“Hoopless” Embroidery
Click for larger view
I prefer not to hoop my fabrics when I embroider them. I find that I can very accurately line up my fabric placement using the “hoopless” method. To do so, hoop the appropriate sticky stabilizer for your project (or hoop regular stabilizer and spray 505 adhesive to it). Mark your fabric center and dividing lines with a water soluable marker.
Place straight pins along the vertical line that you’ve marked, placing the center straight pin evenly spaced on the X of the horizontal and vertical placement lines. You will use these to guide 
Click for larger viewyou in placing the fabric onto the stabilizer.
Place your hoop template on top of your hooped stabilizer, and mark the center points on the vertical line. I use a regular lead pencil to do this with. Now you’re going to fold back the top of your fabric so you can see the back with the pins running in a line.
Click for larger viewMatch the pins to the dots you just marked on the stabilizer. This is where sticky stablizer comes in so handy, as you can “pat” the fabric along the line as you go, and it will stay put.
Continue grasping the fabric around each pin and placing it on the stabilizer until you have the entire length matched up to the marked dots on the stabilizer like you see here in the photo.
Click for larger view
Now carefully smooth the folded side onto the rest of the hoop, keeping the fabric straight. Remove the pins and smooth out any wrinkles.
Click for larger view Next you’re going to place your hoop template on top of the fabric and check to make certain that your marked lines match the grid lines of the hoop template. They should be very close if not perfect.
Click for larger view
Next you will use your hoop basting design and baste the fabric in place in the hoop, so that it remains secure during the stitchout.
Click for larger view
And finally, you’re going to check that the center of your design on screen matches the center X on your fabric that you marked with a water soluable marker. If it isn’t exactly spot on, then use the hoop move feature and align it so that is perfectly centered. Because of the way we’ve matched the pins to the stabilizer, you should be within a fraction of an inch.
Click for larger view You’re now ready to stitch your design! Once you’ve done this a few times, it only takes a couple of minutes. It works great!
