Quilting With Magnetic Hoops: Creating a Template

Last week, I showed you just how easy it is to use the Snap Hoop Monster magnetic hoop. Next, learn how to create a template you can use to stitch quilting motifs from edge to edge.

Quilting an All-Over Design

Magnetic hoops like the Snap Hoop Monster are a wonderful tool for quilting an all-over design on objects that exceed my hoop size. First, you need to create a template.

I am using an edge-to-edge quilting design from Amelie Scott Designs’ book Edge-to-Edge Quilting With Your Embroidery Machine. Sometimes we digitizers like to use other digitizers’ work. Just like Nancy Zieman used to say, “I go out to eat just like everybody else so I don't sew everything I own.” 

Making a Quilting Template

Print out a paper template for the design you wish to use. Depending on the size, you may have to print the design template in tile mode and tape the pieces together. (Note: Make sure you're printing at 100%.)

A better way is to stitch out the design on a piece of medium tearaway stabilizer. This will not only save you time from printing and pasting the template together, it will also hold up better than paper for multiple hoopings. You need something with a little bit of body that you can still somewhat see through.

Stitched templates are going to be your most accurate template over anything that is printed. They are quite durable. I've used this for the whole quilt and could use it for another quilt altogether.

While the template stabilizer is still in the hoop, mark centers and create a crosshair on the stabilizer. Then, draw all the way around the inside of the hoop. Trim on that line and you have an accurate, durable template that will lay inside the hoop.

Why Use a Stitched Template?

Printed templates are 99.9 percent accurate but they might be just a teeny tiny hair off. Because they're printed, they're not the actual McCoy. It proves the old adage that “a copy of a copy of a copy is never as good as the original.” Sometimes, I've seen where a printed template was printing at 90 percent instead of 100 percent of actual size. So, I like the idea of using an actual stitched template.

For this little quilt, I did my first two hoopings with my standard hoop and, frankly, it was a pain in the fanny. I struggled trying to clamp down all three layers and keep everything straight. The magnetic hoop was much easier to use.

 

If the two hoops are not quite lined up, you can just slide them over in place. Feel the edges with your fingers and make sure that all the edges of your two hoops line up.

Gently pull fabric to snug it up or make slight adjustments. The magnets won’t stretch fabric like clamped hoops can.

I like that I don't have to re-hoop everything if something is a little bit off so that was kind of neat. It saved me a lot of time.

See the full video here. 

May your day be blessed with perfect stitches and GlitterFlex!!