A few months ago, I decided I was at the end of my rope with scroll frames. They don’t keep my fabric tight, the screws get stripped and it is just frustrating. I am not a fan of Qsnaps, as they are awkward to hold. So I didn’t know what I was going to do. Then a friend told me about Edmunds Handi Clamps. So I found a set on Amazon and ordered away. When they arrived, I couldn’t wait to put my fabric for Mermaid Perfume on them and get started stitching.
Basically it has rods like scroll rods, but there is no slit in the rods. Instead, a clamp is used to secure the fabric like Qsnaps. I have always read about using felt under the clamp so that the fabric doesn’t get ruined. So, I laid the fabric on the rod, placed a length of felt on top and then added the clamp. I did the same for the other side. Wow! My fabric is taut! And they were easy to unroll and re-tighten. I am in heaven again! Then yesterday I beaded as much as I could in the open area, so it was time to remove the fabric from the scroll frame. And this is what my fabric looked like.
Oh no! The fabric is puckered where the stitched area is. I tried laying it out and pulling the ends, but it will not lay flat. What did I do wrong? Do I even want to bead it now? Has anyone else had this happen? I couldn’t find anything in the Facebook groups. So I went back to the package that the scroll rods came in and reread the directions. It does not say to use a piece of felt under the clamp. Ok, I did that on my own. I didn’t want the clamp to ruin the fabric. It does say to clamp the fabric and then to place a piece of batting, 4″ wide and the length of the rod, before rolling the scroll to reduce getting creases in the fabric. I did have a few creases in the ends, but the puckering is what I am worried about. So after some stressing and freaking out, I began to think about what I did wrong. The only thing I can come up with is that my piece of felt was shorter than the length of the rod. Basically it covered the middle, the design area. And since I worked on the project exclusively, I never loosened the scrolls when I was not working on it. So, I put the fabric onto my large Qsnap so I can continue beading.
I was able to get her tight and flat on the Qsnap. I do hope that when I take her off, she will no longer be puckered. She is so beautiful and I LOVE her on the fabric I chose. I waited so long to see all of her on the fabric. So fingers crossed I have not ruined it. The next project that I put onto these scrolls, will have a piece of batting, the full length of the rod and hopefully that will be perfect. Has anyone had their fabric pucker on their scroll frame? If so, how did you fix the issue?
My Time Stitching 
Hope the problem is fixed now, Ginny. If not, would two negatives make a positive – would adding felt to the sides and leaving out the middle stretch the non-puckered parts of the fabric too, and even it out? Good luck!
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She is still on the Qsnaps for beading. It is rather awkward for me to use the Qsnap, so the beading is going slow. And she has quite a bit of beads. When I take her off of the Q snaps, I am hoping she will be stretched enough to lay a little flatter. I won’t be able to put her back on the scrolls with the beads, but that was a good idea. Someday when I find a new framer, I am hoping that they will be able to fix my horrible mistake. For now, I am not going to worry about it any more 😉
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Oh no! I hope the puckers come out.
That’s why I stitch in hand.
A hoop leaves rings which I can never get out.
I’ve tried Q-Snaps, but don’t like how it stretches out the stitched areas if you put it over them.
And I’ve tried scroll rods, but can’t seem to get the fabric even & taut.
I see people use these methods with no problem, but they don’t work for me.
Hope you can solve the problem, it’s so beautiful.
Marilyn
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I wish I could stitch in hand, but that doesn’t work for me. I will have to bead the bottom half of Mermaid Perfume in hand because she doesn’t quite fit on the qsnap. I used to bead on my old scroll frames and roll over the beads loosely, but it always seemed to loosen the beads. I am hoping Mermaid’s puckering will be a lot less once I take her off the Qsnap. Fingers crossed!
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Yikes! I would be upset too Ginny. Hope you are able to work out the wonkiness. I’m getting ready to start a rather large piece (The Friendship Bears Picnic Game), fabric is 24″x24″. When needlepointing I use Evertite Stitchery Frames with a floor stand. Keeps everything nice and square, allows me to use both hands and easy flip it over to end threads. Don’t really want to hold this size fabric in my hands but….guess I will have to order 24″ bars unless someone has a better idea of how to manage large fabric.
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Thank you. I have not pulled Mermaid off of the Qsnaps yet. Beading has been going a bit slow. Maybe I am just dragging out the inevitable.
The Friendship Bears Picnic!! I love that piece. Did you contact me about the missing cards from your kit? I will have to lookup the Evertite Stitchery Frames and see what they are. Have fun stitching on the game!
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Yes, I am the person who contacted you about the missing game cards.
You shared photos and description of the game cards with me so I can duplicate them. Evertite Stitchery Frames are the only frames I use for needlepoint. They are “tension adjustable” so you don’t have to reposition an entire piece on a frame if it loosens during stitching. I’ve never used them for cross stitch…but I’m sure they would be great. I’m using 16 ct. Aida, so Friendship Picnic Bears is 24″ square. Since I have a floor stand that I can clamp a 24″ frame to I’m going stitch Friendship Bears Picnic using the Evertite frame. I’ll let you know how it works. Here is their contact info: Evertite Stitchery Frames, 6325 Joseph St. SE, Salem, OR 97317 503-585-5924 The lady that answers the phone is very helpful. Hope you enjoy this holiday weekend!
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Wow, that’s a serious worry! I alway stitch in hand so I have no advice. I’d just hope stretching and framing will help.
I’d definitely be taking her off the frame when you are not actively stitching.
I store my pieces rolled but the opposite way to the way I stitch them. So if I roll the horizontally to stitch on them then I store them rolled vertically to straighten the edges out and prevent too much curling!
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Thanks for the advice, JoanneP. After putting her on the Qsnaps for beading, I was able to stretch the fabric back into shape and she no longer has any puckering. That was scary though.
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Thank you for the info, Jeanne4318. I will keep it for future reference. I have figured out what I did wrong with the Edmonds frames and won’t be making that mistake again. Putting Mermaid Perfume on the Qsnaps for the beading and pulling the fabric taut has helped the fabric to get into shape and she no longer puckers. Whew!
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