Volume 1 Number 1  
Winter 2004  

Page 22  

Embroidery Hoops: Useage and Dressing
Another Perspective

In Italy, the most widely used accessories are hoops. Scroll frames or rectangular frames like Q-snaps have only a limited user base, primarily needlepointers, secondarily quilters. Both hoops and frames are used among net-aholics who do overseas online shopping.

If you enter into an Italian shop, you will likely find only round hoops and tambour hoops. Round wooden or plastic hoops are often used by cross stitchers who, as often as not, stitch “in hand”. Tambour hoops are also used for cross stitch.

Those in Italy who stitch what is commonly called “classic embroidery” (to distinguish it from cross stitch or needlepoint), prefer to use a tambour hoop when mounting is necessary for the required stitch. It allows the embroiderer to work in a two-handed way (one over the hoop, one below it), to keep the fabric consistently taut, to view a large amount of fabric, to be easily swivelled to the back

for securing threads. Also a small round hoop is useful for working on little surfaces, like weaving the bars in cut areas, when it’s not necessary to work two handed. An often heard remark is that a hoop leaves marks and creases on the fabric. To remedy this, wrap the circle with a cotton tape. Which circle? The inner or the outer? I’ve seen both of them wrapped: some people prefer to wrap the inner circle, to avoid marks left from rivets, and to make tightening the fabric easier. Other people favour wrapping the outer circle, to avoid the crushing of the stitches when putting it on, and damage to the grain when straightening the fabric.

I used to wrap the outer circle, but I’ve found a better solution. Now, I wrap the inner circle (a little extra care is not a bad idea), and I “dress” the hoop, with a square piece of fabric with a hole in the middle of it. The picture shown at left illustrates this dressing fabric with a bound edge in a pretty print.

This dressing fabric helps to:  protect the already embroidered portion of the fabric from crushing, protect the fabric from stains and soils, and it helps the fabric to slide between the circles when straightening and tightening it. Dressing fabric is

To make a Dressing Fabric for a 10-inch hoop, you will need: A square of fabric, at least 16 inches x 16 inches (41 cm square) Approximately 3 yards (approx 2.75 meters) of bias tape for edging the fabric. Continued Page 23