ImagesMagUK_August_20

Traditional tubular hoops require a tight fit between the inner and outer or upper and lower hoop to provide tension across the embroidery area. This tight fit can cause shine or discolouration, often referred to as ‘hoop burn’. Steaming will often counteract this ‘burn’. However, some embroiderers prefer to place a layer of reusable stabiliser on top of the garment before pressing down the upper/inner hoop to protect and prevent some abrasion of the garment. The garment is then embroidered via a window cut from the centre of the stabiliser embroidering for some time will undoubtedly remember using flat frame fixtures and ‘spiders’ or ‘spectacle’ frames, which were similar to what a hand- embroiderer might use, and were indexed to the pantograph by the lugs into which the adjustment screw was fitted. Most embroiderers, however, are used to a ‘tubular’ hooping set up; this removes the table from the embroidery machine and allows the garment to be ‘threaded’ over the machine’s cylinder arm. Where once you had to roll the garment out from under the sewing area on all sides awkwardly, the tubular mounting method allows the cylinder arm to be inside of the ‘tube’ of a finished garment. Tubular frames have arms to both sides that clip into the arms on the pantograph of your machine. Almost all apparel work will be done in this tubular format, though you may see similar tubular- style hoops for large areas like the open back of jackets supported by a table, or ‘sash’ frames that allow for the secure stretching and clipping of a span of flat fabric for table-based stitching on wide- format pieces. Within the class of tubular frames are a couple of options commonly seen in shops: traditional hoops that rely on the tension between an inner hoop (attached to the aforementioned horizontally mounted arms) that presses into an outer hoop. These hoops maintain tension through the tight fit maintained between the two hoops and require the outer hoop to be adjusted for tightness with a screw based on the thickness of the garment being hooped and the stabiliser used in the hooping process. The second, and ever more popular, type of tubular hoop is the magnetic hoop. Magnetic hoops maintain tension through the use of rare earth magnets placed regularly around the perimeter of the upper and lower hoop ‘rings’, using the force of the magnets to achieve an even tension around the area without relying on the shear-like force of the traditional inset hoop. In a traditional inner/outer hoop arrangement, the most even tension will be from a round hoop, as rectangular hoops can generally only maintain tension in the corners, often allowing the sides, top and bottom to slip between the inner and outer rings. As magnetic hoops maintain a clamping force at regular points all along the sides of the hoop rings, they are able to maintain a more even and secure tension throughout the sewing area, even with rectangular hoop shapes, hence why magnetic hoops are usually rectangular, while most traditional hoops are round. Traditional tension hoops are less expensive per hoop and easy to position and move as you hoop, but require a fair amount of force to insert, causing stress on operators’ hands and wrists. Magnetic hoops cause no such stress, but snap together forcefully, making manual hooping without hooping boards/aids more difficult to manage. Moreover, they can take a considerable amount of force to separate and can be somewhat of a pinch hazard. That said, the ‘rings’ or ‘burns’ that discolour or create a sheen on garments due to tight hooping are also reduced when using a magnetic hoop. Selecting between the two is often a matter of personal ease and preference; many who favour using hooping aids and jigs to create repeatable hooping positions are quick to adopt magnetic hoops, as the use of such jigs makes them much easier to handle. Moreover, they are favourites of those who frequently embroidery large, bulky jacket backs, as thick, seam-ridden panels can This hooping fixture features a stabiliser-holding mechanism made of magnetic flaps that close over pre- cut squares, holding the stabiliser firmly in place while the garment and upper hoop are put into position The smallest hoop that can comfortably fit your decoration is the right choice for any embroidery. This hoop has just enough room for the decoration shown and small text treatment to be placed directly underneath www.images-magazine.com AUGUST 2020 images 83 KB TIPS & TECHNIQUES