Martelli 11” hoop
 

Has anyone tried the Martelli hoops for free motion quilting? Are they helpful and do they give you more control when doing FMQ? Thanks for any replies. They are currently having a sale and I am thinking about ordering them. Deb

I tried one briefly at the store a few years back. It does keep the layers "flat" while free motioning. But I still like to spread with my hands better. I quickly ran out of room using the hoop and it seemed a nuisance to move it to another flat spot. But then I am a haphazard quilter and quilt fast. If you were working on micro quilting or were set to a certain pattern it might help. It would probably also help those with arthritis or who had a hard time spreading the fabric.

They are wonderful! The hoops are heavy and sturdy, and they really grip. You can keep your hands totally relaxed on the knobs.

This is from the perspective of someone who would not be able to quilt without them, as I cannot use my hands to move the quilt. Someone who is used to unlimited space might find quilting within the hoop space to be constraining, but I am very grateful to have my hoop!

I have not even been tempted to us a hoop or anything else.

I wear garden gloves with rubber nubs . I know others use more expensive gloves but, these work great for me.