I've been embroidering since I was a kid and there is only one type of embroidery hoop I know; a round wood one with a screw for tightening it.
When I was talking to my sister today she was lamenting not being able to find her favourite hoop. So, I figured I'd just bring up the same round hoop on Amazon and send her one. At one time I had a set of steel hoops with cork inlay for holding the fabric, that had a spring on the outer ring so there wasn't any tightening adjustment, but it has disappeared. It didn't hold as tight as the screw type, but it was real easy to use especially for older people who might have difficulty tightening the screw. (Who am I lidding, I'm starting to have trouble!)
I just went online to look for the simple little hoop I'm accustomed to and WOW have times changed!
There is the typical wood variety:
Then the more modern plastic ones:
The same thing in oval:
There is a square type:
There is a rectangular variety with the screw on the corner:
Then there is a peculiar spring type hoop:
Have you ever tried a clip frame?:
I learned cross stitch on a plastic round with a screw, and so I like the feel of plastic hoops. Wood feels unfinished to my hands, but they’re also lighter which makes a big difference in large projects! Also the screw type makes a firmer tension in the cloth than the spring does in my experience. If you don’t need tight tension, or want to take the piece out of the hoop frequently, then spring is probably better. I just got a snap in square, which I haven’t tried yet but am looking forward to using!
ReplyDeleteI also thought hoops only came as round wood with a screw. At least that is what our Romanian craft shops sell, but it figures that online you'd find more variety. I like the way the wooden one works, though I admit I only used it to hem things straight...
ReplyDeleteframes are nice. qsnap or roller bar are my favs.
ReplyDeleteas is stitching in hand