How to Use Vintage Embroidery and Quilt Hoops

Hoop with the screw in the lower-left corner.

Modern plastic embroidery hoops have a lip that automatically tightens the fabric when you snap the two pieces of the hoop together. They have smooth edges that will not snag your floss. Vintage wooden hoops have a screw to tighten the outer hoop. It can snag your floss if you do not know where to place it. If you know how to use them, vintage hoops work just as well as modern hoops and the natural wood of the hoops makes them an attractive addition to your sewing room.

Instructions

1. Lay the fabric over the plain inner hoop with the area to be embroidered up and centered.

2. Loosen the screw on the outer hoop and place it around the lower hoop. Position the screw on the upper-left side if your are right-handed or the upper-right side if you are left-handed. It will not catch your floss in this position. Tighten the screw until it slightly resists being tightened.

3. Hold the hoop level and gently pull the fabric down around the hoop to tighten the fabric inside the hoop. Pull alternately on opposite sides to keep the desired portion of the design centered.

4. Tighten the screw on the hoop very tightly. The fabric should be as tight as the head of a drum.