style PVC pipe frame, a smaller rectangular PVC pipe frame for lap quilting and an inexpensive round frame.

In addition to the space issue, I find putting a quilt on the large frame a bit of a hassle. It is much easier to "snap" a quilt into the smaller and less expensive frames. There is something relaxing about sitting in a comfy chair and quilting so I prefer using the smaller PVC pipe frame of a round frame.

You can get both types of PVC pipe frames via Joanne's Fabrics. I used a 50% off coupon and got the smaller frame for about $9. I would stay away from the really flimsy round wood frames and invest in one of the sturdier plastic round lap frames--especially if you have kids around or a bit klutzy. (Someone sat on mine and broke it!)

If the project is square, the PVC lap frame seems to be my preferred choice. If I am quilting a round motif, I switch to the round frame. The smaller frames are so inexpensive it's not a bit deal to have both.

I just bought a quilting lap hoop from Barnetts. It is $142 but well worth it. Check out the website. I got the tilt and twist one. The top portion, which is the hoop, detaches from the bottom part that swivels. The bottom portion allows you to tilt it in three different levels. I bought the 14" hoop. He has a video on the website.

All of my hand quilting friends do not use a frame :D

I am not short but have short arms and a 12" hoop is so much more comfortable to work on. You may have to move it a bit more, but to me it is all part of the wonderful process of hand quilting. I baste with needle and thread rather than pins. I make a grid about a hands with apart. Works beautifully for me.

I have a lap frame and I love it. The base sits on my lap and I can tilt and turn the top and it's square shaped.

I have one of those large Hinteburg round hoops on a stand, it always was tipping over. Looked pretty in the family room but I had to stretch my arms too much to use it, awkward. I now use a square Grace lap hoop on stand that works well.

My last quilt was quilted on a frame, queen size. when I took it off the frame for the binding, I found out that I could have easily quilted it in my lap after some settling in stitches on the frame. The same size is on my frame now, but I plan to take it off soon. So easy to find little mistakes!

This is exactly the way I do mine. I baste the layers together though first. Begin in about the middle of the
quilt and work towards the edges. Keeps from getting a
little ripple here and there in the backing. I can sit in my
favorite chair in about any position I choose. Have back trouble so this helps me not to have to lean over in a
certain position for long lengths of time.l

I hand quilt with a ordinary lap hoop, or my laptop hoop (similar to the one in the Keepsake catelog) or my floor stand, or even without a hoop. Just depends on what I am quilting and where I am. My hubby made me a table that is the perfect height to put the laptop hoop "stand" on and this allows the large quilt's weight to rest on the table and not on my lap, my legs and feet? Really like my laptop hoop. I have also sat at my breakfast table and rested the quilt on that and used my ordinary quilting hoop. When I sit at the table, I can rest the top part of the hoop on the edge of the table and the bottom part on my left arm. The weight of the quilt is on the table.

Personally, I am uncomfortable with any fixed stand...I by far prefer a free hoop and just rest it against a chair back or bedside to rest the weight of a big quilt on it ; smaller pieces I just hold it in my hands and lap and can work just fine.

I just tried to hand quilt with no hoop and that didn't work too well. So got my 6" embroidery hoop to just try it out and that works great! Was able to lean back in my chair, with Daisy May (my 4 legged child) snuggled in next to me, and quilted away. I feel liberated!!! LOL!!! Oh...and by the way Daisy says thank you too because she got her Momma back. ;-)

my mom had a hoop on a stand, but for a larger quilt, it tended to tip over. a friend uses her lap hoop all the time (1st putting the qult on a big frame, then basting it together), she felt she could throw it in a closet and out of the way any time company came....... also take it with her. she would start in the middle, then work her way to the edges.
just have a bag you can put it in, so it isn't touchingt the floor in the closet. you can use a sheet under it when quilting, if you don't want it on your floor.

Possibly someone can give me a little help... I was given a Grace quilt frame that resembles the EZ3 frame. The difference is that the EZ3 looks like it has metal bars for the quilt. This frame does not. It has wood. There were no directions on attaching the quilt. Any ideas? I contacted the Grace company, but so far have not gotten a reply.