Parveen Singh

Lovers of counted cross stitch soon find their own use for the wide range of cross stitch accessories. This article concentrates on those items used to support your cross stitch piece, namely the scroll frame, hoop and qsnap.

Scroll frame

This is one way of keeping your fabric taut while you embroider on it. Its effectiveness depends on the one you choose. A scroll frame allows you to attach your material on to wooden bars that go into side pieces and are tightened with nuts or knobs.

A good scroll frame is of the hardwood variety and comprises bars tightly held to keep the material taut. Take care not to buy soft wood frames such as pine, as they can crack easily. While shopping for your scroll frame, you will find that some come with rounded pins or dowels for the bars that are partially split. This is so that you can slide your fabric into each slit and then tighten the frame by holding it down with wing nuts or knobs. Experienced stitchers generally like the tension in the stitch this brings about. 

A more practical and therefore popular scroll frame is the oaken one whose dowels come with webbing attached. To get yourself ready to embroider with this frame, machine- or hand-baste your fabric to the webbing, put the side parts on, tighten the knobs or nuts, and now you're ready to begin cross stitching.

Here's a tip. At the end of your day of sewing, loosen the tension as otherwise the pressure on the stitches can stretch them.

Qsnaps

These counted cross stitch accessories are pieces of PVC pipe that snap together forming a square or rectangular frame. Qsnaps come in all kinds of sizes, but you would be wise in choosing a size larger than your design so that none of your cross stitch piece will be in the framed area.

There is a smooth surface around the entire frame.  The exclusive Q-Snap Cap can hold tension loose or tight and you can adjust tension with a flick of the wrist.  It comes apart in seconds to store in almost any space. Spare pairs of other lengths gives users complete flexibility in sizing.

How to use a Qsnap frame

You can fix your fabric onto the QSnap frame with the help of small pieces of PVC pipe that are cut in the center. They snap shut over each side and hold the material taut without you having to adjust it again. They can hold tension loose or tight, as you wish, while you adjust it easily.

The advantages over hoops are that unlike hoops, they don't leave a mark where they hold the material.

Do be aware that for greater flexibility in sizing, you can also have spare pairs of different lengths of the PVC pipes.

Hoops

This is both inexpensive and portable and if you are new to cross stitch, it's the right way to begin. Choose between plastic or wooden hoops that come with a screw tightener, or metal, cork and spring. Initially, you can buy a hoop of six-inch diameter. Though plastic hoops are good, metal hoops rust and are cumbersome to use. But if your hoop has a screw tightener, it can be opened wide and tightened equally easily.

Preparing the hoop

The disadvantage of using a hoop is that it puts crimps into your fabric and stitching, so remember to take it off when you aren't doing any counted cross stitch. If your project is large, say a tablecloth or bedspread, take care to keep the excess material outside the area under the hoop by rolling it or folding it away and fastening it with bag clips. And, as you move from one area of your fabric to another, move the hoop and continue stitching there.

Here's a tip To avoid the part of your fabric that's under the area of the hoop from soiling, put acid-free tissue or washed cotton fabric into the hoop around its edges. 

With such a wide array of counted cross stitch accessories, all you need to do is to determine your needs and locate it. And then, you're all set to create your next beautiful piece of art.