2 Ways to Secure Your Fabric in Your Embroidery Hoop
How to Get Your Fabric Taut in an Embroidery Hoop
As a beginner embroiderer, you hear it time and time again - your fabric should be “drum-tight” in your hoop. But many times, this is easier said than done! Luckily, I have some great tips that I’ve learned over the years on how to achieve the ever-elusive “drum-tight” hold.
And if you’d prefer to not have to do any of the below, I would suggest you read my product review post on embroidery hoops. In it, I’ve detailed each style of hoop and also rate each one as to how well it holds your fabric over time.
2 Methods for Securing Your Fabric
Method 1 —
BINDING THE HOOP
What You’ll Need
Embroidery hoop, any size This method works best with bamboo or wooden hoops
Twill tape or long fabric scraps You will need about 4 ½ times the circumference of your hoop (this gives a bit of a cushion, so you should have a bit leftover, depending on how tightly you wrap). This applies whether you are wrapping the inside hoop or the outside hoop.
For a 6 inch hoop I used ½ inch twill tape, and for a 10 inch hoop or larger I used 1 inch twill tape. If using fabric scraps, I would err on the side of using wider strips (about 1 inch strips).
The Pros and Cons
Fabric Scraps
Pros
It’s free
Environmentally friendly
Cons
May not have the right lengths in your stash and may need to use several pieces to cover your hoop
May not have neutral colored scraps to choose from, which may distract from your embroidery design
Frayed edges can get in the way when working
Twill Tape
Pros
Aesthetically pleasing, no distracting frayed edges
Comes in neutral colors, which helps to avoid distracting from the embroidery design while you’re working
Cons
Upfront cost - If binding both the inner and outer hoop, double the cost
How To
(a) With your left hand, hold one end of the twill tape or fabric strip against the inner rim of the embroidery hoop.
(b) Begin wrapping the tape or fabric around the inner hoop. Ensure the wrappings are not loose.
If you come to the end of your fabric strip but have not completely covered the hoop, simply take another fabric strap and start wrapping where you left off, making sure to overlap the loose end of the previous binding.
For an even tighter, more secure hold, you can bind the outer hoop as well. This method doesn’t require permanently securing the tape or fabric to your hoop but, if the loose ends bother you, feel free to sew the ends down using a simple whip stitch in a matching thread color.
After you’ve finished binding, load your base fabric onto your hoop as you would normally. Now, gently tug outwardly on the fabric, making your way all the way around the perimeter of the hoop. Make sure to go around the hoop several times to get even tension without distorting the weave of the fabric. Tighten the screw of your hoop each time you pass it. When you’re done, there shouldn’t be any ripples or sagging in the fabric. See below for examples of poor fabric tension.
Step 1(a) Hold one end of the tape or fabric scrap secure with your non-dominant hand.
Step 1(b) Begin wrapping around the hoop, making sure to wrap over the loose end several times to secure.
Step 1(b) All finished binding!
Step 4 Examples of Poor Fabric Tension
Waves in the fabric weave
Ripples in the fabric
Method 2 —
USING THE BASE FABRIC
What You’ll Need
Embroidery hoop, any size This method can be used with any embroidery hoop style
Extra fabric around the perimeter of your embroidery design I would suggest cutting the base fabric with at least 2-3 additional inches around your design than you would normally allow.
The Pros and Cons
Pros
No pre-work required (other than ensuring that your base fabric is cut larger than normal)
Protects your work from greasy fingers and dirt (If you’re anything like me, you always need a snack or two while working!)
Cons
Uses more fabric than would normally be needed (and leftover fabric scraps may not be large enough for future projects)
Hanging fabric may need to be rolled and pinned to avoid snagging while you work
Most advantageous for designs that fit entirely within a hoop - Not recommended for extra large designs that require a lot of repositioning of your hoop and fabric
How To
Cut the base fabric with anywhere from 1 to 3 additional inches of fabric around the perimeter of your design, depending on its size. Ideally, your design will fit completely within your hoop.
Center the hoop over your design or the area you will be stitching
Fold in the corners of the base fabric so they overlay both the fabric and the inner hoop positioned underneath
Fit the outer hoop over the base fabric, making sure the folded corner fabric extends towards the center of the hooped area
Optional
(a) Roll up the extra fabric around the perimeter of the hoop.
(b) Pin together with the pins facing away from you. Additionally, I tuck in the sharp points of the pins into the center of the fabric rolls to avoid snagging my thread while I work.
After the fabric is secured in your hoop, gently tug on the fabric all the way around the perimeter to get the most tension possible without distorting the weave of the fabric. This may need to be done several times to ensure even tension on all sides. There shouldn’t be any ripples or sagging in the fabric when you’re done.
Steps 1, 2 Cut the fabric with an extra 1-3 inches around your design. Center the design over the inner hoop.
Steps 3, 4 As you place the outer hoop, fold in the corners of your fabric. This part can be a bit tricky!
Step 5(a) This is an optional step if you have a lot of extra fabric hanging off the edge. Fold or roll the extra fabric.
Step 5(b) Pin the rolled fabric with the sharp end pointing away from you, and buried between the layers of fabric.
Conclusion
With the two methods above, you can obtain a good drum-tight hold, no matter which hoop you use. Use the binding method for wooden hoops and the corner-folding method for all other types.
Also keep in mind that some hoops are better than others at obtaining good fabric tension. To read more about this and which hoops I recommend for achieving a drum-tight hold, you can read my post here.
