Floor and Lap Stands - Tomorrow's Treasures & Gazelle & Elan
Nancy
reading the ads for Tomorrow's Treasures and the Artisan Design ones (Elan &
Gazelle) and am thoroughly confused. What is the real difference between
these two brands? Is one more expensive than the other? Do they both hold
Q-snaps or do they only hold the scroll made for that particular brand. I
have been stitching in hand but think I could work a little faster on large
WIPs if they were in a scroll frame. I have several ancient frames I've
used over the years on needlepoint projects but I plan to buy what ever is
necessary to hold my XS stuff (like TW's English Garden Sampler & TW's
Peacock Tapestry). Can we get a good discussion going that will enlighten
some of us that are clueless on frames and stands? I know many of you are
very well versed on this subject and don't mind providing words of wisdom.
TIA
--
Nancy in Fairfax, VA
Vasfar
rods(still waiting for them to arrive). These
rods have the pinch lock so you dont have
to sew the fabric on to the rods and the fabric
doesnt slip out from between the rods.
As for Tomorrows Treasures I do not know
how they work.
The rods I have now I have to baste my linen
on to the rods and I hate having do that each
time I start another project
Tammy
Edna Perez-Vega
and frames. I love working with it because I use the two handed method and
because is well made and handsome. I also bought the book attachment and
extra bar for attaching a light.
I am typically ambidextrous and had my DH assemble it both for R-handed and
L-handed just to see which I liked better. Again, my experience has been
very positive. If I were to change or improve one thing, it would be
somehow adding weight to the bottom legs of the stand--sometimes (depending
on the size of my Q-snaps) it seem to need counter balance. I usually solve
it by putting my craft bag on the leg in need of weight. All in all I feel
that it is a negligible issue. I paid a total of $128 for the whole thing
at my LNS.
Hope this helps. :)
Edna
XOm...@texas.net
NO SPAM remove XO to respond
Karen MacDonald
SOXS, actually). I LOVE them both. I can't believe how much faster I can
stitch! The beauty of the Elan is that it sits on your lap, where TT lap frame
sits beside you on each side. I have the TT frame and found it a bit flimsy,
and if your piece is bigger than your chair(widthwise), then it's impossible to
stitch. The Elan also can flip from left to right, depending on which side
you're working on. The Gazelle is nice because it only holds onto one side,
meaning you can slide out away from it, where the TT frame kind of `holds' you
in, and you have to push it away from you to get up. Also, I have found the the
Artisan Design products are extremely well made. Quality all round.
Karen MacDonald
Nancy wrote:
> I am thinking of purchasing either a floor or lap stand or both. I've been
> reading the ads for Tomorrow's Treasures and the Artisan Design ones (Elan &
> Gazelle) and am thoroughly confused. What is the real difference between
> these two brands? <snip>
LadyDoc
>
The beauty of the Elan is that it sits on your lap, where TT lap frame
> sits beside you on each side.
Hi! I have both and find that the fact that it doen'snt sit on your lap
is the beauty of the TT lap stand. With my bad back, I need to change
the position of my legs every little while- sonething I cannot do with
the Elan.
As they say, that's why they make vanilla and chocolate! :)
Teresa/LadyDoc
Karen MacDonald
Martin & Laurie Hopman
a floor stand and a lap stand. I personally own a Gazelle and and Elan and
I'm quite favorably impressed with both. For me, the deciding factors were
side grip instead of front, ease of flipping to the back, and ability to
handle different kind of kinds of scrolls, frames, etc. I also like that I
can adjust the height and angle really easily, and I can use the Gazelle in
my recliner, which is great.
As for my LokScrolls, I like them, too, but I had my husband the woodworker
make them flat on the top so they're more secure in the stand's grip.
They're just a little rounded, which is kind to your hands, but makes them a
bit less firmly held in the clamp. Lots of people have various stands, and I
think that they're pretty personal tools.
Have fun picking out this great new toy! ;-)
Laurie
Greg Hutchens
years ago. I loved using a stand and scroll bars, but I would not buy
these particular ones again.
The problems for me were that I tend to work on big projects and the
gazelle has the side holder and gets overbalanced. I had to lean one
end of the scroll bar against the edge of my couch to keep it from
falling out of the holder. This was workable, but not optimal.
The pinch lock scroll frame did not hold the fabric taut enough. Even
though it's a pain to baste the fabric to the bars, it is better than
the pinch locks. (I have been thinking about those handi-frames that
I've seen folks talking about though. I already have my current prject
basted on, but I may have to try those next time.)
I recently purchased a TT lap frame and scroll bar. I haven't used the
frame enough to give an opinion on it (I've been doing stuff that I
couldn't put in a frame lately), but just a few minutes with the scroll
bar convinced me it was better.
I'm afraid that in asking this question, all you are going to get is
everyone telling you what their favorites are. Each person has their
own favorites. This seems to be a very individual decision. Anyway, I
hope the info above helps. Good luck with your search.
