How To Keep An Embroidery Hoop Tight
When I first started embroidery, I would get really frustrated when my fabric would slip and become loose in the hoop. Over the years I figured out how to relieve this problem, so today I’m going over how to keep fabric tight in an embroidery hoop!
This post is a part of a series about how to embroider for beginners.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a commission if you decide to sign up or purchase a class. I only recommend classes that I have tried and love!
Use Plastic No-Slip Hoops
guide to embroidery hoops and how to use them.
Inspect the metal hardware on the top of the hoop
Sometimes the cheaper wood embroidery hoops have a bent clasp on the top or the metal warps which makes it so you can’t screw the embroidery hoop as tight. Higher quality hoops tend to have heavier hardware on top, and I’ve found the fabric doesn’t slip as much with them. That being said, you can totally still use cheaper embroidery hoops, in fact I still use them a ton. Just make sure to inspect the hardware whenever you’re shopping for hoops.
Check to make sure the inner and outer ring have a tight seal
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to the craft store and bought embroidery hoops only to find that they are warped and there is a gap between the inner and outer ring of the embroidery hoop! Such a bummer. When the inner and outer rings of an embroidery hoop don’t seat together nicely, they won’t evenly grip the fabric, which then causes your fabric to become loose in the hoop while you are embroidering. Closely examine each hoop before you purchase it to prevent this!
Bind your embroidery hoop
Binding an embroidery hoop is where you wrap fabric, twill tape, or ribbon around the inner ring of the hoop. Doing this will make the outer ring of the embroidery hoop grip the inner ring better, which will make life a lot easier! Binding embroidery hoops has many benefits, including adding a bit of extra padding to the hoop for more delicate fabrics. Check out this article about how to bind an embroidery hoop.
Hope you enjoyed these tips on how to keep the fabric tight in an embroidery hoop. Using one of these tips should have you stitching with ease in no time!
