Hooping the Fabric in the Embroidery Frame

CAUTION
  • Use fabrics with a thickness of less than 2 mm (approx. 1/16 inch). Using fabrics thicker than 2 mm (approx. 1/16 inch) may cause the needle to break and cause injury.
  • Always use a stabilizer material for embroidery when embroidering stretch fabrics, lightweight fabrics, fabrics with a coarse weave, or fabrics which cause pattern shrinkage. Otherwise, the needle may break and cause injury.

Attaching Stabilizer to Fabric

  1. Iron the iron-on stabilizer material to the wrong side of the fabric.

    • Use a piece of stabilizer which is larger than the embroidery frame being used.
    1. Fusible side of stabilizer
    2. Fabric (wrong side)
    3. Size of the embroidery frame
      • When using fabrics that cannot be ironed (such as terry cloth or fabrics that have loops which expand when ironed) or in places where ironing is difficult, position the stabilizer material under the fabric without fusing it, then position the fabric and stabilizer in the embroidery frame.
      • When embroidering small pieces of fabric that cannot be hooped in an embroidery frame, use stabilizer material as a base. After lightly ironing the fabric to the stabilizer material, hoop it in the embroidery frame. If stabilizer material cannot be ironed onto the fabric, attach it with a basting stitch. After completing the embroidery, remove the stabilizer material carefully.
        1. Fabric
        2. Stabilizer
        3. Basting
      • When embroidering on thin fabrics such as organdy or lawn, or on napped fabrics such as towel or corduroy, use water soluble stabilizer (sold separately) for best results. In the case of thick terry cloth towels we recommend that you place a piece of water soluble stabilizer on the top surface of the towel. This will help to reduce the nap of the toweling and result in more attractive embroidery.

Types of Embroidery Frames

Embroidery frame

Embroidering area

465 mm × 297 mm

(approx. 18-1/4 inches × 11-5/8 inches)
(Inserting Fabric into Embroidery Frame (465 mm × 297 mm (approx. 18-1/4 inches × 11-5/8 inches)))

272 mm × 272 mm

(approx. 10-5/8 inches × 10-5/8 inches)
(Inserting Fabric into Embroidery Frame (272 mm × 272 mm (approx. 10-5/8 inches × 10-5/8 inches)))

180 mm × 130 mm

(approx. 7 inches × 5 inches)
(Inserting the Fabric into Embroidery Frame without Levers)

100 mm × 100 mm

(approx. 4 inches × 4 inches)
(Inserting the Fabric into Embroidery Frame without Levers)

Inserting Fabric into Embroidery Frame (465 mm × 297 mm (approx. 18-1/4 inches × 11-5/8 inches))

  1. Loosen the lever on the outer frame, and then remove the inner frame.

    If the inner frame cannot be removed, loosen the frame adjustment screw.

    1. Lever
    2. Frame adjustment screw
  2. With the embroidery frame guide on the left, place the fabric on top of the outer frame. Check that the rectangular area (4) of the inner frame faces up, and then re-insert the inner frame, making sure to align the inner frame’s with the outer frame’s , to clamp the fabric.
    The top of the inner frame must be tucked under the flanges at the top of the outer frame.

    1. Inner frame’s
    2. Outer frame’s
    3. Embroidery frame guide
    4. Rectangular area
      • If the inner frame for this hoop is installed incorrectly, it may come apart and embroidery will not be performed correctly.
  3. With the lever at the top tightened, push the inner frame down into the outer frame.

    Loosen the lever at the bottom.

    1. Tighten the lever at the top.
  4. Push the inner frame down into the outer frame in the order shown (from top to bottom).

  5. Gently smooth out the fabric. With the lever at the bottom loosened, slightly tighten the frame adjustment screw, and then pull the edges of the fabric to remove any slack.

    1. Frame adjustment screw
      • If the fabric is not taut at the top, such as when thick fabric is used, slightly loosen the lever at the top, loosen the frame adjustment screw at the top, and then pull the edges of the fabric to remove any slack.
  6. After stretching the fabric, make sure that it is taut and that the inner and outer frames are aligned.

    Make sure the inner and outer frames are even before you start embroidering.

    1. Outer frame
    2. Inner frame
    3. Fabric
  7. Tighten the lever at the bottom.

    If the lever cannot be tightened, loosen the frame adjustment screw.

Inserting Fabric into Embroidery Frame (272 mm × 272 mm (approx. 10-5/8 inches × 10-5/8 inches))

  1. Loosen the lever on the outer frame, and then remove the inner frame.

    Refer to step 1 of Inserting Fabric into Embroidery Frame (465 mm × 297 mm (approx. 18-1/4 inches × 11-5/8 inches)).

  2. Perform steps 2 through 5 of Inserting the Fabric into Embroidery Frame without Levers.

  3. Tighten the frame adjustment screw and tighten the lever.

    Refer to Inserting Fabric into Embroidery Frame (465 mm × 297 mm (approx. 18-1/4 inches × 11-5/8 inches)), then go to step 7.

Inserting the Fabric into Embroidery Frame without Levers

  • If the fabric is not securely held in the embroidery frame, the embroidery design will embroider out poorly. Insert the fabric on a level surface, and gently stretch the fabric taut in the embroidery frame.
  1. Lift-up and loosen the frame adjustment screw and remove the inner frame.

    1. Frame adjustment screw
    2. Inner frame
  2. Lay the fabric right side up on top of the outer frame.

  3. Re-insert the inner frame making sure to align the inner frame’s with the outer frame’s .

    1. Inner frame’s
    2. Outer frame’s
  4. Slightly tighten the frame adjustment screw, and then remove the slack in the fabric by pulling on the edges and corners.

  5. Gently smooth out the fabric. Make sure fabric is flat and without wrinkles.

    After stretching the fabric, make sure the fabric is taut.

    Make sure the inner and outer frames are even before you start embroidering.

    1. Outer frame
    2. Inner frame
    3. Fabric
  6. Tighten the frame adjustment screw.
    Return the frame adjustment screw to its initial position.

    • You can use the included multi-purpose screwdriver, setting the position to “3”, when you loosen or tighten the frame adjustment screw.

Using the Embroidery Sheet (Sold Separately)

When you want to embroider the pattern in a particular place, use the embroidery sheet (sold separately) with the embroidery frame.

  1. With a chalk pencil, mark the area of the fabric you want to embroider.

  2. Place the embroidery sheet on the inner frame. Align the guide lines on the embroidery sheet with the mark you made on the fabric.

    1. Inner frame
    2. Guide line
    3. Mark
  3. Gently stretch the fabric so there are no folds or wrinkles, and press the inner frame into the outer frame.

    1. Inner frame
    2. Outer frame
  4. Remove the embroidery sheet.