Embroider Difficult-to-Hoop Projects
My featured TV guest likes to compare machine embroidery to cooking. When cooking you follow the recipe, purchase the ingredients, but sometimes you tweak the process. That’s what happens with machine embroidery; you learn to adjust the hooping technique, design, and/or stabilizer to fit the project.
Marie Zinno, embroidery professional and author, is my guest during this two-part series, Hoop It Up—Guide to Successful Machine Embroidery. You can watch the second episode online.
Embroidery Hooping Recipe
Learning the proper and efficient way to hoop fabrics or projects will guarantee embroidery success. In this Spa Day grouping, the tote, slippers, and cosmetic case all require a specific hooping recipe. You might think that these projects aren’t easy to embroider, but with our tips you’ll find the winning embroidery recipe.
- Mark the center of the tote, between the handles.
- Align a target ruler with the center mark.
- Place a target sticker in the opening.
Note from Nancy: Target stickers have an adhesive on the back and generally stick to fabric. The fabric used in our ready-made tote was pretreated with an anti-stain finish—the sticker didn’t stick. We held it in place with office tape. Improvise!
- Use a standard hoop or a Snap Hoop to hoop the fabric. If using a standard hoop, back the fabric with a poly-mesh stabilizer. With the Snap Hoop, a stabilizer isn’t needed.
Note from Nancy: Often when I feature a magnetic project on Sewing With Nancy, I receive emails of concern. Not to worry, unless your computerized sewing machine is disassembled, there is no fear of damage to your machine.
- Turn the tote inside out. Hoop the fabric.
- Insert the hoop in the embroidery unit. Watch online as Marie and I embroider this tote. One of the many tricks to embroidering a ready-made tote or bag is to turn it inside out.
Layered Monograms
During this program, you’ll also learn how to layer the monograms. We used a font called Cannes, which is found in the software Monogram It!. Save two separate files in the machine’s memory; in this instance the “A” and “Anna.” Marie has easy tips on merging the files.
There’s More to Learn
The spa slippers and waffle-weave cosmetic case are next to be embroidered. Watch to find out how.
It’s time to wrap up this two-part series on Hoop It Up. A special thank you to Marie Zinno for sharing her embroidery expertise with us.
99 Tips for Embroidery Success in Hoop It Up, a book by Marie Zinno and Eileen Roche
Marie and co-author Eileen Roche have teamed up to show you how professionals hoop over 30 projects.
- Learn a different approach to hooping over 30 projects—both flat and tubular.
- Use either a standard hoop or a user-friendly magnetic hoop.
- Read and learn from two embroidery professionals.
- Inside the 80 page spiral bound book you’ll find embroidery positioning tools that you can use again and again:
- Angle Finder
- 4″ Target Ruler (two versions)
- 7″ Target Ruler (two versions)
- Target Stickers
Watch Hoop It Up—Guide to Successful Embroidery (Part One and Part Two) on Sewing With Nancy online.
For a chance to win the Hoop It Up—Guide to Successful Embroidery from Designs In Machine Embroidery (DIME), please leave a comment telling us your favorite baby item to embroider.
Bye for now,
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Nancy Thone
I don’t embroider a lot of baby gifts, but when I do, they are baby blankets. Looking forward to Quilt Expo!
scarter
What great tips–I really would like this giveaway. Thanks, Nancy.
Lois V
I haven’t embroidered any baby items yet, but my first would be how to embroidery the thickness of burp cloth diapers.
MonicaAD
I love to embroider baby toys … FIESTA 😉
Mary Deeter
I love embroidering baby bibs that I make. They are fat quarter friendly, and fun to use various applique designs on. Scraps from one bib construction may end up in the next bib’s applique. I also love to do fabric baby books. I look for child friendly designs that are complimentary and create pages.
Pat Kern
My favorite is baby bibs and onesie. You can really be creative.
Brenda Melahn
My favorite baby item to embroider is monogramming a changing pad. Second favorite — memory blanket with name, date, vital stats, on corner.
Leah
I make Teddy Bears ad baby gifts. I embroider the face and also put the child’s name on it.
Audrey Dlugosz
Now that’s something I could really use.
Sandy Speich
I like to embroider bibs as well.
Lois
Baby bobs are my favorate bany item.
Clovis
I did a baby bib for my nephew. I also did an embroider for my niece on a top. It was hard to hoop. I had to float it. When I wanted to put the image seemed to close to the underarm. So, I put it down on the bottom of the top. This giveaway will give me the ideas to set up alignments.
