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It’s crucial to use embroidery hoops to keep your fabric tight and your stitching straight. Different embroidery hoop sizes are also great for framing your finished cross-stitch work stylishly and practically.

Anyone that does cross stitch or hand stitching is familiar with embroidery hoop sizes, but there is a lot to learn about these commonplace instruments. Learn about embroidery hoops in this quick guide, including the embroidery hoop sizes, how to choose the perfect cross stitch hoop, and how to use them.

Table of Contents

Why Would You Use an Embroidery Hoop?

Inexperienced cross-stitchers should use embroidery hoops to maintain the tension of their stitches consistent. In addition, cross-stitch kits are incredibly lightweight, allowing you to take your new hobby with you wherever you go.

It’s a matter of choice for cross-stitching, which is no exception.

You’ll get better results with your needlework: To avoid puckering and uneven stitches, embroidery hoops spread the fabric taut. This keeps the material tight, maintains the weave, and prevents the cloth from puckering under your threads.
With fewer needle stabs, you’ll have more time for other things: To sew without a hoop, you must strain the material in your hands close to the stitching area, and I’ve discovered that this causes me to poke my fingers a lot more than I’d want.
Stitching can be easier using an embroidered hoop: The hoop comes in handy when stitching on a larger piece of fabric since it keeps the additional material out of the way.
Your hand won’t become sore from using it: The cloth must be fiddled with and stretched to sew correctly without a hoop; this method takes a lot of time and work. As a result, your hands become sore, and you lose interest in stitching. Instead, an embroidery stand can be used to hold a hoop, so you don’t have to worry about holding the hoop at all.

When Should You Use an Embroidery Hoop for Cross Stitch?

The hoop isn’t required; however, it can help you create more consistent stitches like in hand stitching. In addition, Cross-stitch hooping is a great way to learn the basics of the craft, especially if you’ve never done this method before and are having trouble handling the fabric or spotting the holes.

Ultimately, the decision to utilize an embroidered hoop or not rests solely with you. The use of hoops is not universal among stitchers; some stitchers never stitch with hoops at all. It’s all up to you and what you’re used to.

A hoop might also come in handy if you’re sewing on a dark piece of fabric or if you’re using specialized threads. Because linen’s more delicate weave can be more clearly seen with a hoop, some cross-stitchers use a hoop when working on linen rather than Aida.

How To Choose the Right Size of an Embroidery Hoop for Cross Stitch?

There are hoop sizes ranging from three inches in diameter to as much as a foot in diameter. Naturally, it’s much easier to stitch with a smaller hoop than a larger one.

Ensure the hoop is big enough to hold your design. You can use custom embroidery stitching frames or even be extra careful while laying the hoop over the top of the existing stitches if you’re embroidering an extensive project and can’t locate a hoop that fits all around the entire design.

It is best to use an embroidery hoop two inches larger than the stitching pattern. When stitching larger pieces, it’s good to recenter the fabric in the hoop as needed, but make sure to remove it from the hoop when you’re not sewing to avoid tripping over the hoop.

When you’ve finished stitching a section, reposition the cloth over a fresh piece of any cross-stitch project. This size is ideal if you can fit several hundred stitches in the hoop before shifting it.

When working on a large cross-stitch project, the optimal size embroidery hoop is six to eight inches in diameter. Many cross-stitch kits come with an embroidery hoop of the correct size supplied.

It’s impossible to stitch in an embroidery hoop bigger than 12 inches since it’s too bulky and unwieldy. When hoops are this huge or larger, a floor stand is recommended.

Inspect to see if the hardware has been twisted inwards. It will be more difficult to tighten the embroidery hoop with weak or bent hardware, and the hoop will not hold your cloth as effectively.

How to Use an Embroidery Hoop?

The first step is to unscrew the screw and remove the inner and outer hoops. Make sure the inner ring is completely level on your workpiece surface before beginning. Then, right side up, wrap your fabric around the inner circle.
The inner and outer hoops should be snug but not so tight that the inner hoop falls out. This can be done while the hoops are assembled. Look inside the hoop to see whether one side is labeled to indicate which direction should face up.
Put the outer ring at the top of the inner ring and fabric. A bit further loosening of the screw might be required to get the cap onto the screw. However, you don’t have to worry about the outer hoop falling off the other side when you press it down with your hands.
Tighten the screw a little bit more. Please make sure the outer hoop doesn’t fall off when you pick that up but don’t tighten it all the way.
Tighten your fabric by gently grabbing the edges and pulling them in. Pull evenly on both sides of the hoop as you make your way around it. Firmness is vital, but don’t overdo it, or you’ll distort the cloth. Even out the fabric by removing any bumps and creases with this technique.
Tightening the hoop screw after the taut fabric will help prevent the material from slipping. If you find it challenging to do so with your fingers, you can use a little screwdriver to tighten your hoop.
Stress is placed on the cloth by keeping it in a state of tension. If you’re going to take a break from stitching, take your needlework out of the hoop till you’re ready to resume.