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Monday, March 17, 2014

Q-SNAP FRAME

Hello Fire lovers.......my name is Mary Stori. I want to thank Beata for providing the opportunity to discuss hand stitching with you. It's especially important these days, when the focus seems to have turned toward machine and long arm stitching. I've been fortunate to have made a 25+ year long career in the quilt world where many trends have changed and others remain the same. Happily, there are still those of us who love the often slow, yet contemplative process of working with needle in hand.

I came up with a trick years and years ago that allowed me to secure my often highly embellished work in a frame for hand quilting. I still continue to use this method today when I'm hand embroidering and beading. I always, always work in a Q-snap frame.....11" x 11" or 11" x 17" are my preferences. Working in a square or rectangular frame, rather than a round hoop, allows the fabric to be secured 'on grain', thus helping to avoid wrinkles/distortion from developing. The 'clip' system makes it easier to adjust the tension....tight for beading but looser for hand quilting.

One problem however, is that the plastic clips that secure the fabric to the frame can damage embellishments. (Here, I'm outlining the image with matt black beads.) One way to eliminate that issue is to wrap your quilt around the framework, use straight pins, safety pins, or hand baste to secure it. Use the clips only in areas that is embellishment free.

Another approach is to make muslin sleeves that slide onto the framework, which comes apart at each corner. Think of it as a casing for a skirt or pants, with a 2" extension at one end. You can make just one or up to 4 for each size frame. This will allow you to pin your pieces onto the sleeve to maintain fabric tension without using the plastic clips.

This trick will also enable the stitching to be brought out to the edge of the quilt...without trying to hold it in your hands which has a tendency to cause the edges to ripple. The finished piece is below: