How to place your design in a hoop on an embroidery machine.

One of the many questions that I get asked about embroidery machines is "How do I place my design within my hoop?" So here are a few tips on how to do it.




Here is a YouTube video that I made showing how to place your project inside a hoop when it is obvious where you want to place it. In this case, it was text in the centre of an applique shape.


However, that is not always the case. You may wish to embroider a frame like the one in the centre of this cushion.

Cushion with an embroidered frame design.


No matter what size your hoop allows you to use, there are times when you need to place items outside the max hoop size, or add together elements to create a larger design.
Step 1 - Mark the edges of the design onto your fabric. I use a water erasable pen to mark my designs, just make sure that you check it washes out with your fabrics as some fabrics behave differently.
It is a little pale in the above picture as the light wasn't great, but you can faintly see where I have marked it and then used the line in my previous hoop.

Step 2 - Place the fabric in the hoop and add the placement grid (included with most machines) on top. Manoeuvre the fabric until the lines on the grid match up with the lines on your fabric.

Blue markings lined up with the placement grid

This can take a little time but it is worth persevering with to get a good result. Remove the grid before starting to stitch or you will break your needle!

Step 3 - Use the movement settings in your machine to place your design. The area on the screen maps out eactly to the grid lines on your placement grid. So if you are embroiderung multiple instances of the same design, then leaving it in the sample place will make them all line up!

Place the embroidery within the dedsign area.

Now embroider away!
Completed border.



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