I have the Grace hoop on a stand, because I was looking for something that would let me quilt in the living room. Before I bought it, I read reviews on line and almost every review was positive. However, I do not care for it much.

It doesn't hold the tension well in the corners, and I found it hard to adjust. However, you have to realize that I usually use a floor frame, so I think my experience is not quite the same as others, and maybe I didn't really give it much of a chance.

I will say that Hinterberg is a great company to deal with, if you go that route. I bought my floor frame from them 20 years ago, and they recently sent me wing nuts to replace one that broke. I know they were recently bought by someone, so I hope they still stand by their products.

Janet

I also hand quilt and use the PVC frame from Joanns. What is the Hinterberg hoop and where did you get it?

I just looked at the one I was using until yesterday when I finished the bed size quilt I was working on. It probably is a round 36" Hintenberg. It has a single post with three legs and is adjustable up and down and in all directions. I have quilted at least a dozen or more bed size quilts with it. I have another smaller one that has square corners on a round frame. Both are wooden. For small portable projects I use the plastic snaps frames you can get at Joanns. I sometimes combine sides of two different sizes to make the shape I need. I don't remember what I paid for the wooden frames but the money was well spent.

stuck in the dark ages, I use a large oval wooden hoop, also have a smaller one for smaller projects. If I had a floor based frame/hoop I would have to be bending over it, and my back would rebel. With a free hoop I can sit back in my chair, or even on the bed with pillows behind me.

Great timing this topic is! ;-) I was just looking at these, and thinking about getting the "plus" kit:

http://www.hinterberg.com/cat-Frame_Kits-69.aspx

But hearing (reading) you all talk about working with the round Hinterberg hoop makes me wonder if that's a better route? I've got a king-size quilt I'm going to hand quilt (am I nuts or what?) and a standing round/oval hoop just seems like it would be more difficult to use than a rectangular standing frame. Thoughts?

I tried a few times to maneuver some quilts onto a hoop frame, but just can't wrestle the bulk to stay put. The layers slide and the hoop pops apart to where I can't even tighten it down. I've tried several sizes and styles of hoops, one being an oval on a stand, another a large one, maybe 20 inches. I get the hoops on, then as I attempt to tighten them, the layers come alive in rebellion, then I give up. Duh. I'm used to safety-pinning and basting to do my standard machine free motion quilting, and use my hands to keep the work flat and streched as I move the work to follow my design, and in the process improve the muscle tone in my hands and arms! lol My quilts aren't perfect, but nobody's judging them, just loving them.
Anybody have any tips on getting layers to stay put?

On getting layers to stay put, ever since I've started using Sharon Schambers basting method (search for it on youtube.com), I've been EXTREMELY happy-- whether hand or machine quilting.

I have a floor frame, made by Hinterberg, in fact. I love it, but there is a learning curve to hand quilting on a frame.

First, the frame is big - think living room sofa big. It's not portable, and you can't turn it to quilt towards yourself. I turn my body and use an adjustable chair when I quilt. I learned how to quilt away from myself, which helps me quilt in all directions.

I think it's easier to learn to quilt with a hoop. I think having a hoop on a stand, whether it's in your lap, a sit upon, or with a floor stand, is easier than trying to prop it up on knees or a table top - it's sturdier and that makes it easier to quilt. The only downside to a hoop is that the quilt is on your lap a lot, but if it's cold outside, who cares??! Just make sure you don't pull your sandwich drum tight in the hoop and you'll do fine.

Janet

teddysmom-
I know they have a website, so you can probably buy directly from them. I got mine at a major quilt show (Paducah) a few years ago. Hinterberg usually advertises their large no-baste frames in quilt magazines. If you have any, look in them for advertisements. There may be a phone number there. If I remember correctly, mine was around $75 (?). You won't regret the purchase, I'm sure. It has a flat base which you can sit on your lap or on a table. You can also kind of sit on the base, with the hoop between your legs as you quilt. They come in various sizes, but inho it is a waste to buy anything larger than twice your reach from the crook of your elbow. If it's any bigger than that, you can't reach into the middle anyway, right?

My husband ordered an Hinterberg kit to make a quilting frame for me. The way this one worked, it was fantastic. The size is limited -- the largest I can do on the frame (as it is) is a twin size. However, If I add longer pipes and side frame pieces (wood), I could enlarge the frame to handle bigger quilts. It was wonderful for the 45X60 crib quilt I did. But, it does take up a lot of room. If I didn't have half of my aunt's china and glassware in rubbermaid totes stacked in my living room, I would get it out and enlarge it. The advantage to this particular frame is that it tilts and you roll the quilt up on a roll using a handle, so that you can always keep your sandwich in order. Also, my talented husband customized it with a light attachment so that I could always see where I was working! My husband has since passed away, but our son is just as talented, if not more. I may hit him up on remodeling that! If I do many more quilts, I'm going to have to do something.

Jeanette Frantz