Stitching frame from the thrifting store near my job

Embroidery hoops and frames are tools used to keep

fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

taut while working

embroidery Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen on c ...

or other forms of

needlework Needlework is decorative sewing and textile arts handicrafts. Anything that uses a needle for construction can be called needlework. Needlework may include related textile crafts such as crochet, worked with a hook, or tatting, worked with a ...

Hoops

An embroidery hoop or (earlier) tambour frame consists of a pair of concentric

circular Circular may refer to: * The shape of a circle * ''Circular'' (album), a 2006 album by Spanish singer Vega * Circular letter (disambiguation) ** Flyer (pamphlet), a form of advertisement * Circular reasoning, a type of logical fallacy * Circula ...

elliptical Elliptical may mean: * having the shape of an ellipse, or more broadly, any oval shape ** in botany, having an elliptic leaf shape ** of aircraft wings, having an elliptical planform * characterised by ellipsis (the omission of words), or by conc ...

rings. The larger ring has a tightening device, usually in the form of a metal screw. The artisan repositions the hoop as needed when working over a large piece of fabric. Embroidery hoops come in various sizes and are generally small enough to control with one hand and rest in the lap. Hoops were originally made of

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin th ...

bone A bone is a Stiffness, rigid Organ (biology), organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red blood cell, red and white blood cells, store minerals, provid ...

, or

ivory Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mammals is ...

;Christie, Grace: ''Embroidery and Tapestry Weaving'', London, John Hogg, 1912 modern hoops are made of wood or

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

.Reader's Digest ''Complete Guide to Needlework''. The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. (March 1992). , p. 10 Hoops may be attached to a table-top or floor stand when both hands must be free for sewing, as in making

tambour lace In classical architecture, a tambour ( Fr.: "drum") is the inverted bell of the Corinthian capital around which are carved acanthus leaves for decoration. The term also applies to the wall of a circular structure, whether on the ground or rais ...

. Standing floor frames and lap frames allow the crafter to keep both hands free for working, which increases the speed and precision of work performed.Wilson, Erica: ''Erica Wilson's Embroidery Book, New York: Scribner, 1973, p. 24. Very thin plastic hoops are also used in

machine embroidery Machine embroidery is an embroidery process whereby a sewing machine or embroidery machine is used to create patterns on textiles. It is used commercially in product branding, corporate advertising, and uniform adornment. It is also used in th ...

Scroll frames

A scroll frame or embroidery frame keeps the entire piece of fabric taut, rather than just the piece being worked. It is made of four pieces of wood: two rollers for the top and base, and two side pieces. Each of the rollers has a piece of fabric securely nailed or stapled along it and holes in its ends to hold the side pieces, which can be secured in place with wing nuts to adjust the width of the frame and the tautness of the stretched fabric. The ends of the ground fabric are

sew Sewing is the craft of fastening or attaching objects using stitches made with a sewing needle and thread. Sewing is one of the oldest of the textile arts, arising in the Paleolithic era. Before the invention of spinning yarn or weaving fabri ...

n to the rollers, which are turned until the area of the fabric to be worked is stretched within the frame. Frames are used in

needlepoint Needlepoint is a type of canvas work, a form of embroidery in which yarn is stitched through a stiff open weave canvas. Traditionally needlepoint designs completely cover the canvas. Although needlepoint may be worked in a variety of stitches, m ...

and other forms of

canvas work Canvas is an extremely durable plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, shelters, as a support for oil painting and for other items for which sturdiness is required, as well as in such fashion objects as handba ...

as well as embroidery. Image:Embroidery frame.jpg, Embroidery frame Image:Embroidery frame freestanding.jpg, Free-standing embroidery frame with fabric attached

Notes

References

*Christie, Grace (Mrs. Archibald): ''Embroidery and Tapestry Weaving'', London, John Hogg, 1912, als
online at Project Gutenberg
*Reader's Digest ''Complete Guide to Needlework''. The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. (March 1992). *Wilson, Erica ''Erica Wilson's Embroidery Book'', New York: Scribner, 1973. SBN 684-10655-8

External links

Embroidery frame c. 1740-1790 at Historic Hope Plantation
{{embroidery Embroidery equipment