Susan Spiers
I just recently embroidered bibs & burp cloths for my nephew! I put his initials on matching sets-Mom was very pleased! Thank you, Susan
Karen B
I make alot of baby blankets,and burp clothes. I usually put their name, date of birth, and “Jesus loves you” and a special Bible verse for each child on the blankets.
I would love to win this one as I have some new ideas for doing the borders. Thanks.
Karen Misner
Baby bibs! So many ways to be creative with embroidery.
Therese
I embroider the baby gifts I make, quilt, blanket, burp cloth, changing pad or whatever with baby’s name or monogram. I have never done any images, would like to learn.
CAROL L
Those tricky onesies! It takes a little practice and patience but the results are rewarding!
Pat Leask
I love embroidering many things – quilt blocks (esp. applique designs), t-shirt necklines (and adding crystals after), purse fronts (when making them) , on blouses/shirts and even on card stock, with designs made for that purpose, for Christmas cards!
Linda Nelson
I love to embroider on onsies with cute sayings and also burp clothes.
Cyndi Duffin
Bibs and burp cloths. This book would be great because it would help with items like socks, baby bags and many other “fun” things!! Thank you for the give away.
Debbie
I love making baby quilts with embroidery designs on them
Thanks Nancy
Rosie
My favorite baby things to embroider are quilts, burp cloths, clothes etc. This would be a wonderful aid for me.
Laura
It’s fun to embroider bibs for babies.
Lillian Klaeger
I like to embroider on burp clothes & “onesies”.
Doreen Linehan
I enjoy embroidering baby bibs & blankets. They’re easy to do and there’s so many options on what to embroider on them.
Judy Y
I love to monogram items for favorite folks and to put their name on useful things like kitchen aprons.
KayZee
I embroider receiving blankets and burp cloths.
Donita
Newborn hats and onsies
Jade
I would embroider a label for a baby quilt.
Martha
We have twins in the family so when they were born I embroidered a wall hanging with baby safari animals. For their first birthday I embroidered pillows to match.
Elizabeth Lewis
My favorite baby item this week is bibs. I am planning for a new granddaughter.
Jean Mersch
I have made baby quilts and instead of stippling or tying the quilts I embroidered little hearts every few inches to secure everything in place.
Cindy Schultz
Gosh, I don’t think I can name just one item. I love to machine embroider quilts, bibs, hooded towels, wall hangings, and t-shirts for babies. Babies are just so fun to make and embroider for.
Linda Browb
Love to embroider baby bibs, onesies, burp cloths, diaper bags and blankets.
Tammy W
I love to embroidery stuffed animals/in the hoop projects.
Kay
Onesies and socks
Sharon Davis
I like to make a lignhtweight blanket (more like a sheet) from batiste and embroidery the baby’s name, birthdate, etc. along with a sweet little baby rattle motif that I have had for a long time. I think it may have been a freebie from Singer website.
Pat
Onesies and burp cloths are my favorite baby items to embroider. I know this book would help me with the onesies. They are always tricky. Thanks for the information and chance to win.
Sharon Davis
I like to make a lightweight blanket (more like a sheet) from batiste and embroidery the baby’s name, birth date, etc. along with a sweet little baby rattle motif that I have had for a long time. I think it may have been a freebie from Singer website.
Cindy S.
I like to embroider baby bibs best. They are quick, and best of all, easy. Little clothes are a hooping nightmare!
Reneé S.
I like baby blankets and burp cloths. Thanks for showing so many tips and such on your programs. It really does help me and gives me confidence to try many projects I would never think of trying!
judy
All things Baby – blankets, bibs, shirts, toys, etc.
M Smith
I embroider everything to do with babies, they are my favorite ones to sew for, as they are happy to wear anything you make them and there’s very little fitting issues since they will grow into it. There’s also just so much you can make for babies and some really cute designs out there.
Cathy Smith
I like to embroider baby blankets.
Sharon K
I love to embroider bibs and burp cloths. One can never have to many of either!
Eileen Schleifer
My favorite baby item to embroider is onesies. You can add so much personality to this item with some simple embroider (with or without applique). The tiny onesies are a bit tricky to hoop, though. I also like to personlize baby bibs. Fun projects.
