¶ Introduction
The following guide covers two methods for hooping material.
¶ Time to complete
- Less than 10 minutes per hoop, assuming materials are already prepared.
¶ Tools Required
- Hoop (manual or magnetic)
- Jig for magnetic hoop (if using magnetic hoop)
- Scissors
- Iron (optional, recommended)
¶ Materials required
- Material to be embroidered
- Appropriate stabilizer/backings for that material
¶ Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):
• Sturdy, close-toed shoes must be worn at all times.
• Long hair, jewelry, and loose clothing must be tied back.
• Ear protection is recommended when two or more machines in the lab are running at once.
For more information on shop safety visit Digital Textiles under "Safety."
¶ Stabilizers/Backing
There are many types of stabilizer.
- cut away
- tear away
- water soluble
- heat soluble
There are also toppings and foam to add texture and depth on the surface of the fabric.
¶ Positioning the hoop on material
Typically, the embroidered design will be positioned on a garment or accessory and so the location and orientation are extremely important.
- Lay material out flat. If there are creases, iron it and then lay it out.
- Determine where the design will go. Mark the center with chalk or a washable pen. A dot is typically invisible when sewn over, but a cross or x may also be appropriate.
¶ Stacking up material to go in a hoop
All material going into a hoop needs to be larger than the hoop by a couple of inches. If any edges are inside the hoop, tension will be weird and it will negatively impact the sew out.
- All stabilizers
- All material
¶ Manual Hoop
Starting with the stabilizer and material already stacked
- Slip the inside/bottom of the hoop underneath of the stabilizer OR place the stack on top of the inside/bottom of the hoop.
- Use the alignment marks on the hoop to get the center dot that you placed earlier positioned in the center of the hoop.
- Place the outside/top of the hoop onto the stack.
- Starting from the edge furthest away from you, press it down into place. If it does not press into place, loosen the knob and try again.
- Check the tension: if there are bubbles between the material and stabilizer or when tapped it does not sound like a drum, pop the top off and try again.
¶ Magnetic Hoop
Starting with the jig on the table in front of you
- Place the bottom of the hoop into the jig
- Lay stabilizers out and clip into place.
- Position material on top of stabilizer.
- When satisfied with the positioning, bring the top of the hoop down towards the bottom. It will snap itself into place.
- Lift assembled hoop from jig.
- Check the tension: if there are bubbles between the material and stabilizer or when tapped it does not sound like a drum, pop the top off and try again.
¶ Putting the hoop into the machine
Slide hoop in between the arms
Hear double click (the springs locking the hoop arms into place)
make sure the arm screws are finger tight
laser dot
Hold frame button and arrows to move hoop around
fame + star to trace design