Kythcat

I hope someone here can help me with wrapping my head around this monster I just got. Yesterday, my daughter and I went to a local thrift store where I got a Grace NM-EZ3 quilting frame for $25. After getting it home, I realized that it was brand new! It looks like someone got it, opened the box, took one look at it, and boxed it back up again.It even still had the warranty card in it. Now I have been over the directions to put it together several times, but I'm having a problem with understanding how to put the quilt layers on it. All the youtube videos I've seen uses the round rails for the quilt that you can "tuck" the leader cloth into. According to the directions I have, they say to tack the quilt itself to the rails. I do want to use a leader cloth, but not sure how I should make them, if I can split them for the two different size rails, or even how to tack them on. Or should I get a hold of the Grace Company about this.

I've included pictures if this will help. https://photos.app.goo.gl/L5qeB7U1hbpeib9v5

lindaschipper

I thought at first this was a machine quilting frame but could not see where a machine could sit. So this is a hand quilting frame? Leader cloths can be expensive and can also be easy to make your own. Google youtube video's for making your own.

thimblebug6000

There was a recent post in August about this frame, and I followed the link Ourworkbench posted and found a little info on the Canadian site, sorry I don’t have any personal knowledge of it though.
https://www.graceframe.ca/en/hand-quilting

blueberrygirl

Congratulations on the steal of a deal you found! EZ3 frames on eBay are several hundred dollars, last I looked. I posted about this frame a few weeks ago and did some research on how to use it. One helpful site is quilting-tidbits.com. I don't think she mentions the Grace frame specifically, but there is info about attaching a leader using velcro that might help you: https://www.quilting-tidbits.com/han...ing-frame.html
Another useful resource is Jinny Beyer's book Quiltmaking by Hand (Breckling Press, 2004). See pp. 177-179 for info and good photos on attaching a quilt to a leader and loading it to a frame. Her frame is a traditional 2-rail wooden frame, but the same principle applies.
You might get lucky and find someone at the Grace Co who could advise you about attaching a leader.
The leader should be made of sturdy fabric, such as ticking, canvas, or duck.
Good luck!

quiltedsunshine

The newer Grace frames had the Fabri-fast system. Which was aluminum rails with a groove. A length of surgical tubing would be inserted into a casing in the leader, then the leader with the surgical tubing would be pressed into the groove.

It looks like yours is one of the older models that's all wood. You could make fabric leaders and staple them onto the wood.