gramquilter2

My DH is going to buy me a hand quilting frame for Christmas and these 3 hoops are ones I have decided would be what I am interested in. I was wondering if you have one of the frames if you would tell me the pros and cons of it. I really am not interested in doing queen/king size as this will be my first attempt at hand quilting. Thank you for your help.

Pat1969

I have the Ulmer Quilter, but it was purchased a long time ago and am not sure if the current one is the same or not. I started quilting in 2004 and bought it soon after I started. I would buy it again instead of a full size frame which is as long as your quilt is wide. I did not have enough room for a set up like that. The Ulmer Quilter is about 4 foot long and the excess quilt hangs over all four sides. It worked well for me. After using it for a couple of years, the glued joints got loose in a couple places and my husband reglued it and it worked great again. After a while I started machine quilting, but I still use it occasionally when I need to hand quilt something, like a panel.
Pat

Hinterland

I have the Grace hoop, but don't really care for it. It didn't hold the layers as securely as I like, and I found it hard to quilt a large quilt with it. But I'm used to a floor frame, so my experience might not be yours, particularly if you're doing smaller quilts with it.

Janet

retta97

I have The Hiterberg floor hoop and for hand quilting you can't beat it and I broke part of the leg and had for over a year and they sent a new one No cost to me .You have a really good quilting area and the rotation on the hoop is a really nice feature. The company that makes these quilt stands are the best My mom bought it for me as a birthday present over 10 years ago and I still use it,just completed a Double Wedding Ring Quilt using the frame.

Skyangel

I have a Grace lap hoop as I want to sit on the sofa and don't want to lean over a floor hoop. I love the fact that it rotates on a ball and I can tip it any direction. The hardware adjustments are easy to make, and it feels very sturdy. However, I am not quilting a large quilt, only a small Hawaiian wall hanging. If you are doing a larger quilt, I would want the largest hoop size.

Petalpatsy

I did my first two quilts on the adjustable height Q-snap frame from JoAnn's. I had a 50% off coupon for it. It was great, actually, cheap, sturdy enough to lean on, light and easy to move as a stable unit, push it away, pull it forward all with easy, and easy to position and reposition the quilt. The four half pipe side clamps hold the quilt tight enough and don't put a strain on it. I left my quilt on that frame 24/7/365 and got no strain stretch on any of my hand sewn seams.

Then I got an Ulmer, because somebody close was selling hers used and it seemed all nice and natural and earthy being made from wood. It's bit awkward to get the spring clamp on, but you can learn that. The thing is, that clamp uses a lot of force to bend and cram the quilt into the holding board. It makes me cringe and so I try to hand tuck my quilt into place, gently with my fingers, and then place the clamp, and I always take it off before bed. Also, when you try to push the whole thing back from your chair, it wants to wobble and warp so you really have to hold either end and pick the whole thing, quilt and all, up from ground completely, the then set it back down away from you. There's no cross bar and the bottom to keep it stable as a unit at all. Frankly, I just wouldn't recommend it as a best option.

I haven't used the Hinterburg or the GraceHoop2, so I can't really speak to them and how stable or sturdy they'd be. Hopes this helps a bit!

NJ Quilter

I'm afraid to use a floor frame/hoop. I like to scritch around too much when I'm quilting so I just use a hoop in my lap. I can wiggle around in my chair as much as I like and don't have to re-position anything. Plus I just don't have the room for anything large.

Hinterland

I really like having the hoop supported. I have a Jasmine easy spinner hoop - unfortunately they are out of business. However, you might check Harry Barnett. I have friends who say his hoops are the best.

Janet

JustAbitCrazy

I have the Hinterberg lap frame and love it. It has a base so you can sit it on your lap or just kind of sit your legs on the base. It turns and tips in every direction. Good hoops are a bit pricey, but worth every penny. I couldn't learn to quilt having to hold the frame at the same time.

mckwilter

I was told not to get a hoop any larger than twice the length of your forearm. Think of the hoop as a circle. The distance from the edge to the center is the radius of that circle. Your forearm should be able to reach comfortably from the edge of the hoop to the center without any stretching/reaching. If your hoop rotates, you will easily be able to quilt anywhere inside the hoop without discomfort.