I've read several books documenting the history of quilting in America, and in several cases stories from the 19th century that mentioned the quilt frame being lowered from the ceiling in people's homes. I really appreciate the picture in the previous post. I, too, love handquilting and have a Grace Company frame that can be easily folded and stored, with the quilt on it! I have the EZ3 model. It doesn't take up lots of room either. Hope this helps. Here is a link that might be useful: Grace Company quilting frames

I haven't found a good batting yet!!! I swear! After all these years I still can't find a batt that won't pull thru. Poly pulls out in long strings. The last quilt I did was detailed with butterflies and flowers and stuff and I used a 100% cotton batt I got from JoAnn's. What crap that was! My backing was navy and almost every stitch has a beard. They're on both sides. I'm surprised there's any batt left inside the quilt. I don't shop online so my choices around here are very limited. One of the first quilts I did was bright colors with black sashing/border/backing. Looked like a snow storm at midnite. I'm not sure what you're asking me about the roll. But you've got that little direction sheet and I did whatever that said to do. Did you assemble yours? I put the left legs on the right side. I TRY to follow directions well! Bon :)

I am always in the super frustration mode when I frame quilt LOL. I float my quilts I find it much more easier to quilt. TROUBLESHOOTING As far as thread breakage (and loops on the bottom, if you ever have that problem) goes, there's a whole list of things to go through. Set your bobbin tension first, then your thread tension. The bobbin should be loose - if you hold the tail of thread in your hand it (and maybe give a little flick) it should unspool easily and drop all the way to the ground. Loosen the bobbin tension a tiny bit at a time until you get this. Load the quilt and sew through a small practice piece (the size of a sheet of paper, but all three layers). Use different colored thread top and bottom so you can see what's happening. If the top thread pulls through to the bottom, tighten the thread tension. If the bottom thread pulls through to the top, loosen the thread tension. Make sure your needle is big enough. You need at least a 16, preferably an 18 needle for frame quilting. Too small a needle will often lead to thread breakage. It's important that you get the right needle for your machine. I need to use DB x 1 needles Be sure the needle is inserted correctly. Check your manual for the correct way to insert the needle. Use good quality thread, and make sure the size is appropriate for the job (and for the needle). The higher the number, the finer the thread. . Set the foot pressure dial (on the top of your machine above the needle) to 0. Set the stitch length to 0 also, since you're the one moving the machine. Don't forget to put your presser foot down! This is the number one cause of thread looping on the back. Here ssome information on floating a quilt! Red Here is a link that might be useful: float a quilt

I bought a Grace EZ3 quilting frame from fat cat enterprises in TX for $217 including shipping. It has 3 rollers...no basting required. It folds up flat for storage when not in use....with or without a quilt project on it. It's very nice solid wood. It can be 54" in width or 96". It has many slots so it can be adjusted for your comfort position. It came in a box...some assembly required!!! LOL!! But I did it myself in a few hours. I don't know about you but it would cost me half that in just the food and beer to get guys to make one from scratch for me. This way I didn't have to put up with the nonsense. Bon :)