This page contains info about my scroll frames, how I attach twill tape to my scroll bars, how I attach fabric to my scroll bars and how I use tension clips to keep my fabric tight while stitching on my scroll frames. Lastly at the bottom is a little bit about the floor stand I use my scroll frames with.
▪︎ Scroll Frame Info –
All of my scroll frames were built by my husband. The knobs are from Hobby Lobby. They had to be drilled out and re-tapped so that they would work with the hanger bolts we used. Here is the info on the materials we used to make the scroll frames. The side holes are 2 fold. I can either use them to make the scroll frames narrower for shorter pieces of fabric or it also gives me more places to attach my tension clips depending on where I need it to be pulled tighter or not.
The sides are 1in x 2in x 8ft Douglas fir cut into 12 inch pieces.
The dowels are size .875, that came in 4 foot lengths that we cut in half.
The bolt that goes into the end of the dowel is a 1/4in x 3 inch hanger bolt.
The sides were stained in Mini Wax Dark Walnut and finished with a satin Polyurethane.
I did not do anything to the scroll bars, just left them the natural raw wood but you could clear coat them if you wanted to, though I would not recommend staining them.
▪︎ How I Attach Twill Tape To My Scroll Bars –
1. Supplies:
– Scroll Bars
– Twill Tape ( I used 1 inch and got it on Amazon here https://amzn.to/3R4dAAx )
– Ruler or long straight edge
– Heavy duty stapler with extra staples
– Pencil
– Sewing Machine & Fray Check ( Optional )
2. Take a scroll bar, line it up next to your straight edge and draw a line along the scroll bar. Do it for all the scroll bars you are adding twill tape to.
3. I sewed a super tight stitch across the end as close as I could get to the end. Then I fray Checked not only the very end of the twill tape but over the top of the stitches. Let dry completely.
4. Cut your twill tape just short of the length of your scroll bar. My bars are 22 inches I cut the twill tape at 21.5-ish inches. Then fold twill tape in half and staple it down the line you drew previously. It doesnt really matter where you staple the twill tape, I did mine in the middle, as you only need enough to run a thread through to hold your fabric on.
5. I dont worry to much about the spacing of the staples other than its about the width of the stapler (1 1/2 in + ) or a little wider and I try to keep them as even as I can by eye. You can always add more staples if you need down the road.
6. Repeat that for all the scroll bars you have. Make sure your staples go in FLAT and STRAIGHT. If they arent you need to pull them out or hammer them in flat or they will cause you problems with your fabric over time.
7. I attach mine to my side bars with the fold facing out. But it is really personal preference to how you plan to attach your fabric and roll it. Some roll it away some roll it towards. No wrong way.
Thats about all it takes. You can remove the staples with pliers if you need to. I have done this to both homemade bars and store bought bars with no problems.
1. Before I attach the fabric I had to attach something to the scroll bar for it to be sewn to. I took a heavy duty staple gun and a piece of 1 inch twill tape that I cut to the length of my bar. I then folded it in half and stapled it down the length of the scroll bar. See full directions above.
2. I laid my piece of fabric along the scroll bar on the twill tape and took a doubled length of regular cotton thread like you use with your sewing machine and whip stitched the fabric to the twill tape. I have found you dont have to do this very close together or with any kind of neatness. Just try to space your stitches about the same width apart.
3. When you are done you should have your fabric stitched from one corner to the other. My scroll bars are about 22-ish inches wide so I have never had to add a fabric piece larger than my scroll frame. Once you get to this point you have to decide which way you want to roll it. Because of my floor stand I flip it over and roll it so the fabric is on top of the bars when its sitting in my frame. A lot of people do the opposite. So you roll it what ever way you want.
4. Optional: I take a piece of batting about 4 or so inches wide and the length of the bars and place it onto my fabric next to the bar where I know when I start to roll it the staples will have a layer of quilt batting between them and the fabric. Probably don’t have to do this but you never know with time, humidity etc what might happen so I didn’t want the metal staples up against my fabric.
5 & 6. Then its just a matter rolling it up tight.
7. Lastly when I flip it over it looks like this. Its stretched but still a bit smooshy.
▪︎ Side Clips –
Products Used:
Suspender Clips – I got them on Amazon https://amzn.to/3tcDho0 they come in different sizes. There are plastic ones but I dont recommend those as they dont clamp tight enough. You can find them pretty much anywhere they sell sewing stuff though Amazon was the best price I found. Update: I found these super cute heart shape ones that work really well also. You can find them here https://amzn.to/46dJqls
3/4 inch Twill Tape – You can use ANYTHING to tie these on with. I just love this twill tape and have it in several widths. I use the 3/4 as it seems to work the best for me. I get this on amazon https://amzn.to/3R4dAAx But really you could use anything. It just has to be strong enough to be able to really pull on it. Length you cut them is depending on how wide of fabric you plan to use on your scroll frame. I cut mine at 28 inches so if I used a smaller piece of fabric they will still reach.
Optional: Sewing Machine, Fray Check, Ruler – I sew the ends of my twill tape then fray check the heck out of them. The sewing will pretty much keep it from fraying with use but the fray check to my brain just locks those stitches in.
Ok here is the basics:
1. Gather your supplies. Cut your twill tape to desired length.
2. Sew each end of the twill tape and add fray check. I back stitched to start and end then I just tied a knot in the ends when I finished. Let dry completely.
3. Once dry run your twill tape through the clip and then sewing as close as you can to the clip add a line of stitching. This just keeps your clip in the middle.
4. Clip to your fabric. I like to use at least 3 places down the side. Pull tight and tie to your scroll frame side bar. I had my husband put in holes so that it would anchor them better but you dont have to have the holes to make it work.
Do this to both sides of your fabric and it should be nice and, bounce a quarter off it, tight when you are done.
Thats really all there is to it!
This is the floor stand my husband built for me to use my scroll frames with. I can also must any size hoop or qsnap with it also.
Here is an older video of how the basics of my floor stand work with its quick release system to hold my scroll frames and make it easy to switch between projects quickly.
I have a newer video now with more info about the stand that you can view below or on youtube here https://youtu.be/tBOVyu2FAUU