If you've been around for any length of time, you know I am a stickler for tight fabric. I often remind my stitchers that you want to be able to flick that fabric and hear a drum echoing back at you. This is easily achieved by (1) a good quality hoop and (2) two layers of fabric. But...recently I've been running into a problem. A saggy one at that.
When you trace your own design onto fabric using one of our Pilot FriXion pens, you have to first pull your fabric tight tight tight. This means you have the tightest possible tension right off the bat. But what about when you print on your fabric? In that case, you're printing directly onto relaxed fabric. Pull too hard and you risk distorting the printed design or stretching it off-grain.
This isn't always an issue. Sometimes you have enough room around the design to pull as tight as possible and "enlarge" the design, so to speak. But other times, you have no wiggle room, and you can't tighten your fabric as much as you'd like.
Enter...Hoop Grip!
What is it?
Hoop Grip is a non-slip fabric tape. It has a sticky adhesive on one side and a gentle grip on the other to keep your fabric from slipping.
How to Use it
1. Unscrew your hoop and grab the inner circle (the piece without the fastener). Pull out some Hoop Grip, measure it around the inner circle, and cut to size.
2. Remove a small portion of the yellow backing to reveal the adhesive side.
3. Slowly peel back the yellow backing as you press the grip down onto your hoop. Continue until you've gone all the way around.
4. Add your fabric as normal (I still use two pieces. Can never have too much tension 😉). Right away you'll notice you have to unscrew your outer ring quite a bit to make it fit. Be sure to only unscrew it just enough so that it fits. Now simply finish preparing your hoop, gently pulling the fabric evenly on all sides and continuing to tighten your screw as you go.
Who is this for?
So…is it worth it?
If you struggle with saggy fabric? Yes. 100%.
If you enjoy printing on fabric (or even buy our printed fabric)? Yes.
If you enjoy using irregularly shaped frames? Yes.
If you enjoy a plastic hoop for stitching and know it keeps your tension just fine? Nope.
If you are a tension QUEEN who needs no help? Nope. 😉
Needless to say this is a great find but not a necessity, so don't hear me saying that. I've gone the last 12 years of stitching without this product. But did I find it incredibly helpful? Yes!
So what do you think? Hit reply and tell me, will you try it?
P.S. If you want to try Hoop Grip with one of our printed kits, start here!
