How to Put Fabric in an Embroidery Hoop

  1. Cut your fabric a few inches taller and wider than the pattern and hoop you’ll stitch it in to ensure there’s enough fabric to work with.
  2. Loosen the screw on your hoop and take the inner hoop out of the outer hoop.
  3. Place your fabric on top of the inner hoop on a table, making sure it’s centered.
  4. Put the outer hoop on top of the fabric and push it down around the inner hoop.
  5. Tighten the screw and pull the fabric on all sides so that it’s taut. Make sure all sides of the fabric are pulled evenly so that the fabric isn’t distorted.
  6. Continue tightening the screw and pulling the fabric until it’s securely in place.

Suggestions:

  • To pull the fabric taut before tightening the screw all the way, flip the hoop so that the top side of the fabric is facing down on a table. Hold the hoop down with one hand while pulling the fabric up with the other.
  • If you anticipate it taking a long time to finish embroidering, remove your fabric from the hoop so that it doesn’t form a permanent crease that you can’t iron out.
  • If your hoop doesn’t have a screwdriver-compatible screw, you can tighten it with pliers or use a rubber band (or some other form of rubber or silicone) to grip the screw better to tighten or loosen it.