Hoop Quilting: Is it Better?

There are many articles, blogs and forums talking about the plusses and minuses of hoop quilting. I was curious when I was asked recently to write a short essay on hoop quilting and started educating myself on it. I love quilting – but not making it, and I have a great collection of quilts from baby range to luxuriant double size quilts.

However, I have never thought of looking into the history of quilting and/or other aspects that go into making it the wonderful things it is. Like many people who love beautiful things in life, I too, took it for granted that things are getting done.

Hoop Quilting Versus Frame Quilting

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

The frame is usually used because there is no basting in the first place. Another plus point is that you will not need to move the quilt when using the frame. There are rollers and all you have to do is pull it through, which is not too much headache. The minus point is that you cannot carry it with you to work on the move, and you definitely need to finish what you are doing before starting on another project (I take this as an advantage as well, because it will force you finish your quilts faster).

The hoop is easily manipulated up and down, and can be accommodated under the sofa to give you an almost stand-like access to your quilt. Hence you will not have to bend over it as usually done with the frame, and it provides excellent versatility. You can adjust the height of the loop almost effortlessly, and as I said can be used anywhere anytime. Needless to say, the resulting quilts are different with an accent on more beautiful than the frame-quilts.

There is a mixed opinion in which one is better, the frame quilting or the hoop quilting and I will not go into a debate. It suffices there to mention that both the methods create the same breathtaking quilts if the person who uses them knows how to manipulate them in the best possible way. In other words, there are merely tools – it all depends upon the master to weave the magic.