I have been looking at pros & cons of various hoops as I had surgery on my wrist some time back & using standard hoops is now a painful process. I had been leaning towards manetiic hoops as they looked fairly simple to use, though I'm not sure how well they would hold heavy or slippery fabrics. On a site promoting hoops that use sticky backing for anchoring the fabric to the hoop it stated that their hoops were advantageous over magna hoops because bobbin cases in embroidery machines are held in place by small magnets and the magnets on magnetic hoops would interfere with this, causing the bobbin case to loosen from its position eratically (rattling around) which in turn would spoil the embroidery stitching.

I have magna hoop, I do not used too often becuase it area size is limited,(my MH is ) My machine is 5x7 and the magna h goes less than 4x7 you can only used ofr small items.

1 comment

by crazystitcher 09 Aug 2011

thanks very much for this information - I really like to be able to stitch the larger designs, too

I believe all the "magnet" based hoops on the market (magna-hoop and snap-hoop) are safe for machines.

I too have hand issues and I use the sticky method. This is where you put a piece of sticky stabilizer on the back of the top hoop (then kind of pull around the edges to smooth it out) and then put the top hoop in the bottom hoop and then align and stick your item to the sticky. The only thing you hoop is a piece of stabilizer which is much easier than trying to hoop items and the stabilizer and trying to get it all lined up. You can also use regular stabilizer and spray glue - but I find the sticky works MUCH better for me.

There are lots of places that sell sticky stabilizer. I use mostly wash-away (I do lots of shirts) and I use the WorldWeidner for test stitches (less expensive) and Floriani (bought on sale) for the real stitching. I find the Floriani to be "stickier".

Maybe try the "sticky method" on something and see if it works for you before you spend the money on a magnet based hoop.

1 comment

by crazystitcher 09 Aug 2011

Thank-you very much for this information, the sticky stabilizer sounds like it is definitely worth a try.

I don't believe the bobbin case argument, when I take mine out for cleaning I never noticed anything of the kind.

I've got a set of magnetics hoops for my 4-needle machine and love them for small items or difficult to reach places. Placement is a bit more tricky, but with some extra care you get that right soon enough. I especially like them for extra thick materials and they handle slippery fabric nicely too.

You could of course hoop stabiliser in your usual hoops and pin, baste or stick your fabric to the stabiliser.

2 comments

by crazystitcher 09 Aug 2011

thanks for taking the time to answer my question - sorry if this is a silly question but how do they cope with holding heavy things in place? - e.g. with say a blanket or a coat, do you need to keep the whole item at table height or can you allow it(the un-hooped part) to hang down in front of the machine without the weight dragging the work out from the hoops?

by mops 10 Aug 2011

You don't let the unhooped part drag, you wouldn't do that if hooped either. The magnets are strong enough, but the drag might impair the movement of your hoop and that would mess up your embroidery.
You can drape the loose parts around your machine in such a way you allow for movement or use an ironing board close to your machine to support it.

I hope to read some ideas and knowledge about this question.
I have always been told that anything magnetic near a computerised machine would interfere with the working of the machine.
AlmaG.

1 comment

by crazystitcher 09 Aug 2011

thanks - glad to know I'm not the only one who is a bit concerned about magnets and their possible effeects on our precious machines