Scroll Frame recommendations

I've been asked what I would recommend for scroll frame sizes (sidebars and rods) specifically for HAED patterns.  Here is what I feel would work best.  I personally use Lokscroll frames from Artisan Design.  I have tried other brands in the past but would never use any other brand now.  I'm sort of ashamed to admit that I have enough sidebars/rods to create 7 complete frames.  Actually, I guess what's worse is that all of them have WIPs on them right now.  ;-)

HAED patterns have quite a wide range of sizes.  However, most of their designs have a suggested fabric count of 25 stitches to the inch.  Knowing this will help determine what is going to work the best for your scroll frame.

First, let's address the sidebars:

Since I own a bunch of their patterns, I can tell you that the regular print patterns have 98 stitches from top to bottom per page (large print would be less).  Obviously, you're going to want to be able to stitch an entire page without rolling the fabric. 

I measured the sidebars on the two HAED patterns that I am stitching on 25ct. - one has 9" and the other has 11" sidebars.  The 9" is fine since it allows me to do the whole page plus have about a 2" clearance both top and bottom.  The only reason the other frame has 11" sidebars is because I had them available.  Based on my measurements, 8" sidebars would be ideal.  The 8" would leave you plenty of room and you wouldn't have any issues with reaching that distance.

Of the HAEDs that I am stitching only two of them are on 25ct.; four of them are on 28ct.; and one is on 40ct.  For the project on 40ct., I am using 8" sidebars and have enough room to stitch two pages top to bottom without rolling the fabric.

Now to the rods:

For Minis, Quick Stitches or Storykeeps, you're not going to need huge scroll rods.  I only own two Minis so I used the wider of the two (225 stitches) to figure how wide I would need the scroll rod to be.  Here's the math (ugh):  225 stitches ÷ 25count = 9inches.  Take the 9" and add 6" so that you'll have plenty of room for framing (3" per side), that gives you 15".  Now add 2" to get the length of the scroll rod (the length of the scroll rod is two inches longer than the size of the fabric it can hold).  That means you would need 17" scroll rods to accommodate 15" of fabric.

For HAED BAPs, you're definitely going to need very wide scroll rods.  I don't know what the widest HAED pattern is, but the widest one that I own is 625 stitches.  Here's the math for that:  625 ÷ 25 = 25" + 6" + 2" = 33" scroll rods.


Now for the exceptions to this math.  If you stitch on larger fabric than 25ct. such as 18ct or 22ct., you're going to need larger frame components.  If you stitch on smaller fabric, like 28ct., 32ct. or 40ct., the frame components can be smaller.  Since I tend to stitch BAPs, I have quite a few of the larger frame pieces.  Regardless of my fabric count, the material will fit on the larger frames.  I might have more space between the sides of my fabric and the sidebars or I might be able to have more than one page showing top to bottom.

Any questions?  Feel free to ask!

Happy Stitching!

Stacy.