Creating Beautiful Embroidery 223

7
——
——————————————————————————————————————————————————
—
————————————————————————————————
Hooping techniques
“Use the right tool for the right job” is a statement
many of us have heard throughout the years. This
statement holds true even in the embroidery
industry. The wrong size or type of em broidery
frame may result in poor design alignment during
sewing or damage the product altogether. You can
take a perfectly created design and ruin the final
results by simply not using the correct frame size,
type or technique designed for its application.
■Frame Basics
Tubular frames: This type of frame allows
tubular fabric or pre-assembled garments to be
placed around the hook assembly. It allows
embroidering of the front of a garment without
stitching through the back of it.
Cap frames: These are specialized embroidery
frames (hoops) designed to hold caps for
embroidering. They are available in a var iety of
styles for various machines, with two basic
styles: one that allows sewing a flattened cap
(for use on a flat machine) or one that allows
sewing the cap in its natural curved shape (for
use on a tubular machine).
Hooping fabric: The framed fabric and backing
should be perfectly flat and free of wrinkles or
bubbles. If there are bubbles or wrinkles that
must be removed, be sure that you pull on the
fabric and backing together. Pull no more than is
necessary to make the fabric flat and smooth.
Overstretching the fabric during this process
may cause puckers around the finished design
when the frame is removed. Gaps may also be
generated between design parts.
Inner/outer frame positioning: There should be
a slight ridge (3 mm (1/8 inch)) of fabric and
backing below the outer frame on the back side.
Tighten the screw only if the inner frame feels
loose. Avoid overtightening the screw as this
will cause puckers in the fabric and may “strip”
the screw.