Quilting Methods

However, I have never thought of looking into the history of quilting and the other aspects that go into making quilts the wonderful things they are. I have the style that my mother and great grandmother taught me. Like many people who love quilting, I too, took it for granted that things I was doing were the only ways I needed to know in order to make the quilts I make. But there are other ways of getting this hobby done.

Hoop Quilting Versus Frame Quilting

I looked up some old friends and relatives who make quilts for a living and tried to pick their brain on this controversy. What I understood on the subject was not very much in depth and rather basic. I am ready to tell in the most lay terms what I understand to be the difference between frame and hoop quilting.

The frame is usually used because there is no basting (temporary stitching of pieces or blocks) in the first place. Another positive point is that you will not need to move the quilt when using the frame. There are rollers on the frame and all you have to do is pull your quilt through, which is easily done and doesn't cause too much of a headache. The minus point is that it's big and you cannot carry it with you to work on when you're not at home or when you want to retire to the sofa. Another con is that you definitely need to finish the project you are working on before starting another project. I take this as an advantage as well, because it will force you to complete your quilts faster.

Hoop Quilting Pros and Cons

The quilting hoop is easily manipulated up and down and across your project. It can be accommodated under the sofa to give you an almost stand-like access to your quilt. Therefore, you will not have to bend over it as usually done with the quilting frame, and it provides excellent versatility and ease of work. You can adjust the height of the loop almost effortlessly when compared to a frame, and as I stated earlier, can be used anywhere, anytime. The resulting quilts made with hoop quilting are different with an accent on more beautiful than the frame made quilts.