Sunday, July 8, 2007

Hoop la

I was just wondering how many of you use an embroidery hoop vs not use a hoop.

I used to never use a hoop but then began for some reason and now I prefer to embroider with a hoop. For me it's easier to get tension right across the whole piece and I don't catch the long thread on the edges of the fabric quite as much. So there is a little bit less wresting with the whole thing.

When I bead dolls I don't use a hoop because I make a doll form first and the batting seems to help or maybe it's the somewhat rigid form that helps me keep tension even.

So the questions are: Do you use a hoop? How does it help you or how does not using a hoop help you? What are your tips to more even tension?
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8 comments:

Angela said...

I don't use a hoop but I often adhere my front fabric to a stabalizer such as EZ-Felt, Peltex, or Timtex. It seems to work for me.

Angie

July 8, 2007 at 10:08 AM
Sweetpea said...

Vivage ~ I am intrigued by the idea of using a hoop. I am very new to beading on fabric, so I'm interested in trying all kinds of options. Would you kindly tell me what kind/brand of hoop you use? and it's size? My journal pages are quite small, so I'm thinking it would be best to try a small hoop.

Thanks for any info,
Christi

July 8, 2007 at 10:26 AM
Robin said...

No hoops for me... I remember using them for thread embroidery and having a devil of a time catching my thread on the locking mechanism. I was so happy to discover paper as a stabilizer! Yes, sometimes I catch my thread on the edge, but for me it seems easier to deal with than when it's caught in and frayed by the hoop closure.

July 8, 2007 at 10:41 AM
vivage said...

Christi, I use a small hoop, but large enough to see my entire field of beading. Because once you bead a huge area you can't slip the hoop onto any section that is already beaded. Does that make sense?

I use a plastic hoop with a screw mechanism always placed at the top left hand side of my work. I'm right handed so my thread is always to the right. It still catches sometimes but not that often. But any hoop will work, I'm using the plastic one because that's what I have lying around. :-)

I'm intrigued by timtex and the paper by interweaving. I use interfacing for the most part because it's available locally and I can feel it (something I can't do w/ products I have to order via the web.)

July 8, 2007 at 11:37 AM
abeadlady said...

I don't use a hoop at all. Too many years of catching embroidery threads on it. Brings back too many memories of my Mom fussing at me to "do it right".

Now, I want to do it my way. I usually use peltex or EZ felt and neither requires a hoop. On batting backed fabric I don't bead with a really tight tension and haven't had any problems so far.
Arline

July 8, 2007 at 12:11 PM
beadbabe49 said...

I have used a hoop occasionally when beading a piece that has a lot of sequins on it, but I find my thread tension is hard to get right, so when the piece comes off the hoop it's kinda of bunchy...so now I usually use a firm stabelizer like the peltex or timtex instead of the hoop.

July 8, 2007 at 12:16 PM
Lois2037 said...

I only use a hoop on really large pieces, and then it's technically not an embroidery hoop, but a big, square quilt frame. I keep the tension pretty loose, and I always take the piece out of the hoop when I'm finished for the day. I learned the hard way that the fabric and the beading on it, distort if left in the hoop for too long. I'm sure this applies to smaller hoops, too.

July 8, 2007 at 5:49 PM
mAtilda said...

devo dire che non ho mai considerato un problema l'uso o il non uso del cerchio. io ne ho due, uno di plastica come quello descritto da Vivage e uno di legno che ha un "piede" e si regge da solo. ho poi due telai quadrati regolabili per i lavori più grandi.
non decido mai prima se usarli o meno, trovo che per alcuni lavori siano decisamente comodi, per altri indifferenti e per altri inutili o dannosi.
per la mia pagina di giugno è stato molto utile quando ho dovuto tenere insieme i due tessuti per il trapunto, ho evitato di imbastire troppe linee.
ciao matilda

July 9, 2007 at 6:06 AM

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