Friday, July 30, 2010

I Take a Stand

Several stitchers have asked me about the floorstands I showed in some of my recent photos. I have two wooden floorstands that I use. I got both of them at the old Cross Stitch Festivals many, many years ago.

The first one I call my "UFO" stand, since I can't remember the company that made it. They also sold scroll bar sets that had nice wooden knobs and their product slogan was "wood against wood and metal against metal" which was supposed to keep all the moving parts durable.


I like the long dowel arms on this stand, because I can make them any length I want, to fit any size project. It works best with scroll bars, but I've also used it for projects on stretcher bars too.

My other floorstand is a Gripit Plus model that I got one year when my booth was next to theirs at a craft & quilt show. Here's what it looks like:


What's really great about this floorstand is how flexible it is and how you can make the project come to YOU, instead of stretching across the project. There are so many moving sections that you can position it any way you want. I especially like the way the scroll bar section tilts down left and right, so you can slant the project lower on one side so you can snuggle up nice and cozy to your project.

Since I always have so many projects going at once (and they're all on different scroll or stretcher bars), I seldom leave just one project attached to my stand. So I have also rigged up a way to use this stand with other types of scroll or stretcher bars. I simply use a set of small vice grips (you can find a variety of these in any hardware store) to clamp my project to the protruding bars, like this:


All that being said, I have no idea if either of these models are still available. I do know that a stitching friend of mine (Lou in NC) just ordered a large wooden floorstand from K's Creations and she is absolutely delighted with it because it doesn't wobble and it fits up to her comfy stitching chair, has a cool handy tray for all her tools - plus it folds down to a flat storing size.

If you're interested in getting a floorstand for your growing stitching obsession, why not try researching a bit on the internet? Think about the qualities you want in a stand, then visit some of the many online stores to see what they carry. I'm sure you'll find something that fits your needs perfectly!

5 comments:

Lauren in CT said...

I also have a Grip-It (actually two -and they're still available) but I use the single head clamp that comes with the basic Grip-It. That one works beautifully with Evertite frames and allows me to easily switch from one project to the other or this other or that other.... I wouldn't trade them for ANYTHING - as you described, with all of the solid but adjustable parts, you can always have your work in a comfortable position.

Lauren in CT

pamelaric said...

I have a Grip-It Plus too. Along with being so adjustable, I love the ability to easily flip my stitching over to bury a thread end or lay a stitch on the back side. I've had my Grip-It for at least 20 years now and, if it's possible, love it more today than the day I purchased it.

Sara Leigh said...

I thought Grip-It had disappeared, but apparently I was wrong. Thanks for sharing your workstation preferences.

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anouchka said...

I have a grip-it too... Since ten years, I love it, and I lost knobs. I saw the grip-it company doesn't exist.


Thank you very much

Anne from France