Reva's Tips: Embroidery... Smaller is Better

What on earth does that even mean? In embroidery, it is best to use the smallest hoop possible for your design so you get the best stabilization and use less stabilizer. Now that our machines can work with such beautifully large hoops, the possibilities seem limitless. But what about when we want to use the full width of our embroidery field, but not the full height? Oh, if only there were square hoops…

There are now!! Four of our manufacturers have new square hoops, and they all have easy hooping features that make even quilting with your embroidery unit a cinch.

Brother and Baby Lock’s new 10” x 10” magnetic hoop is for you if you struggle with hooping, both thick and thin projects. Its ultra secure magnetic hooping makes struggling a thing of the past! You add the magnets one at a time, ensuring your project is smooth and flat and held securely in place. I am in love!

Bernina’s new Medium Clamp Hoop is designed specifically for bulky layers like quilts. The placement guide helps you get your project positioned right where you want it, and then clamps secure your project to the hoop base. It’s very easy to use and makes aligning quilting designs quite simple.

The Janome Quilt Hoop that came with the new Continental M17 is so easy to use and has magnetic clamps to help hold everything securely. It has an amazing 10.8” x 10.8” stitching field and also comes with a placement template.

All of these hoops have a few things in common: they’re all square, take advantage of the largest sewing field capabilities of the top-of-the-line machines, and are amazing at holding thick layers like quilts.

But there’s more! The Freearm Hoop from Bernina has just been released and it’s amazing!

Did you know that Bernina embroidery machines are freearm machines? You read that right! You can embroider a onesie or a tote bag without turning anything inside out or unpicking a seam. To make things even easier, Bernina’s Freearm Hoop has a modified connector that leaves extra clearance for bulky projects in the hoop so they won’t interfere in the embroidery process. This connector also attaches to the inner hoop, not the outer which is standard. So items utilizing the freearm capability of the machine can do so more efficiently, and it’s much easier for the user. What a game changer!

Specialty hoops are made to make our lives easier, and all of these new hoops do just that. I for one am excited by how easy they are to use and how simple they make a project like quilting with an embroidery machine.

Happy Sewing,
~Reva