What are Q-Snaps?
When I was embroidering that spring garden corner on the flour sack towel before Easter, I mentioned that I was using Q-Snaps. In the comments, a reader asked, "What are Q-Snaps?" I postponed answering (sorry!) until I could explain and show you what they are.
Q-Snaps = Embroidery Hoop, only different. Q-Snaps are frames made out of round plastic tubes, over which fit half-circular "snaps" of PVC-like plastic. The inside of the snaps have ridges that are supposed to grip the fabric.
Q-Snaps are square. The inside of the frame is made up of corner pieces (somewhat rounded) that attach to straight pieces, to make up the square.
On each of the four sides, a long, tight-fitting, half-circlular "cuff" of plastic, ridged on the inside, snaps into place. These are the "snaps." You can see in the photo above, the four snaps alongside the plastic frame.
To put the snaps on the frame, you just push them on. They hug the frame. In the photo above, the snap is not pushed all the way on yet - so you can see the ridges, and how they fit onto the frame.
You mount your fabric on the Q-Snap frame about the same way you do a hoop - laying the inside frame part down first, placing your fabric over it, and then snapping the outside half-circle plastic snaps over the fabric.
Then, you "roll" the snaps outwards, to establish the amount of tension you want on your fabric.
Here, I've mounted a cotton kitchen towel on the Q-Snap frame, and rolled the snaps outwards to make the fabric flush with the top of the frame and to tighten the tension on the fabric.
That's a corner up close...
So, that's a Q-Snap frame.
After using this 11" square Q-Snap frame for the spring garden towel, I tried it on various weights of linen and cotton to see how it worked, and decided that, although I like it for the flour sack towels, I'll probably stick with a hoop or stretcher bars for other fabrics.
What about you? Have you tried Q-Snaps? What is your experience with them? Do you have any tips or tricks for using them?
Q-Snaps = Embroidery Hoop, only different. Q-Snaps are frames made out of round plastic tubes, over which fit half-circular "snaps" of PVC-like plastic. The inside of the snaps have ridges that are supposed to grip the fabric.
Q-Snaps are square. The inside of the frame is made up of corner pieces (somewhat rounded) that attach to straight pieces, to make up the square.
On each of the four sides, a long, tight-fitting, half-circlular "cuff" of plastic, ridged on the inside, snaps into place. These are the "snaps." You can see in the photo above, the four snaps alongside the plastic frame.
To put the snaps on the frame, you just push them on. They hug the frame. In the photo above, the snap is not pushed all the way on yet - so you can see the ridges, and how they fit onto the frame.
You mount your fabric on the Q-Snap frame about the same way you do a hoop - laying the inside frame part down first, placing your fabric over it, and then snapping the outside half-circle plastic snaps over the fabric.
Then, you "roll" the snaps outwards, to establish the amount of tension you want on your fabric.
Here, I've mounted a cotton kitchen towel on the Q-Snap frame, and rolled the snaps outwards to make the fabric flush with the top of the frame and to tighten the tension on the fabric.
That's a corner up close...
So, that's a Q-Snap frame.
After using this 11" square Q-Snap frame for the spring garden towel, I tried it on various weights of linen and cotton to see how it worked, and decided that, although I like it for the flour sack towels, I'll probably stick with a hoop or stretcher bars for other fabrics.
What about you? Have you tried Q-Snaps? What is your experience with them? Do you have any tips or tricks for using them?
Labels: needlework tools, pictures
Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, April 22, 2009
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9 Comments:
Hi Mary. My experience has been with slippage. Can you recommend what to put between the frame and the fabric before putting the snaps on?. Felt perhaps?
This is great to see, Mary! Just last night at my embroidery class, we were talking about Q-clips. (incidentally, I'll be adding a link to this post in my resources section for the students. ;)
I like the *idea* of the Q-clip - being gentler on your fabric - but I've never been able to get my fabric quite tight enough for my taste. I like a pretty tight tension when I'm stitching, but I also warn that I have had one time where I actually put holes in my fabric at the screw area of the hoop because I tightened it so much.
Ooops! You only make that mistake once! :)
Great, informative post! Thank you!
I have used a Q-snap for embroidery on silk, before I had more information on how to use a wooden frame. The trick that I figured out to keep it (close to) tight enough, was to cut small strips of T-shirt knit and put them between the clip and the silk. Having additional weight of non-slippery fabric in there really helped, and it kept the clips from marking the silk.
Thanks for your comments!
I was going to elaborate on my experiences with other cloth (besides the flour sack towels...), but then I thought it would be better to open it up to others for their input.
The reason I won't use Q-Snaps for other fabric (aside from the flour sack towels) is that they simply don't give good tension.
I did try felt between the fabric and the bottom frame, and then again between the fabric and the "snap." It was too complicated and bothersome to keep the felt in place, whenever I had to retighten or relocate the snaps. This sort of negates the whole "convenience" thing. That's why, for other fabric, I'd just as soon use a good hoop or stretcher bars. I probably wouldn't invest the $10+ for a medium to larger set of Q-Snaps - I'd rather spend a little more for a good hoop that will last and will give me the tension I like.
Still, for flour sack towels, they worked ok and really were convenient. I'd use them for those types of projects without a problem.
I love love love them! The best part is as a crazy quilter they fit to block sizes perfectly! So instead of trying to fit round on square you have square with square! So I have the whole set all sizes. For me tension isn't an issue so I can understand why other needleworkers might pass on them but for CQ...beyond perfect!
I've noticed the Q-Snaps are extremely popular for Hand Quilters projects because you use a looser fabric tension when you hand quilt. I do love all the wonderful things out there that make our needlework the best!
Annie
I bought a Q-snap after discovering that the faint, pink aura on my red Holbein-stitch apron was not bleeding dye, but fuzzed embroidery thread from pulling the fabric taut in a round wooden 'tambour' frame. The Q-snap system of turning the clips to tighten the tension did solve that problem, well enough, but the tension really doesn't stay consistent. Also, my next project is going to be on thinner fabric, and I'm afraid the Q-clips may cut into the fabric. I'll be trying muslin scrap between the fabric and the clips, for protection.
On the whole, the Q-snap is interesting but not perfect.
-Sandy
I use white men's handkerchiefs under the clamps of the qsnaps. They keep the tension much better. Using them also keeps your work clean since your hands aren't really touching the linen anymore. They also protect the linen when you are removing the clamps.
~Pam
If you put a piece of plain white paper towel between the frame and the fabric, it will help hold tension better!
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