You’ve been framed!
I’ve only recently started cross-stitching again. And after wrestling with a large piece of canvas decided I needed to get an embroidery hoop or frame. Frames scare me, you have to stitch the fabric to the frame before you start real stitching!
Trundling around the interweb looking for yarns for macrame, I found a wonderful company called Texere Yarns. I can highly recommend you order their catalogue, it comes with a stack of yarn samples, which I find irresistable!
Also at Texere Yarns, I found Easy Clip Frames. 
This is surely the best thing since sliced bread. You simply lay your fabric over the frame, then using plastic clips secure it in place. Tighten the top and bottom bars and hey presto! you’re ready to sew. They do a range of sizes, I use the 12″ x 18″. I did notice when I first used the frame it coloured the fabric a little. So I’ve wrapped masking tape around the top and bottom bars, not a major problem. You can find more info here; Easy Clip Frames
And no, I don’t receive any commission from them!
Shana