Martha
Nancy wrote:
>
> I am thinking of purchasing either a floor or lap stand or both. I've been
> reading the ads for Tomorrow's Treasures and the Artisan Design ones (Elan &
> Gazelle) and am thoroughly confused. What is the real difference between
Jennie Spotila and Dave Fiorito
stitcher's delight set of scroll bars. The floor stand is almost $300, so I
have high hopes for my birthday next month. :)
I love the TT scroll bars. I just machine stitch the fabric to the bar and
that takes no time at all. The bars are very secure and pull the fabric
very very taut. Without a stand, I am holding the scroll bars in hand to
stitch and that has not been a problem. The TT floor stand is very steady
and sturdy; I don't it would be easy for the stand to lose balance. The way
the scroll bars mount in the stand, you can easily flip the piece over to
get to the back and also flip it straight up to get out of your chair. TT
does have several different models of floorstands. You might want to check
their website. http://www.tomtr.com
Having said all this, it is all just my opinion. I haven't done a test
drive of the Gazelle stand so I don't know anything about utility, quality,
etc. Just MHO!
SparrowMac
>stitcher's delight set of scroll bars.
I also test drove Tomorrow's Treasures floor stand at Valley Forge and am now
the proud owner of the floor stand (plus the basket, have to have the
basket..:):):)
I haven't tried out the others, since this one hooked me from the start. It's
sturdy, steady, and even my largest projects do not cause any toppling of the
stand at all. There are a gazillion different tilts and heights for the
frames, and well, I just love it.:):)
Lisa - enjoying her first piece of needlework "furniture"..:)
LadyDoc
>
> I am thinking of purchasing either a floor or lap stand or both. I've been
> reading the ads for Tomorrow's Treasures and the Artisan Design ones (Elan &
> Gazelle) and am thoroughly confused. What is the real difference between
> these two brands? Is one more expensive than the other? Do they both hold
> Q-snaps or do they only hold the scroll made for that particular brand. I
> have been stitching in hand but think I could work a little faster on large
> WIPs if they were in a scroll frame. I have several ancient frames I've
> used over the years on needlepoint projects but I plan to buy what ever is
> necessary to hold my XS stuff (like TW's English Garden Sampler & TW's
> Peacock Tapestry). Can we get a good discussion going that will enlighten
> some of us that are clueless on frames and stands? I know many of you are
> very well versed on this subject and don't mind providing words of wisdom.
> TIA
>
> --
> Nancy in Fairfax, VA
Dear Nancy:
I have a Tomorrow's Treasures Lap stand and love it. The fact that it
straddles my lap rather than sitting on it makes it very comfortable for
me. I can work in a recliner, use a footstool, cross my legs, even prop
one leg up- no problems. By turning the side mounts around- so that the
bases face in- I can get scroll frames as large as 22" into it and still
work easily in my favorite chair. (Anything larger would not fit in my
favorite chair regardless of stand as the side arms are high.) Turning
the bases out gets frames as small as 12" into it over my lap.
If you are confortable working on a sofa or at a table, then you can use
any size frame in the TT and it will be stable. I have a project in a
24" frame that is fine in my TT, and am getting ready for a project that
will probably be 28".
The best part for me is that any scroll frame will work in this stand
with a simple adjustment. I had my brother drill a hole in the center of
the side extender bars of all my frames and now, viola! they all go into
my TT lap stand. I do really like the TT scroll frames best though- I
get the tightest stretch to the linen with these.
My hope is to someday soon be able to afford the TT Floor Stand which
looks to me to be the best. And, having already drilled those holes, all
my frames will fit in it as well.
The TT stands do NOT take Q-snaps as they are but there is a set of
adaptors available for that purpose.
I also own the Elan. I use it primarily for travel and EGA meetings etc,
as it takes up a little less space than the TT stand when dis-assembled,
although the difference is not as much as I'd thought before I purchased
it. I find that the Elan tends to tilt a little if I use frames over a
certain size, and that almost all frames tend to sag to the right when
in the Elan. (I have the mounting bar on the left.) The one thing I do
use it for is those infrequent occasions when I use q-snaps instead of a
scroll frame.
The Elan is a good product and I like it, but I have 2 TT lap stands and
would never get another Elan, so I guess that tells how I feel. I have
shown my TT to a number of friends and about 6 of them have bought them
on my recommendation, and they all love them as well. We all feel that
the TT stand is a little more versatile than the Elan, and like it
better for that reason as well.
Hope this helps.
Teresa/LadyDoc
Tina Geldens
I bought the Gazelle stand last year for my birthday. I really do enjoy
it. It is well made and holds my q-snaps without having to get extra
adaptors. This year I am thinking about getting the Elan stand for my
birthday. Not affiliated, just a happy customer.
Tina in TX
Currently in rotation: TW's Castle Sampler, Ivy Cat, Black Swan's Garnet
and Carnation
Dewdette2
important furniture in the rec room--and I love it.
Best features:
1. The base is flat allowing me to pull my work up close even though there is
almost no vertical clearance under my sofa.
2. Scrolls, Q Snaps etc all fit and attach at the side. The clamp is not on
the fabric. It can be assembled for either right or left side attachment.
(I'm left handed). I noted that one commenter mentioned the side mount as a
stability problem causing overbalancing. I've only had this problem when using
a 40-inch scroll frame.
3. The materials and workmanship are excellent and the company stands behind
its product. I broke a knob (related to the ridiculous 40-inch scroll frame
project mentioned above). My stand had had 5 years of non-stop use, but
Artisan Designs insisted that they would sent me a free replacement part.
I also use Artisan Design's Lok Scrolls. It did take me a while to get the
mouting technique right so that the fabric would be taut. It was worth the
effort to keep at it. Now I can "dump" one (unfinished) project off a frame
and start another new one in just a few minutes.
No affiliation--just giving well deserved praise to good products.
Carolyn in Lorton, VA
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>Date: 8/17/98 1:34 PM Eastern Daylight Time
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