Flynn Quilt Frame Company
Home of the Flynn Multi-Frame SystemClick to Watch DVD
Multi-Frame System
The Multi-Frame consists of two injection-molded fiberglass Frame Ends, each with three patented tension surfaces, and six matching fiberglass Rod Ends, with tension surfaces. Screws attach the rod ends to your own metal rod (either ¾” or 1”), bolts and knobs tighten and release the tension system. A great instructional DVD is included. This is a very simple sturdy system – we have never had a Frame End break or strip out – and we have sold thousands and thousands of these systems in the past 20 years.
John Flynn Says
"In thirty years of quilting and twenty years of quilt frame manufacturing, I have found no other frame at any price that combines all the features and comfort of my Multi-Frame System."
- Use your own sewing machine.
- Easy to store and only $170
The main function of a quilt frame is to hold the part of the quilt you are working on together at the proper tension while it stores the rest of the quilt. The Multi-Frame was engineered to fulfill these functions in the simplest manner while allowing the greatest comfort to the user.
The Flynn Multi-Frame is a simple, lightweight, three-rail scroll frame that can be held in your lap for hand quilting or used with your home sewing machine for no-baste machine quilting.
The quilt is rolled up on rods, - similar to the way museums store fine quilts to protect the fibers from damage. The tension adjustment is simple, accurate and foolproof. The Multi-Frame is very portable, take your quilting with you and stand it out of the way when you take a break.
For hand quilting, the Multi-Frame and Stand can be adjusted to fit your most comfortable quilting chair. The Multi-Frame is very simple to use. Please take a look at these excerpts from the Owner’s Manual”. They will answer a lot of your questions about the Flynn Multi-Frame System.
The Multi-Frame with 48” rods contains:
- Frame Ends (2)
- Round Rod Ends (6)
- 3/8” Rod End Bolts (6)
- Knobs (6)
- Machine Screws (6 short, 6 medium)
- Fiberglass Rods (3)
- Black plastic sleeve inserts (6)
- Red PVC pipe (2)
- Muslin Starter Strips (3)
- Grosgrain Ribbon
Note: The KIT has the first 5 items only. The rest of the listed supplies you add yourself.
Tools Needed:
- Carpenter’s Square or Quilter’s Square
- Phillips screwdriver
- Permanent Market
Assembling the Multi-Frame System.
The Multi-Frame has three rod positions. The Frame End is labeled A, B and C. You will notice the Multi-Frame ends have a slight curve. This allows you to tighten A and B without tightening C.
Attach the Rod Ends to your fiberglass or metal rods with the screws provided.
Muslin Starter Strips. Fasten a 10” muslin starter strip to each of the rods with double stick carpet tape. Mark the center line of each rod and each starter strip using a quilter’s square or carpenter’s square. Make sure that the center line on each rod is the same for all three rods. Mark a parallel registration line on the starter strip ½” from the edge of the fabric.
Label your rods A, B, and C. John suggests that you actually write on the starter strips with a marker until you are comfortable with putting a quilt on the frame.
Mounting your Quilt for Machine Quilting
Mount the Quilt Back
With sturdy thread, attach one end of the back (right side of fabric down) to Rod A. Be careful to line up the center lines and to keep the edge of the back on the registration line marked on the starter strip. If you have a flannel backed table cloth, or can use a carpeted floor, the extra friction from the flannel or carpet fibers will help you roll the back up smoothly and evenly. Keep the back’s edges straight as they roll up. Smooth the accumulating roll from side to side with your hands as necessary to keep the roll’s edges even.
Using sturdy thread, attach the top to Rod B, right side of the fabric up, carefully centering as before. Spread the batt out on your work surface and roll the batt and top together on Rod B, careful to keep the edges straight, as above. On big quilts, you may have to roll the batt separately and keep it between Rod B and Rod C as shown in the DVD.
Again with sturdy thread, baste through all three layers along the edge of the top, offsetting the top to miss the starter strip. This is shown clearly in the following diagram.
Now put on the Rod Ends using a Phillips screwdriver. Use the short screws for 1” EMT or the longer screws for ¾” EMT or the fiberglass rods.
If you are using the fiberglass rods, make sure the edge of the black plastic insert sleeve is flush with the edge of the fiberglass. A firm contact of the screw to the rod is all that is required – don’t try to pierce the rod with the screw.
See the next diagram for side tension with the grosgrain ribbon. You don’t need to close your safety pins.
Place your sewing machine in the center of a table with the head pointing toward you. Put both pieces of PVC pipe on the table, parallel to the sewing machine to help you balance the frame while you set up. Slide the quilt frame in to your sewing machine so the needle is between Rods A and B. Rod C will be closest to the front edge of the table, where you will sit and work.
Practice on a quilt sandwich made up of plain fabric to get used to the weight and balance of the frame before you start your first project. See the lessons on the DVD.
PVC Pipe
You have 2 pieces. You only need both if you have a small free arm deck on your sewing machine which doesn’t support Rod C. In that case, put one PVC pipe next to the body of the machine, leaving it there permanently and move the other pipe from side to side as balance requires. *TIP Where the PVC pipe is affects how the frame moves. As you practice, experiment with moving the PVC pipe closer to the deck and then further away. If the frame is moving stiffly, move the pipe closer to the machine. If the frame is hard to control, move the pipe further away.
When you move ahead to a new quilting spot, always tighten up A first, then B. then C.
Some machine quilting designs will not fit within the area under your machine’s arm. In this case, John uses the Multi-Frame to baste with water soluble thread, such as Vanish by Superior Threads and then machine quilt with the quilt off the Multi-Frame. Or, after machine basting, you can remove Rod C and scroll back and forth as you follow a design