Stitching Frame Review Update

My last review of stitching stands was done in April, 2023 and it can be viewed here. Please remember these are my opinions only. Everyone is entitled to their opinion (or, that’s how it used to be!) I have stitching friends who love the stand that I like the least so please use my review as one reference tool and read as many other reviews as you can find. The only way to know what you’re going to love is to try them.

Friday, the Elan stand arrived. I immediately set it up and used it late into the night Friday and most of Saturday. When I ordered it, I was thinking it would be my favorite stand but, as of now, it isn’t. For me, the way I sit and the way I stitch, I don’t feel like it’s terribly stable. Maybe I’ll get used to it. I know that some stitchers add a pillow stuffed with something that makes it heavy and put that on the base and that makes it more stable.

The roller bars are unique in that they have a little “trough” cut out and a little insert that holds the fabric in place. I knew I would lose those little inserts so I used scraps of cotton fabric and made “leaders”. That’s actually what I’m doing with all my frames these days, then I baste the linen to the end of the leader. The fabric leaders rolled around the rollers will keep me from losing the little inserts.

Pros:

• Well made and finished nicely.
• Easy to adjust the position of the frame so I can get any angle that’s comfortable for stitching.
• Can be used with hoops, Q-Snaps or scroll frames (maybe others I don’t even know about).
• It’s easy to flip the frame to see the back, tie off or trim threads.
• Because of the “Z” construction, one side is open with no obstruction. It can be turned so that either the right or left side is unobstructed. Since I’m right handed and use my right hand underneath for two handed stitching, it’s very nice to have that right side open.
• All of the scroll frames I have here will work with this frame, so long as they aren’t over 30″ long.
• It accommodates up to a 30″ frame but the extension will be out all the way and I’m guessing that would create a good bit of instability.

Cons:

• I didn’t feel like it was terribly stable. It maybe just require some getting used to and I didn’t use it much.
• It doesn’t fold flat for traveling.

The second frame that arrived was the K’s Creations Z-Frame Lap Frame.

I like this frame a lot. It’s very much like the Elan frame in the construction. It will fold flat. It feels very stable. The max frame recommended for it is a 22″ frame. I talked to the guy who makes these last night. He does make one that will accommodate a frame up to 24″ and it has the slide out piece similar to the Elan frame.

There are two things that I really love about this stand. First is that I can have the frame higher than I can on the other stands I have (except the Elan, which will hold the frame at about the same height as does this K’s Creations Z-frame). The second thing is that the K’s Creation Z-frame stand has an attachment for Qsnaps and hoops. The scroll frames do not have to use this gizmo – they hook directly into the “Z” arm, which, in my opinion, makes it at least feel like it’s being held more tightly.

Pros:

• Scroll frames hook directly to the “Z” arm without having to use an “adapter”.
• Well made and finished nicely.
• Easy to adjust the position of the frame so I can get any angle that’s comfortable for stitching.
• Holds frame up a little higher than some of the other stands.
• Can be used with hoops, Q-Snaps, stretcher bars or scroll frames (maybe others I don’t even know about).
• It’s easy to flip the frame to see the back, tie off or trim threads.
• Because of the “Z” construction, one side is open with no obstruction. It can be turned so that either the right or left side is unobstructed. Since I’m right handed and use my right hand underneath for two handed stitching, it’s very nice to have that right side open.
• Folds flat for storing or traveling.
• Any frame that has an extra hole in the side should work with this stand (see the frame below WHICH IS NOT A Z-Frame) but you can see that you need three holes in those side bars. The Rolaframe sidebars do not have the extra hole and there’s no easy way to drill holes because of them being in two pieces but they can be used with the adapter.

I don’t have any cons for this stand. It is limited to 22″ frames and smaller but that’s the nature of how it’s made and to complain about that would be like complaining that I can’t get 6 passengers on my motorcycle. I do not have a motorcycle but you get my point I hope.

My Favorites:

My favorite, of all my stands, as of today, is the K’s Creations Z-Frame Stand. It isn’t the one I will use the most, simply because, at least for now, I don’t use a lot of frames that are 22″ wide or less. I think that once I’ve finished some of these much larger pieces, I may do more smaller pieces and this will be my stand of choice for anything in a 22″ or less frame.

Otherwise, it will be the K’s Creations Original Needlework Stands. The standard size accommodates 13″ – 22″ frames and the large size accommodates 22″ to 36″ frames. The link is to the standard size but the other sizes can be found on the Etsy site, along with all of their other stands.

I ordered the standard size frame in December, 2020 so it’s the one I’ve had the longest and probably used the most.

You can’t beat the K’s Creations frames for price. In my opinion, they’re well made, the price (at least on the ones I’ve purchased) includes shipping and if you compare prices, their stands are quite reasonably prices.