sandyquilts

As a teacher of hand quilting since 1975-I've tried all types of frames. Old-time floor frames made my arms ache, hoops on stands I found awkward, no frame at all meant the stitches were uneven. I finally decided that a small wooden, or preferably plastic, hoop 14-inches in diameter worked best for me. I like the kind that has a depression on the inside of the outer hoop and a "V" bump on the inner hoop that locks the quilt sandwich into the outer hoop. This keeps the quilt taut and it won't loosen while quilting. The thing to remember is to ALWAYS remove the hoop when you put the quilt down, even for five minutes. This prevents having stretch marks in the fabric.
The trick to positioning the hoop is to open the outer hoop much wider than you think is necessary. Have the smaller hoop under the quilt and carefully position the quilt sandwich. Place the outer hoop in position and then push the outer edges of the together turn the screw to tighten, then lock it in place. What you must not do is smash the outer hoop over the quilt sandwich so the the three layers of the sandwich shift.
Good luck.
SandyQuilter