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Cross Stitching Frames

I’ve been using an 8″ Q-Snap frame and while I’m sure it’s great for small pieces, that frame and I are not bonding! First, I’ve heard the little snap on things will loosen up but let me tell you . . I about need a power tool of some kind to get them off right now. My hands don’t have a lot of strength and the first night, I about gave up. It must have taken me 15 minutes to get the the snapper things off. My thumbs ached; my wrist ached. I decided I’d just stitch in hand (without it being in a frame) but my stitches looked quite sloppy so I went back to putting the piece in the Q-Snap frame. Second, all I’ve stitched is that one border and a bit on my New Year’s Day piece. When doing something that has a lot of “traveling” and I’m having to reposition the frame often . . not fun. I can see the 8″ Q-snap being perfect for working on densely stitched areas or small pieces but I think I chose the wrong piece to start with for using that.

I had been doing a bit of research on scrolling type frames. I’m sure there are all levels of quality and bells and whistles and some of them are outrageously expensive but they are quite beautiful. I came across this one on Etsy. It has great reviews and looks like it will work great. It’s made in Texas so it has to be good, right? I ordered it and it should be here today.

Then, I started thinking . . it’s built kinda like a longarm quilt frame in that you have to pin your piece onto the leaders and I started thinking . . I’m not a one project kind of girl, though I probably should try to be. Do I really want to keep pinning and unpinning projects? No. The alternative is to start something and finish it. Yep . . who does that? Don’t tell me if you’re a one project stitcher!

Then, I saw a flosstube with someone using a RolaFrame. I tracked down a few more videos and watched those and I LOVE the way it has little nails that the fabric goes onto and there’s no pinning so any time I want to switch pieces, I just lift it off the nails. Simple! RolaFrames are made by Dan in Alabama. He doesn’t sell retail but has a map showing shops that carry his frames. They are all handmade and from what everyone says, the quality is first class. You buy whatever size side pieces you need (which gives you the amount of stitching depth (from bottom to top in my mind) and you buy what size bar you need/want (which gives you the width). Say I’m happy stitching within about an 8″ depth, I could order whatever side end bars are about that size, but say I’m using fabric that’s 36″ wide, I need the longer wooden “rods” to be a size that will accommodate at least 36″. The end pieces and rods are not terribly expensive. I think $50 to $60 would cover a set of end pieces and rods but you can buy just the rods or just the end pieces. I don’t think there are as many options for end pieces as their are rods.

This is a video I watched that shows loading the stitching piece onto the bars. This is another one that talks about the RolaFrame starting at about 8:00. She has the floor stand that is an accessory.

After watching the video and researching the RolaFrames, I decided that was a better frame overall for me so I ordered one set of end pieces and one set of rods or bars and I don’t even remember what size I ordered but I can always order additional sizes once I know better what I prefer. There’s really no way to even decide what I’m going to like best til I use it. I figure if Vince continues to cross stitch (doubtful – I think he did it out of pure boredom when he was here), he may end up wanting to try a frame too.

Ahhh . . my invoice just arrived in email. I ordered 18″ rollers (that’s what they’re called!) and 10″ end pieces so, in theory, I’ll have 10″ x 18″ for stitching. Those two pieces fit together a bit like Lincoln Logs. At any time in the future, I can order longer rollers, which will attach to my 10″ end pieces or I can order bigger end pieces if I want a wider stitching area. This sounds like a perfect system which is every easy to expand. The rollers were $28 and the end pieces were $28 (for two each – two rollers for $28 and two end pieces for $28) so it isn’t outrageously expensive at all. The lady at the shop did tell me Dan has had a price increase and they will be passing it along on future orders.

I was kinda laughing, maybe to keep from crying, but I thought . . it’s one thing to slip a few skeins of floss or even yarn in here without Vince realizing I’ve purchased something else. Slipping a wooden stitching frame in . . probably not going to get by without him noticing but maybe he’ll never notice that there are two here, since he won’t be here when they arrive but at some point he’ll see me using them.

Oh well . . that’s life around here! 🙂

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. LOL, Toby has told me if an Emu showed up on the front deck he’d just assume I ordered it from Amazon and would not be surprised. Yes, I’ve wanted a pair of Emu’s or Rhea’s for 15+ years.

