How to make an in-the-hoop mask

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Halloween is the perfect opportunity to get creative. It’s fun to come up with wacky and weird outfits using unconventional materials laying around your house. And – if you are lucky enough to own an embroidery machine – you’ve got yourself a Halloween costume secret weapon. You can make tons of silly and functional Halloween accessories in-the-hoop on your embroidery machine. And one of the fastest, easiest, and least expensive ones to make is a mask. In this article – I’ll show you exactly how to make an in-the-hoop mask on your embroidery machine.

Note: you will need an embroidery hoop that can accommodate at least a 5” x 7” embroidery design.

Contents show

Embroidery Hoop as a Frame?

The “hoop art” look is not for everyone, and I’ll admit that I wasn’t the biggest fan of it when I first started embroidery. To me, the embroidery hoop was only temporary, a tool to help me as I embroidered, but nothing more. I much preferred framing my pieces in real frames. It takes a bit more time and it can get more expensive, but it looks really stunning and suits certain styles of embroidery a lot better. Over time though, I’ve come to appreciate a good hoop as a frame.

For one thing, embroidery hoops are generally much cheaper than traditional frames, and for another it really is easier to leave it in. The fabric is already all nice and taut, and the placement of the screw allows you to hang it on the wall very easily.

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The Tutorial

1. First, there are two measurements we need, from the inside hoop ring. Gently pull it out from your work (or if you happen to have a second hoop of the same size, use that one!) and trace around the outside on a piece of light cardboard or cardstock paper. Cut the shape along the line you just traced and set it aside for now.

2. The second measurement we need from the inside ring is optional. Since I’m finishing a piece of rather heavy embroidery because of the beads, I’ve decided to add another layer of fabric to the back. I traced the inside circumference of the inner ring on a piece of felt (the felt I deemed too bright to show on the back) and cut it out. We can also set it aside for now.

3. Now we need to trim the hoop allowance of the main fabric to about a ½” seam allowance all around.

4. Once that’s done, flip the hoop to the wrong side and place the piece of felt inside the hoop if you’ve decided to add it.

5. Then, run a gathering stitch (running stitch) around the seam allowance to gather it against the inner hoop. Secure your thread and snip.