Originally Posted by Cari-in-Oly

I struggled with hooping for a while when I got my first machine. Floating sometimes helped but there would inevitably be some puckering somewhere which drives me crazy. I don't remember where I first read this, "Taut, not tight". A light bulb went off and I finally got it. Everyone teaches to hoop the project and stabilizer tightly, which to me meant really tight like you do for hand embroidery. No, no,no. Just tight enough so it's not saggy or have gathers in the corners. With machine embroidery, every stitch pulls, no matter which direction the hoop is moving. The stabilizer helps prevent the pull from puckering but if what's in the hoop is so tight there's no give at all, it's gonna pucker and gather in places, more so with denser designs, and can even tear your fabric. Once I learned to lighten up on how tight I hoop my project things got much better. Now, heavy thick things like towels or thick fluffy Christmas stockings I don't hoop those but I pin them around the edge to the hooped stabilizer.

Cari