Cynthia Taylor
I’m pretty new to embroidery, but I have given burp cloths and hooded towels. They both were fun to make!
Joyce W.
I have embroidered bibs, burp clots and blankets.
Bibs are quick and easy to do.
Joyce W.
I have embroidered bibs, burp cloths and blankets.
Bibs are quick and easy to do.
Barbara Kahn
Still awaiting great grand babies!
Sharon Fiegle
I like to embroider baby quilts.
Katie F
I love to embroider christening gowns, onesies, and blankets.
beth
I embroider and monogram baby bibs and blankets.
Lisa Byers
I love doing baby gifts. Heirloom clothing and casual useful items such as bibs abs issues as well. Mostly as gifts for friends grandbabies and my own as well as my children’s friends who have children.
I also make little shirts for preemies in the NICU and love to embroider on them as well.
Joyce
Baby bibs and burp cloths. They are fast and fun. I just started embroidering and I love it. Still have a lot to learn.
Nancy Johnson
Babu quilts and baby burp clothes.
Nancy Johnson
Baby burp cloths.
Gail Beam
My favorite items to embroider for babies are towels, bibs, burp cloths, t-shirts, cotton diapers, and blankets. Thanks for the fabulous hooping video tutorials! One can never have enough hints and tips when it comes to machine embroidery.
Nancy Johnson
Burp cloths.
Polly
My favorite baby things to embroider are bibs and burp cloths
Linda Morales
I embroider burp towels, hats,bibs and recently I started initials and/or names on ladies hankies and they are all happy showing them off. This book would really be helpful.
Gail K
I’ve embroidered many different items for babies & my favorite is designing & embroidering quilt blocks for a special first baby quilt.
Peggy Bibb
I have embroidered many baby items but probably my favorite was a christening gown that was shared by siblings. Each name and date was added to the gown.
Jan
I love doing anything “baby,” but there are no babies in our family right now. However, oldest grandson will be getting married in a few months, so there is hope. Bibs are easy and so cute and useful, but my first great-grandbaby will have to have a special quilt.
betty smith
Several years ago I purchased 3 waffle cosmetic bags and wanted to embroider them. I wasn’t sure how to hoop for embroidery so I emailed Marie Z as I had seen the cosmetic bags on Sewing w/Nancy. Marie quickly emailed me with the correct way to hoop and embroider these bags. I’ve used this technique since and thank Marie silently everytime I hoop a difficult item. Thanks Marie
Patti Lawler
I like to embroider onesies. So many cute sayings & designs.
Vicki Byers
I like to make new mothers a zippered pouch that is lined with waterproof material so wet or sticky items can be placed in it. On the front I embroider the Bible verse,”For this child we have prayed.”
Adrienne DiIulio
Burb Clothes so far. I’m not very advanced using embroidery.
Charlene Popson
I love to embroider the Hooded Towels and Blankets. I’m looking forward to trying the onesies. Thanks for great information.
Virginia Anderton
The things that are most fun to embroider are bibs. They can include all kinds of pictures as well as sayings and/or initials. Fun, fun, fun.
Jen F.
I think that I have two that I like to embroider. I like to bibs and I like to do burp clothes with sayings that are over the shoulder so the people behind you can see it. LOL….there are some good sayings for that!!
Sunni
A hooded baby towel would be fun to try and so cute for the little one. New Moms have enjoyed (and used) the embroidered bibs I’ve made. It would be fun to add something different to my repetoire.
Sunni
A hooded baby towel would be fun to try and so cute for the little one. New Moms have enjoyed (and used) the embroidered bibs I’ve made. It would be fun to add something different to my repertoire.
Elsa Klompje
I love watching your videos, Nancy. You’re an expert sewer and inspire me no end.
I usually make embroidered baby quilts baby when there’s a new one on the way.
Liz O.
I am new at embroidery, but I like embroider bibs, grooming kit bags, changing pads and diaper bags. Thanks for the inspiration, video and chance to win!
L Watson
I like the idea of embroidering bibs, however I would love to try hooded towels.
Eve LaForte
Thank you for another great episode. Also glad to see you healthy again!!
Eve
Thank you for another great Episode!! Glad to see you are getting healthy again!
Debbie Freeman
Great information, thank you. My favorite baby item to embroider is self mitered baby blankets. Easy to personalize and fun to make. Quick too ☺️
E. Watson
I haven’t embroidered anything yet, but I would say that I would embroider baby blankets most often.