In-the-Hoop Embroidery Designs: My Newest Obsession

Embroidery machines are so much fun! I love adding designs and monograms to the things I sew. But did you know your embroidery machine can do so much more than stitch out pictures and letters?

With an in-the-hoop (ITH) design, your embroidery machine can practically sew a complete project all by itself. If you've never tried ITH designs before, prepare to have your mind blown.

What Is an In-the-Hoop Design?

An in-the-hoop design is a stitch file with multiple steps that guide you through creating a finished project, almost entirely inside the hoop of your embroidery machine. You start by hooping a piece of stabilizer, then follow the steps as your machine prompts you to add fabric and stitches at each stage.

Think of it as applique on steroids. I've seen in-the-hoop designs for zipper pouches, holiday decorations, bookmarks, and even fully assembled stuffed animals!

My ITH Teddy Bear

This cute teddy bear? I made it almost entirely on my embroidery machine using an in-the-hoop design from Planet Applique. I picked it up during a Christmas sale.

The design stitched out the arms, legs, body, and head as separate hooped pieces. When everything was done, I attached all the parts together using standard doll joints. I made a few mistakes figuring out the head, but I'm so happy with how it turned out. It's hard to believe it was made on an embroidery machine!

Are In-the-Hoop Designs Hard to Follow?

They do have a lot of steps, but don't let that intimidate you. Honestly, I think ITH designs are much easier to follow than traditional sewing patterns because every step is guided by your machine. You just follow along. And because the machine is doing most of the stitching, projects come together much faster than they would by hand.

If you want a little extra guidance before diving in, Sweet Pea offers an in-the-hoop embroidery class online that's a great starting point.

What Size Hoop Do You Need?

This is where things get a little tricky. Most in-the-hoop designs require a large embroidery hoop to work well. I have the Bernette b79, which comes with a 6"x10" hoop. It works for a lot of ITH designs, but I do wish it were larger.

Embroidery machines with 10"x14" hoops or bigger open up a whole world of ITH possibilities, but they come with a much higher price tag, often $8,000 or more. My Bernette b79 cost over $2,000, which felt like the right balance for me.

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My advice: buy the embroidery machine with the largest hoop you can afford. You won't regret it when you start exploring in-the-hoop designs!

If you already love your embroidery machine, in-the-hoop designs are going to take that love to a whole new level. There's something incredibly satisfying about pulling a finished project out of the hoop that looks like it took days to make.

Have you tried any in-the-hoop designs? I'd love to hear about them in the comments!