Tips & Techniques

Hooping and Non Hooping of Fabric

The plastic template that comes with your hoop is very important. Once you have the design or combination of designs on your Customizing screen, print it out. Then lay the template on top of the printed out design so that the square grid on the template is on top of the square grid of the printout. You will notice that the vertical and horizontal center lines of the printout will show in the slots of the template.

Now, using the template pencil (or a Vis a Vis marker, about 10 colors for $4.99 at Walmart), draw around the outline of the design enough so you know where the top, sides and bottom of the design is. You don't have to draw all the inner parts. The fabric will be seen through the template so you can decide exactly where you want the design to be. (Or, cut the design printout on the outer grid lines and tape it to the top printout with the template slots so the outside grid lines of the printout match perfectly with the template gridlines.) If you use this method, you will have to cut the paper where the vertical and horizontal slots are and also punch a hole for the center of the design so you can make placement marks on your fabric.

Place the template on top of your fabric and look at the design itself to see exactly where and what the direction you want that design to be stitched on the fabric. Using a wash away or disapperaing pen, mark the center dots and then mark the top, bottom and side slots in the template.

Make sure you mark the arrow of the bottom slot so you won't forget which is the bottom when you are hooping. You will now have placement marks on the fabric. Then, I use a ruler and I connect those lines horizontally and vertically to make a large "+" sign.

(If you used the template pencil to draw the outline of the design on the template, it can be cleaned with a paper towel sprayed with glass cleaner. If you used the Vis a Vis marker, you can just slightly wet a paper towel and wipe it clean.

Hooping Method # 1

I love the product called "Wonder Tape." It hangs on the notions wall and is 1/4" wide and is double stick and sells for about $2.95 and lasts forever.

Tear off 4 pieces about 3" long. Turn your inner hoop over and place one piece along the top back of the hoop, and one on the bottom and the others on each side. Tear off the paper backing. This leaves a sticky film and will last about 6 hoopings and then it is easily washed off.

Use your template to mark your placement lines on the fabric you wish to embroider on. I actually then take a ruler and connect those markings both vertically and horizontally. It just makes it clearer when hooping.

I also use a black permanent marking pen to darken those notches on the hoop on both the vertical and horizontal. Just remember, if you have the 1+, the lower markings on the sides are correct ones.

Now, carefully align that inner hoop so the markings on the hoop match the markings on the cloth and then just press down on the inner hoop and it will adhere to the fabric so the hoop will not scoot around.

Place a piece of stabilizer that is larger than the lower hoop over the top of it. Then lift the inner hoop with the fabric attached and place the inner hoop into the outer hoop by placing the bottom hoops together first and then holding the palm of your one hand on the lower hoops, push the upper hoops into position.

Once the inner hoop is securely in the outer hoop, then use the "screw grip" tool to tighten the hoop knob until you feel it grasp tightly.  Don't over tighen or you will strip the screws. 

Tip: I have a lot of that rubber shelf liner and I cut a piece of that about 8" wide. I place that on the table and place the bottom hoop on top of it. This keeps the bottom hoop from scooting around when you are trying to place the inner hoop and fabric into it.

Non-Hooping Method

A lot of times, in fact most of the time, I don't hoop my fabric at all. Instead, I hoop the stabilizer. I use my ruler and a #2 pencil to draw the vertical and horizontal lines on top of the stabilizer using the markings on the hoop. (once I used a pen and it bled into my fabric).

I use my template to draw in my placement lines on the fabric as stated above.

Then, I lightly spray the stabilizer with KK2000 or another brand of spray adhesive, attach the hoop to the machine and choose the design to embroider. Then take the marked fabric and look for that center where the two marked lines on the fabric connect and scoot it under the embroidery foot. Manually, turn the handwheel to put the needle directly into that center mark and this holds the fabric from moving. Then carefully, align the markings on the fabric with the markings on the stabilizer and gently smooth the material out on the stabilizer.


You can then use the baste feature to secure it even better. OR, before going to the machine, you could stick a pin in the center placement mark on the fabric and stick that point of the pin into the center mark of the stabilizer to line up the fabric. Then stick a pin on the side and bottom markings to align them on the stabilizer too.

Basting Around the Design for a Better Stitch-out

Basting on the Rose will require a basting design that can be acquired from the internet.

Basting with the 1+: Press "baste" on your sewing advisor and press "run" and the machine stitches to the right. Press "E" to rotate and "run" and it sews down the right side. Press "E" to rotate and press "run" to sew to the left. Repeat to complete the square.

Basting with the Designer 1: Choose the design and press "Fix" and "start" and it will baste the area of the design.