100 Details in 100 Days: Day 11

I missed a day, because I was feeling puny, so today is my chance to catch-up! :-)

A word about hoops...

Hoops are very personal items. I own a wide variety of styles and sizes and I use different ones for different tasks. Most hoops work better if you wrap the inner ring with bias tape.

For Punch Needle Embroidery, I use a 4 inch Susan Bates or the new 4.5 inch Clover embroidery hoop, because they both have a pronounced lip and the fabric can be held very taut. Plus they are small, cheap and easy to use.

For Crewel and Stumpwork Embroidery, I use a six inch European style wooden hoop, with an adjustable brass screw. This type of wooden hoop is much more substantial than the kind you might find in the local big box craft store. Someone borrowed and never returned my favorite hoop, a German made hardwood hoop that I purchased at Needle in a Haystack in Alameda California. While in Atlanta to take classes from Judy Jeroy at the EGA National Seminar, I bought some wonderful wooden hoops that work with a table clamp made by Tristan Brooks Designs. For this kind of hoop, you will want a stubby slotted screwdriver for tightening. You will know it is tight enough for this kind of work when it literally squeaks!

For surface and silk ribbon embroidery and quilting (including Crazy Quilting) I prefer to use a Q-Snap. Q-Snaps are square PVC bases, with plastic clamps. It keeps me from clamping or hooping over beaded or delicate places. I use a hoop that is slightly larger than my embroidered area, with the base fabric secured under the clamps. Some people have reported trouble with snagging or too loose of a fit. Both of these problems are easily remedied by putting a piece of cotton flannel under the plastic clamp.

Avoid bamboo hoops, unless you plan to sand and wrap every one of them.