Kate, I have a working knowledge of other embroidery and love French knots!  (Explains my little stash of candlewicking threads, as I've done candlewicking ornaments.)

Will have to look up q-snaps as this is not something I have seen here. 

When I was looking at ribbons and laces and trims at JoAnn I found what appeared to be terrycloth on elastic and briefly wondered about employing that in a craft.  It seems like terry might be used to pad a hoop and ease the work?  Just thinking out loud, here.

Lynnea Berr:

When I was looking at ribbons and laces and trims at JoAnn I found what appeared to be terrycloth on elastic and briefly wondered about employing that in a craft.  It seems like terry might be used to pad a hoop and ease the work? 

If you use a wooden hoop, they recommend you wrap the hoop as it will leave less marks that way. You do have to be careful wrapping it with anything too thick, or the top of the hoop won't fit over the bottom anymore. When I used to do it, I'd use a long strip of biased tape.

One reason I like the q-snaps is that it's the easiest hoop to tighten. You just roll the sleeve towards the outside and the fabric tightens. To tighten a hoop, you have to take the fabric out and put it back in again. If I use a hoop at all now, it stays in it permanently as a frame, with lace or something glued around the edge.

I just went to www.qsnap.com and see how reasonably priced these frames are!  Thanks for the information!

Kate:

When I used to do it, I'd use a long strip of biased tape.

I have wood framed embroidery hoops. I stitched bias tape lengthwise around the bottom hoop, pulling it tightly as I went. It made a difference in holding the work in the hoop better. There was very little slipping that way. Edey

Lynnea Berr:

I just went to www.qsnap.com and see how reasonably priced these frames are!  Thanks for the information!

Your welcome. Those are my frames of choice as they are so easy to work with. They tend to last a very long time. I've never had to replace mine and I have 3 in different sizes. I've heard from others that if the snap-on sleeves start to get loose, just run them through the dishwasher. The heat tightens them up again. I've never needed to do that but the lady who did it said it worked great.

Lynnea Berr:

Karen, have you seen where you can attach the work to the frame by a method that appears to be Velcro strips?  It might be another type of tape, just saw it briefly yesterday.

No, I haven't see that.  I buy my Aida cloth in rolls, and cut what I need - so I usually leave a couple of extra inches on it for the staples.  My original roller frame had a split dowel, and the fabric went in the split - once the first layer was rolled around the dowel it stayed in place - but they were really expensive to buy new frames to get new split dowels, which is why I started using plain dowels and a staple gun.  I have the frame with the bent wood piece you sit on to hold the frame in place, although for very large projects I sometimes prop the frame on the edge of the couch or on pillows.

I also  buy the 2x2 strips that fit together at the ends, making a square or rectangular frame, then I keep them for future projects - I have a pretty good variety of sizes on hand now.  I use a staple gun for these, too.

well, i like the cross stitch but few chance to use the embroidery hoop or frame as most of my projects are small not big enough.

thanks for the Lynnea Berr's link  ,  www.Herrschners.com  next time, i will try to stitch a mermaid pattern with the fram.

The girls who belonged to The Tidewater Sampler Guild used slate frames (very expensive), scroll bars, stretcher bars, or German made wooden embroidery hoops that they wrapped with gauze or Cling (found in drugstores).

The girls at the Golden Thimble Needwork Guild used Q Snaps in different sizes. The girls who were members of the American Needlepoint Guild used what the Tidewater Sampler Guild used. So did the EGA members.

The girls who took Japanese Embroidery used totally different stands and they were expensive. I didn't do Japanese Embroidery. It was not my thing.

All of these guild members owned stands that supported scroll frames or stretcher bars.

The cadillac stand frames were the English made Lowery Stand and the metal stand by K's Creations. I found a really good deal on Lowery stands one year and I own 2 of them because I'd bought Mom her very own Lowery stand.

There are less expensive wooden stands on the market. I own a Gazelle and several wooden lap frames. My wooden lap frames are by K's Creations.

I had a fortune tied up in needlework supplies because needlework was my passion at one time. Mom had just as much money tied up in needlework supplies as I did.

Because I own several stands, I could ----if I wanted to do it-----set up a needlework stand in several rooms in the house.

I used to be a member of 2 ANG chapters, 1 sampler guild, and 2 EGA chapters, and 1 local guild. It took up a lot of time and driving time. Smocking and tatting were about the only forms of needlework that I couldn't master. At one point I was on my way to becoming nationally certified in canvas work aka needlepoint. The certification process was very involved and time consuming.

When I used to enter needlework shops that were judged by nationally accredited needlework judges, I'd take blue ribbons. I used to attend needlework seminars and classes all over the East Coast of the United States. At one time I'd taken classes with some of the best known needlework designers and teachers.

Do I miss the seminars, etc. ? Yes, but they are much more expensive now than they were when I attended them. Also, I am limited in how far away I can leave my area because of Mom's health. I have to be nearby in case the nursing home has a problem involving Mom.

 Herrschner's is a reliable company, one that I have been doing business with since 1970. They have always been quick to correct any problems or answer any questions.  Edey

A wooden hoop, like those used for embordery, can be found at Hobby Lobby or Michael's for under $2.  There are some nice plastic squares that hold the fabric a little tighter that can run up to $30.  If you leave the fabric in any kind of stretcher or frame for too long, it will leave creases that are very difficult to get out. 

You can iron needlework by laying it face down on the board, covering it with a piece of white cotton cloth and ironing on medium to high heat.