  3. I am starting to wonder if the pleasure for you is in shopping for the supplies for your hobbies more than the actual hobbies. Not being mean here, it is just intriguing. I hope you can find the best products for you and we see lots of progress.

  4. We do need the tools that make the work easy and pleasurable. Sometimes it’s try, try again. I FINALLY found a magnifying floor lamp that works for me, but it took a while and I’m pretty sure the returns via Amazon were getting ridiculous in their opinion. It also takes a while to build stash, or as I like to say, inventory. Ha! Here’s hoping the frames work for you and the way you work. Keep us posted!

  5. Instead of pins use Magnets. They actually have SewTite magnet pins but I am thinking any magnet would work. Just need one on each side. One on bottom of the fabric on the roller fabric and on the top holding the cross stitch fabric. Need to be fairly strong to hold it. I got some at Hobby Lobby for another project.

    • Since I stitch by my computer, use my tablet for the cross stitch program and my phone is usually in my lap, I think Vince would have a stroke if I had several magnets over here.

    • I use rola frames and love them. They can be hard to find in the popular sizes. I also use q snaps for smaller projects. I use them in conjunction with a Lowrey stand which I also love.

  6. I was looking at the Q snap after you mentioned it but I just love my embroidery hoops. I do have a really nice scroll frame but only use that for larger needlepoint pieces.

    • What would you consider “large”. I think even what I considered large a month ago isn’t really large. I see people making really big things and I don’t ever see me doing that. The project Denise and I are going to do . . that’s going to be probably as large as I ever do.

  7. By the way, in the old days when I first started cross stitching I bought the stretcher bars that artists use for canvas. I would by the size I needed for each project. They were so much cheaper than the roller bars. I would then use painters tape to tape the fabric onto the bars. A few times I would get adhesive on the fabric before I finished the project. But I usually had made the fabric big enough to trim. I figured any port in a storm and we were to poor to buy the fancy stuff. Cross stitch was a craft I could afford. Fabric could be expensive but floss was very inexpensive compared to other crafts.

  8. I’m with you Judy! I need the equipment that works for me to get the job done! I loved needlepoint but that’s not very popular now so I’m attempting cross stitch. So many great patterns/charts & I am working on necessary equipment!

  9. It’s fascinating to watch you go through all this – kind of like when you were looking for spinning wheels.

  10. Once you get them I bet Vince can build you more. He is a very talented man when it comes to figuring those things out. I bet he could even use his 3D printer to make you some or make a mold he can use! Or maybe even Chad could do these if he ever gets time off.

  11. I have been cross stitching for about 30 years and have never used a snap frame as they appear to be cumbersome to me. If it’s a small piece (like a Christmas ornament) I just hold it as I stitch, if it is a large piece then an embroidery hoop which come in many sizes. To me they are much easier to use. JMHO.

  12. Have you tried sliding the “snap” off instead of prying them off? That is, pulling them along the length of the frame… I hope I’m explaining it right. That is how I remove my frabric from the QSnap…

  13. I went through the same steps you did…Q- snap (cumbersome), in hand (sloppy). I bought a Hardwicke hoop from Hoop and Frame. Nice quality and my hands don’t hurt. A Rola frame may be in my future. I see them on flosstube and those stitchers have lovely stitches.

  14. I have that roller frame that you ordered and it really works great. I think you will find it a good buy.

  15. I always stitched in hand but I didn’t like how my stitches looked I got q-snaps and had the same issue then I saw a video that you can slide the clamps off the edge, and that is so much easier. It still isn’t super easy with fabric on it but it beats trying to pry them off.

    • I was able to slide the clamp off til I had it on fabric that already had stitching on it and I couldn’t get it to budge. It’s probably just a lack of strength in my hand. I’ll use it again for small projects when Vince is here to help me get it apart.

      • Oh, my! You had total knee replacement THIS MORNING and you’re reading my blog? I’d be sleeping for the next week! 🙂

        That is so neat that your MIL was named Ann Webb!

  16. Has anyone recommended Vonna, The Twisted Stitcher? She used to do a lot of flosstubes but now mostly posts on facebook and instragram. If you go to her bloq she has tons of good finishing tutorials. But be warned LOL, she and her daughters have recently gotten into decorative painting, and she bought a scroll saw and is now cutting our her own wood pieces to paint, to cute.

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