Using the 2D Template

This is the most useful alignment aid. The 2D template shows the whole embroidery at the size it will be stitched out. Each hoop area is marked by corners and a large + in the center.

The hoop area corners show the extreme points of the stitchable area within the hoop. If you have a hoop template supplied with your hoop, this corresponds to the stitchable area shown on the hoop template, usually marked as a grid.

The template starts in the top left corner and works across and down to the bottom right corner. When cutting out and joining the pages together, you may find it easier to leave the first page uncut, then cut the dashed edge of the next page before aligning it to the first page and taping it in place. Continue like this until all the pages are joined together.

You can also use the template as a guide to the size of your piece of fabric. The template shows the overall stitchable area that will be hooped, but you will need to allow extra fabric around the edges for physically hooping up the fabric.

Use the template to mark hoop centers on the fabric. Use a pin to punch a hole through the template at each hoop center. Pin the template to the fabric and mark the fabric through each hole. If the point that is marked will be stitched over and hidden, use a pencil or a pen to mark the center point. If the point will be on open fabric, use a light-reactive fading pen.

Deciding the Stitchout Order

General Alignment Considerations

Using Other Alignment Aids

Stitching Out the First Section

Aligning a Section to Previous Sections