How to finish an embroidery hoop

To finish an embroidery hoop for display, center the piece in the hoop, tighten it, trim the fabric to an inch or two (2.5 to 5 cm) beyond the edge, sew a running stitch around that margin, and pull the thread so the fabric gathers in behind the work. Cover the gathers with a circle of felt if you want a tidy back.

That method needs only a needle and thread, and you can take the piece out again later. Glue is quick but permanent. Both are below, along with how to frame embroidery without a hoop.

Ways to finish the back of a hoop

Before you finish

1. Remove pen marks and wash the piece if it needs it. See how to wash. Let it dry.
2. Press it face down on a soft, padded surface so the stitches are cushioned and not flattened.
3. Choose the hoop you want on the wall. A plain bamboo hoop can be painted or wrapped with ribbon first.
4. If the fabric is thin or pale and the back might show through, lay a piece of plain backing fabric behind the embroidery and put both layers in the hoop together, with no wrinkles.
5. Put the piece in the hoop with the screw at the top and the design centered and straight. Pull the fabric taut and smooth, then tighten the screw. A screwdriver helps with the last turn, but do not force it or you can strip the screw.

Get the front right now. The way it looks at this point is the way it will look when you are done.

How to finish a hoop with a running stitch

1. Turn the hoop face down. Trim the fabric in a circle, leaving an even margin of about 1 to 1.5 inches (2.5 to 4 cm). On a hoop wider than about 6 inches (15 cm) you can leave up to 2 inches (5 cm). Keep the margin narrower than half the width of the hoop, or the fabric will overlap in the middle.
2. Thread a needle with sewing thread, or a sturdier thread such as pearl cotton, long enough to go all the way around the hoop. Do not knot it. Leave a tail hanging at the start.
3. Sew a running stitch all the way around, near the cut edge. Stitches about half an inch (about 1.3 cm) long are fine.
4. When you are back at the start, pull both ends of the thread gently. The margin gathers in behind the work. Keep pulling until no fabric shows past the hoop. Go slowly, because the thread can snap.
5. Tie the two ends in a firm knot and trim them.

You can stop here and leave the back open.

How to add a felt backing

1. Trace around the inner ring of the hoop on a piece of felt and cut out the circle. This is easiest before the piece goes into the hoop for the last time, while the ring is free.
2. If you want to sign or date the piece, stitch that onto the felt now.
3. Gather the back with a running stitch as above, then lay the felt over the gathers and pin it.
4. Sew the edge of the felt to the gathered fabric with small whip stitches or a blanket stitch.

If you back the hoop with woven fabric instead of felt, cut it with pinking shears or fuse interfacing to it so the edge does not fray.

To hide the back without sewing, slip a circle of paper inside the hoop before you pull the gathering thread. Or cut a circle of card a hair smaller than the inside of the inner ring, gather the fabric loosely, and push the card in. If it fits well it stays put without glue.

How to finish a hoop with glue

1. Trim the fabric so the margin is just wide enough to fold over the inner ring: the depth of the ring plus the width of its edge. For a ring 1 cm deep that is about 1.2 cm, or just under half an inch.
2. On all but thin fabric, snip into the margin every 1 to 2 cm (about 3/8 to 3/4 inch) so it folds over without pleats.
3. For a covered back, set a circle of felt or paper inside the ring now.
4. Put fabric glue, craft glue or hot glue on the inside of the inner ring and its edge, a short stretch at a time, and press the margin onto it bit by bit.

Know what you are giving up. A glued piece cannot be taken out of the hoop to be washed or finished another way. Save glue for quick decorations.

How to hang a hoop

Hang the hoop on a nail or a hook by its screw, or drape a loop of string over the screw and hang it by that.

Keep embroidery out of direct sunlight. All light fades dyes, and daylight does the most damage. Keep it somewhere dry too, because heat and damp speed up wear and invite mold. A hoop has no glass, so dust it now and then with a soft cloth.

How to frame embroidery without a hoop

Not every design looks right in a round hoop. A picture frame is the other way to show it, with the fabric laced evenly taut over a board.

1. Wash and press the piece as above.
2. Cut a piece of acid-free mat board or acid-free foam board to fit the frame opening. Cut it a little small, because the fabric wrapped around it takes up room.
3. Center the embroidery on the board. A clear ruler helps you space it evenly from the sides.
4. Fold the fabric over one edge and push pins through it into the edge of the board, starting at the center of that side and working out toward each corner. Then pin the opposite side, then the last two. Pull the fabric snug but not so tight that it warps, and keep it square with the board.
5. Turn it over. With a long length of strong thread, lace back and forth between two opposite flaps of fabric, pulling the thread snug as you go. Lace the other two flaps the same way. Then take the pins out.
6. Fit it in the frame.

Lacing can be undone later with a few snips. A second way skips the lacing: use stainless steel pins, which do not rust, leave them in the board, and tape the flaps to the back of the board with framer's tape.

Glass or acrylic keeps dust off, but it should not touch the stitching. A mat or spacers hold it away from the fabric. If the piece will hang in daylight, glazing with an ultraviolet filter cuts down that part of the damage.

Other ways to show a finished piece: stretch it over a small artist's canvas, make it into a banner, or mount it on a card.

Common problems

• The design is off center or tilted. Fix it before you trim. Loosen the screw, shift the fabric, and tighten again.
• The fabric loosens in the hoop. Tighten the screw. With a running stitch finish you can also take the piece out and start again. Binding the inner ring with cotton twill tape before the final hooping gives the hoop more grip.
• You trimmed too close to gather. Use the glue method, which needs only enough margin to fold over the inner ring.
• The gathers press against the front and show. This happens easily with thin hoops. A circle of thin felt tucked inside the hoop smooths the front again.
• The gathers bunch up and stand proud in the middle. The margin is too wide. Trim it narrower and gather again.
• There is a crease where the hoop sat. Dampen the piece and press it face down on a padded surface, or pin it out square on a board, mist it with water and let it dry. A hoop left on for a long time can leave a mark that may not come out, so if you take a displayed piece out, put it back in the same place.

For hoop diameters and which size suits which pattern, see hoop sizes.