Purchase or find a suitable embroidery hoop. The size of the hoop needed will be determined by the size of the project you're working on, as well as your capacity to hold the hoop on your lap or in your hands. The hoop shown in this image is a standard round size, but hoops can also be oval-shaped, and larger or smaller.
Wash your hands before handling the fabric. This ensures that dirt, chocolate, etc., stains are not accidentally transferred to the fabric as you feed it in. Also check that the hoop is clean - give it a wipe down if needed.
Pick up the embroidery hoop in its entirety. Look for the screw join - the outer ring will usually have a metallic screw opening that can be tightened or loosened by turning the screw. Note that sometimes it is a plastic screw. Unscrew the metallic screw from the outer ring to loosen the bond between both hoops. Once unscrewed, remove the hoops. Note that some hoops will be joined at the center and you will only be able to swing the middle hoop around to the center position rather than completely remove it; this is a design feature to prevent loss of the inner ring and it still works for feeding through the fabric, although it makes it a little trickier to maneuver it in. Just ease in across the fabric gently while holding the hoops wide open in the center position.
Place the embroidery fabric over the inner ring of the embroidery hoop. Check that it is sitting evenly.
Press the outer ring down around the inner ring of the embroidery hoop. There should be fabric overlapping around all sides. If there is not, you will need to adjust the fabric to ensure that the hoop is holding the fabric evenly across each side. Once you have captured the embroidery fabric between both hoops, adjust the fabric neatness as you tighten the screw and the rings start closing in next to one another. The fabric shouldn't be puckered or loose, but should sit taut and smooth across the embroidering surface.
Tighten the screw on the embroidery hoop to secure the fabric in place. Keep turning until it feels firm and in place. Don't overtighten as this will place pressure on the hoops (especially wooden ones). Note that you will most likely have to make tightening adjustments as you work on your project, especially longer projects. Traveling with hoops can cause the fabric to be shifted when weight, etc., is placed on the hoops.
Finished.
Comments
0 comment