Day 43: For years, I did all my quilting in what was essentially an enormous embroidery hoop, oval or round, depending on what was available each time the tightening block failed (which it did all too often). The hoop was held in a floor stand which at best was an awkward arrangement, or downright annoying as the weight of the quilt tipped the front of the hoop down toward the floor. I was bemoaning the situation to a friend one day, and she said, "I have a Q-Snap frame I'm not using any more. You can have it," and it's proved to be one of the best hand-me-downs I've ever fallen heir to. Basically, it's nothing more than PVC pipes and elbows, but with one important addition: the "snappers" (half-pipes of a more rigid plastic) which grip the quilt firmly when snapped into place. It's easy to set up, easy to move the quilt to the next "screen" (i.e., area to be worked on), and breaks down to fit in a box which can be stored in the back of a closet without taking up much space. I did make one adjustment to the engineering by adding a cross-brace on the bottom to keep the legs in the fully upright position. In the case of this project, when I'm done for the day, I pop the top off, quilt and all and stow it in the Loom Room to keep Merry from using it as a trampoline.
