All of you were so helpful last night that i thought that I'd post again today with another question. At Needlepoint of Back Bay in Boston, I was told that scroll frames are good for some things but can also squash some stitches and therefore, for some work it's better to use a regular square frame. I want to get a beautiful frame that will look nice in my living room and that will last me a long time without breaking the budget. I need about 26" square. Any ideas? I really like the eighteenth-century frames here (though they're scroll). They're more than I can afford, alas. Other suggestions are welcome....
I really like the stands made by Hearthside Craftworks. I'm currently using the Mark 11 version. It's spring loaded hinge points makes it so easy to access the back of your work. They sell the adaptor that holds the stretcher bars that I find best to use for needlepoint.
I second Mavia's comment about stretcher bars. They're probably the best way to minimise the inevitable distortion if you mainly use tent stitch.
Actually. you probably won't find a single frame that suits all your needs. As you say, the frames that are beautiful pieces of furniture are often hugely expensive and may not be so good in other ways. Think about investing in a few different styles of frame as you go along.
Just to clarify -- the canvas is 26 by 26 or the design is 26 by 26 (meaning that the canvas would be about 32 by 32 to allow for border). What stitches would you be using -- all tent or some decorative stitches?
The canvas is 26" x 26". I want to be able to make up to 20" square pillows, which means that I need to be able to stitch a 20" square design and then have an inch extra on all sides to stitch onto for the seam allowance. Add perhaps another inch around for waste, where the tacking in done. So in reality a 24" x 24" would work. I just figured that 26" x 26" would be good, and even better if I want to make a long rectangular pillow.
I'd be doing almost all tent stitch, basketweave type I think. I tried the standard (Continental?) type and just don't find the finish or the stitch-definition to be as nice. I want to be able to do other stitches if desired.
Thanks for the update -- for a 20 inch square design, you do need 26 by
26 -- you'll want to allow three inches on each side outside of the design, don't try to get away with 24 by 24. I take it you are designing these yourself, since you are starting with blank canvas.
I have read that you have been having trouble getting tension even. I'm guessing that so far you have been working in hand, not on stretcher bars or a frame. That's probably a big part of the problem. And as you have discovered, continental is terribly distorting. So some of the tension problem will resolve itself when you move to a stretched canvas.
Something I have noticed is that in any given stitching session my tension will stay pretty regular, but then the next time I pick up the work, the tension may be quite different -- maybe as a reflection of my mood or my stress. It takes much, much practice to get the tension even -- keep at it and don't give up.
Something no one has mentioned to you yet is the direction of the canvas. If you saw the blank canvas on the roll before it was cut, you would have seen orange lines down the sides. Those orange lines tell you the direction that the canvas should be oriented. If the lines are cut off, there is still a way to tell which way should be "up" but I won't begin to describe it to you -- however I'm sure someone on this group knows what to tell you -- it has to do with the selvage of the canvas weave.
Back to the frame -- nobody has mentioned Evertite bars yet. They are another option to a scroll frame or to the traditional stretcher bars. They are more expensive that the regular stretcher bars but they really keep a canvas tight, which is important on a big canvas like what you propose to do. They have a small screw mechanism that allows them to be pushed apart from each other as you go along, constantly tightening the bars as needed. I highly recommend them.
Just curious, are they geometric or a design like flowers or a landscape?
Ditto - many of us, I'd venture to say, have more than one frame. I have a K's Baby Z - which is great for things up to about 14", and I can use it on a table or my lap. I also have a large stow-away type wooden frame - that is great when I have a large piece on either stretchers or scroll bars. The Z framr woeks the same - with bars, scroll, or Q-snaps for things I'm doing on linen as opposed to canvas. I have been lusting after the newest version that K's makes - which takes less space - the Stainless Steel portable floor frame - it doesn't take too much space, and is great for classes when you're doing a large piece. I got the stowaway insteadd of the ultimate stitching station because I wanted it to be really easy to collapse - and it is. But, the ultimate stations looks really nice.
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site from Stitcher's Paradise has several floor stnads:
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in Canada also has some lovely stands.http://www.hearthsidecraftworks.com/Just take a look at them. I know a lot of people with the K's stands -theydefinitely stand behind their workmanship - as do many of the other standmakers.
Perhaps if you're just getting started, and not doing really large pieces - the smart thing would be a lap/table stand and then move on from there. The other thing that many needlepointers do is use either a frame weight or a clamp, and with a piece that is on stretcher bars (all 4 sides) clamp it or use the weight to hold it - on a table with an end hanging off - and you work on the section that is off the table. It's also a good idea to use a contrasting "lap"cloth - could be a napkin, or the pillowcase you keep your piece in - to give a background that makes it easier to see against for stitching.
Tim, Ellice has jogged my mind in a useful way. You need to differentiate between the frame that you mount the canvas on, and the stand (if any) that you put the frame on. While you'll probably have the canvas on the same frame all the time you're working on it, you'll probably end up wanting a large stand that you can sit at, at home. However you'll also probably want to be able to whip the frame off that and put it on something smaller, like a table stand, if you're going to class or travelling.
Ellice's suggestions for frames and stands are excellent. Clamping the frame to a table is OK if you don't mind working with the canvas horizontal. Personally I prefer the canvas on a bit of an angle.
Thanks for liking the suggestions! I personally would rather work with it on an angle, as well. And do a lot of stitching with something in the Z-frame on my lap sitting sideways/crosslegged. But, with big pieces - I do them in the standing frame.
As far as the table goes - it's pretty useful to just be able to stitch like that in a class when you haven't brought a stand. Especially with a piece that's too big for a table/lap frame, and you're not lugging the floor stand. Once I got used to this - I've found it pretty good for some stitching - depends on what I'm doing. Plus - it's fun having some interesting frameweights = like stuffed animals whose innards are replaced with something weighty. Those work great - as you can spread the weight a bit on the frame.
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