This little trick will help keep your projects hooped securely and
it won’t break the bank!
The secret weapon is a simple T-pin. Personally, I like the
1.5-inch size.
Insert the pin through both layers of fabric and
stabilizer on top, against the hoop, right where they come out of the hoop.
Then, insert the pin along the top edge of the hoop, parallel to the hoop edge,
to keep layers tight and flat. Pin around the hoop edge.
Where this is really handy is with larger hoops. The bigger the
hoop, the more lose that the sides can become. T-pins keep stabilizer and
fabric from shifting.
The pins also help when stitching applique and quilting
designs where you need to remove and reattach the hoop multiple times or have
layers of stabilizer, fabrics, and batting.
I find it most useful when stitching in-the-hoop projects
using a fabric-type water-soluble stabilizer,
particularly if the project is not finished in one sitting. Even when snug, the
WSS can relax in the hoop. That can cause issues with registration and
puckering.
To make pinning even easier, the DIME
Hoop Mat (in the background) keeps the hoop from sliding around.
Debbie SewBlest