Frequently asked questions about multi-position hoops

Is stitching out a design with multiple hoop positions more difficult?

No, not necessarily. It takes a bit of practice and patience. However, as long as you are following the instructions on your machine, it isn’t too complicated.

Do I need to use special software to split the embroidery design when working with a multi-position hoop?

No, not necessarily. As mentioned earlier, some machines don’t require you to split the design prior to loading it on the embroidery machine. It all depends on the brand and model of your machine.

What is the benefit of using a multi-position hoop?

The biggest benefit of using a multi-position hoop is that it allows you to stitch out larger designs. This is especially useful for those who want to add extra detail and texture in their embroidery projects. Additionally, the split design also eliminates the need for re-hooping and trying to line up disparate designs so you can save time and effort and have much better looking results.

What other tips do you have for using a multi-position hoop?

One of the most important tips when working with a multi-position hoop is to make sure that your fabric is properly secured in the hoop before you start stitching. This will help ensure that the alignment of your design stays consistent.

Additionally, it is important to make sure that the hoop is tightly secured in each position as you stitch out the design. This will ensure that your stitches are not pulled or distorted. Finally, it’s a good idea to test out your multi-position hoop on some scrap fabric before stitching out your final project – just to be safe!

Moving Fabric Out of the Way Before Embroidering

Since you don’t want to accidentally stitch the front and back pieces of shirts and other two-layered items together, remember to always move the bottom extra material out of the way of the hoop.

If you have thick fabric, you need to place your hoop in the machine first and then start moving your fabric out of the way. If you gather it beforehand, you may end up with mounds too large to fit underneath the embroidery foot!

I like to use painter’s tape and hair clips to hold the fabric out of the way, but I also use pins, masking tape, binder clips, and even clothespins. It all depends on how much fabric there is and how difficult it is to manage! You’ll learn your preferences once you’ve embroidered your first several machine embroidery projects.

With a multi-needle embroidery machine, you do not need to worry about moving fabric out of the way because of its free arm.

What is a multi-position hoop?

A multi-position hoop is an embroidery hoop that attaches to your embroidery machine like a regular embroidery hoop. But it differs in that it attaches in (or moves into) two or more positions, allowing you to stitch out one part of your embroidery design with the hoop in one position, and the second (or third or fourth) part of your embroidery design while the hoop is in another position. The net result is that the embroidery design you stitch out can be larger than your max hoop area.

For example, on the very popular PE800 embroidery machine with a maximum embroidery area or 5” x 7”, you can get an embroidery hoop that expands your embroidery area to 5” x 12”. These extra 5 inches of length can really expand your creative possibilities, especially when it comes to stitching out in-the-hoop designs, many of which require a larger. embroidery area.

Stitching out a embroidery design with a multi-position embroidery hoop

The process of stitching out your embroidery design using a multi-position hoop is going to differ based on the type of machine you own, and how it handles the multi-position hoop.

Bernina MEGA Hoop

As I already mentioned, my Bernina did not require me to even split the design before it would stitch it out on my multi-position MEGA hoop. I’m guessing this is because Bernina actually makes this hoop and they want to make it as easy as possible for you to use it with your embroidery machine. Once I loaded the design in, attached it to the embroidery arm, the screen started providing visual cues as to where I needed to position my hoop in order for it to do the stitching.

The Bernina MEGA Hoop slides into three different positions while it is still attached to the machine. This is different from the multi-position hoops you would use on a Brother machine. These hoops need to be attached in one location and reattached in another so that you can stitch out one part of the design in one position and the other part of the design in another position.

My Bernina maintained the stitch order of the thread colors when stitching out this extra-large design. It would start the first color which was pink. The illustration on the screen indicated that I would need to slide my hoop into the first position. The it stitched out the pink part of the design. When it was done, it paused and gave me another visual cue to move it into the next position. Once i secured it in place and hit the start button, it continued stitching the pink elements in the design.

I found this method to be quite simple and relatively painless as it required the same number of thread color changes as if I were stitching on a regular embroidery hoop – just a movement of the hoop for each thread color I stitched out.

Brother Multi-Position Hoop

On a Brother embroidery machine the process is a little different.

Obviously – you must have a multi-position hoop. I bought this embroidery hoop set for the PE535 to get the multi-position hoop that would work on my little PE535. Hoop Tech offers a similar set of hoops for the PE770/PE800 embroidery machine.