Originally Posted by
judord
How else do you put it in the hoop without stabilizer?
I hoop just the stabilizer. I just pin it really well, then turn the speed way down and do the fix or outline stitching (or whatever you r brand of machine calls it) that secures the item outside the embroidery area. I babysit this process, then turn the speed back up & let it go. You need to make sure that the pins are outside the embroidery zone, but there's plenty of room.
Also, if you are embroidering on an item that's already sandwiched, you can hoop the whole sandwich without stabilizer. Can't do this with a really puffy batting, but W&N works fine. Do a test sandwich first!!