Heidi’s Favorite Embroidery Tips: Hooping Your Fabric

Maybe I should have titled this blog post, “Things I Hate About Embroidery: Slipping Fabric.” Because, seriously, I HATE when my fabric slips around in my hoop.

Now, there are a couple of ways to prevent your fabric from becoming loose or slipping out of the hoop. The first preventative measure is to ensure that you’re using a quality hoop. The wooden hoops you buy from Michaels, Hobby Lobby, JoAnn (RIP), etc. are - let’s be honest - not great. Don’t waste your money on those. Instead, invest in a good quality hoop. I prefer beechwood hoops, which I purchase off Etsy, and use in all my kits. Nurge is my go-to brand whenever possible (however, Nurge hoops can be expensive), and there are several alternatives out there. In any case, find a hoop that works for you and keeps your fabric taut.

The easiest way to keep your fabric nice and taut is to use two pieces of fabric when hooping your project: a base layer and your top layer.

To begin, open your hoop and separate the front of the hoop, which is the part with the tightening mechanism, and the back of the hoop, which is just the wooden circle.

Slide your base fabric on top of the hoop back and center it.

I like to use Kona cotton as my base.

Then, center the printed fabric (pattern side up) on the top.

Be sure to get your pattern centered.

Now, slip the top of the hoop over the fabric and the hoop back.

Note: Sometimes the fabric shifts a little during this step. If that happens, don’t worry. Just pull gently on the fabric until you are able to recenter your design.

Tighten the hoop and gently pull out any wrinkles in the fabric. You want to make sure the hoop is nice and tight.

Your fabric should be taut, and - if you flick the fabric with your finger - it should bounce back and sound like a drum. It’s important to make sure your fabric is nice and tight. Loose fabric will result in a warped design. Gross.

Finally, trim your fabric to about 2” on all sides of the hoop. This will help prevent you from accidentally snagging and stitching the edges of the fabric.

And, that’s it! You’re ready to stitch on nice, taut fabric that hopefully won’t slip!

Happy stitching, friends!