§ GLOSSARY · HOOP
HOOP
The frame that holds fabric taut and registers it to the machine so the design stitches in the intended position.
Embroidery vocabularyPlain-English definition
WHAT IT MEANS
An embroidery hoop is two concentric rings (inner and outer) that clamp the fabric and stabilizer between them. The outer ring locks the fabric to the machine's pantograph; the inner ring keeps the work area flat under the needle. Hoop size and shape define the design's maximum stitchable area.
WHEN IT MATTERS
Picking the wrong hoop is one of the most common job-killers: a design that exceeds the hoop's safe-field has to be re-hooped (with the registration problems that come with it) or split into multiple passes.
SEE ALSO