What are the advantages of a round hoop?  Both hoop shape and size are related to your arms length.  Quilting in a round hoop allows you to maintain the same maximum reach as you rotate it while still quilting in your favorite stitch direction, meaning extra comfort.  On an oval or square hoop, the distance changes as you rotate.

What size hoop is best for me?  Measure the distance from the inside of your elbow to the end joint of your fingertip.  You may reach farther but this is the maximum distance you can reach before you begin to round your shoulders.

Why don't you put a light on your hoop stand?   The portion of the quilt hanging down needs to be moved periodically as you rotate the hoop to change stitch direction.  Any attachment surrounding the perimeter of the hoop would be in the way.  It is simply easier to use a lamp at your side.

Which is best for floor quilting frames - a friction lock system or the ratchet type? On a three rail, no-baste quilting system, infinite tension control is a must in order to obtain equal tension on both top and backing fabrics.   Ratchet types give only incremental control.   Another advantage is that the friction lock system locks the end post together eliminating the need for a crossbar, which, in turn, allows the narrow width.

Why does our floor quilting frame have such a narrow quilting width?  Your arms are only so long!  The 14" reach over a straight rail is comparable to the comfortable reach of a 16" hoop (our most popular size).  This advantage also allows you to quilt the design area from either side.  We also offer medium and wide frame head widths which allow a larger quilting area for those desiring to stretch a little farther and for large groups.

Which side of the quilt frame do you usually quilt from and why?  Unlike other 3 rails systems, you can quilt equally well from either side of ours. I personally quilt most of mine from the two rail side because I tend to use a lot of diagonal lines in the background and like to be able to have each thread continue as I roll the quilt to a new position. Quilting these lines on the single rail side would necessitate starting each line in the unquilted section and quilting to the already quilted portions unless you quilt with the needle pointing away from your body (the majority of people quilt with the needle pointing toward themselves).

Can I use a floor quilting frame if I only quilt with the needle pointing toward my body? On the floor frame page we indicate that you will need to quilt 180 degrees from each side; however, as you quilt on a floor frame you will compensate for the less desirable directions by angling your body as much as 45 degrees to the rail. Forty five to the left plus 45 to the right leaves only 90 degrees. By being able to quilt from both sides, the direction of the needle point will vary no more than 90 degrees and can always be moving toward you. Changing sides eliminates the necessity to ever quilt away from the body.

How many people can quilt on one quilt at a time? You need to allow approximately 24" per person as you would at a dinner table. You must also consider whether you can quilt from both sides and whether you can sit directly opposite one another. On our frames, you can always quilt from both sides, and with the wide frame head set you can sit directly opposite one another so that twice as many can quilt. Example: On a quilt 96" wide quilt, you can seat 4 people in that given length. On our wide frame heads where you can sit opposite - "knee to knee" - 8 people can quilt.

Are floor quilting frames stable without a crossbar? In many products they are tradeoffs between usability and being the rock of Gibraltar.  Our frame ends are locked together by a friction lock system which locks the rails in place;  whereas, a ratchet type is not locked together by the ratchets at all; and therefore, must have a crossbar below.  Only when the friction lock system is loosened to roll the quilt forward is it loose.  The frames are very stable.

When the floor frame is tilted, is it too low in your lap to quilt?    No, the adjustable height on the center post allows you to set the height so it is never too low.

What size rails do I want?  We sell rails from 3'  up to 11'.  We generally recommend 5' for crib, 7' for twin, 8' for double, 9' for queen, 10' for king, 11' for king to floor.   The rails must be long enough for the quilt width, but you can always do smaller projects.  A second set of rails conserves space and allows you the freedom to work on different quilts as the mood strikes.

How can you achieve adequate results with a Needleglider™ if you do not rock the needle? In reality you do still rock - just not the needle.  You are actually rocking the quilt surface instead!  Look carefully at the picture and see the wavy line.  As you push up securely with the ridge of the Needleglider™, this rotates the quilt surface almost vertical rather than you having to rock the needle excessively, creating carpal tunnel syndrome.

Does our hoop hold the quilt securely? Yes, yes, yes!  The satin lacquer finish actually grips the quilt.  Never wax your hoop.  Wax will both get on your quilt and let it slip.  Some hoop manufacturers find it necessary to add an inner ridge for gripping because their hoops slip, but it just adds hard to remove creases to your quilt.

Is it important for a hoop to be finished? Yes.  Unfinished wood contains acid that can damage the quilt surface.