What Is Floating In Embroidery? 5 Easy Steps to Float Garments for Embroidery

In this post, I’m going to answer this commonly asked question, “ What Is Floating In Embroidery?”

Embroidery is a beautiful way to decorate and personalize your garments, such as shirts, jackets, hats, bags, and more. However, not all garments are easy to embroider using the traditional hooping method.

Hooping is the process of securing the fabric between two frames that hold it tight and flat while embroidering. Hooping can help you achieve even and precise stitches, but it can also cause problems for some fabrics and items.

For example, some fabrics are too thick, delicate, or stretchy to be hooped without damaging or affecting their shape. Some items are too small, too bulky, or too irregular to fit in the hoop. Some designs are too large or too close to the edge of the fabric to be hooped properly.

In these cases, you may want to use a technique called floating. Floating is when you hoop only the stabilizer and then attach the garment on top of it. The stabilizer is a material that supports the fabric and prevents it from moving or tearing while embroidering.

Embroidery is a craft that involves creating decorative designs on fabric using a needle and thread. Embroidery can be done by hand or by machine, and it can be used to embellish clothing, accessories, home decor, and more.

However, not all fabrics are easy to embroider. Some fabrics are too small, too thick, or too delicate to be hooped. Hooping is securing the fabric in a round or rectangular frame that holds it tight and flat while embroidering. Hooping can help you achieve even stitches and prevent puckering or distortion of the fabric.

But what if you want to embroider on something that cannot be hooped, such as a towel, a card, a stuffed animal, a shoe, or a hat? This is where floating comes in.

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What Is Floating?

Floating is a technique that allows you to embroider items that are too small, too thick, or too delicate to be hooped.

Instead of hooping the fabric, you hoop the stabilizer and then attach the fabric on top of it. The stabilizer is a material that supports the fabric and prevents it from stretching or tearing while embroidering.

There are different ways to secure the fabric to the stabilizer, such as using temporary adhesive spray, tape, sticky stabilizer, basting box, or magnets. The method you choose depends on the type and size of the fabric, the design you want to embroider, and your personal preference.

Why Use Floating?

Floating can help you embroider on various items that are otherwise difficult to hoop. For example:

Towels: They are thick and fluffy, making them hard to hoop without crushing the pile. By floating them on top of the stabilizer, you can preserve their texture and avoid hoop marks.
Cards: Cards are thin and rigid, making them impossible to hoop without bending or breaking them. By floating them on top of the stabilizer, you can create beautiful embroidered cards for any occasion.
Stuffed Animals: Stuffed animals are soft and cuddly, which can make them hard to hoop without squishing them. By floating them on top of the stabilizer, you can add some personality and charm to your plushies.
Shoes: Shoes are thick and curved, which can make them hard to hoop without damaging them. By floating them on top of the stabilizer, you can customize your footwear with your favorite designs.
Hats: Hats are thick and round, making them hard to hoop without distorting them. By floating them on top of the stabilizer, you can create stylish embroidered hats for yourself or as gifts.

Floating can also prevent hoop marks and damage on fabrics that are sensitive to pressure, such as silk, satin, velvet, leather, or vinyl. By floating these fabrics on top of the stabilizer, you can protect them from being stretched or scratched by the hoop.

How to Use Floating?

To use floating in embroidery, you need to follow these steps:

Choose a Suitable Stabilizer for Your Fabric and Design: You can use either cut-away or tear-away stabilizer, depending on how permanent or removable you want it to be. Cut-away stabilizer is more durable and stays on the fabric after trimming the excess. Tear-away stabilizer is more temporary and can be torn off after embroidering.

Hoop the Stabilizer In Your Embroidery Machine’s Hoop: Make sure it is tight and smooth without any wrinkles or gaps.

Attach the Fabric to the Stabilizer Using One of these Methods:

Temporary adhesive spray: Spray a thin layer of adhesive on the back of the fabric and press it onto the stabilizer. Make sure it is aligned and centered with your design.
Tape: Use masking tape or painter’s tape to secure the edges of the fabric to the stabilizer. Make sure it does not cover any part of your design.
Sticky stabilizer: Use a type of stabilizer that has an adhesive backing that peels off like a sticker. Peel off the paper backing and stick the fabric onto the stabilizer. Make sure it is aligned and centered with your design.
Basting box: Use your embroidery machine’s basting function to stitch a box around your design area. This will hold the fabric in place while embroidering.
Magnets: Use strong magnets to hold the fabric onto the stabilizer. Make sure they do not interfere with your embroidery machine’s operation or damage your needle.

Load Your Embroidery Machine With Your Thread Color(s) and Needle Size(s): Adjust your tension and speed settings if needed.

Start Embroidering Your Design: Ensure to check your progress regularly and trim any loose threads or jump stitches as you go.

How to Float Your Garments For Embroidery?

To float your garments for embroidery, you need to follow these steps:

Choose a suitable stabilizer for your garment and design. You can use either cut-away or tear-away stabilizer, depending on how permanent or removable you want it to be. Cut-away stabilizer is more durable and stays on the fabric after trimming the excess. Tear-away stabilizer is more temporary and can be torn off after embroidering.
Hoop the stabilizer in your embroidery machine’s hoop. Make sure it is tight and smooth without any wrinkles or gaps.
Attach the garment to the stabilizer using one of these methods:

Temporary adhesive spray: Spray a thin layer of adhesive on the back of the garment and press it onto the stabilizer. Make sure it is aligned and centered with your design.
Tape: Use masking tape or painter’s tape to secure the edges of the garment to the stabilizer. Make sure it does not cover any part of your design.
Sticky stabilizer: Use a type of stabilizer that has an adhesive backing that peels off like a sticker. Peel off the paper backing and stick the garment onto the stabilizer. Make sure it is aligned and centered with your design.
Basting box: Use your embroidery machine’s basting function to stitch a box around your design area. This will hold the garment in place while embroidering.
Magnets: Use strong magnets to hold the garment onto the stabilizer. Make sure they do not interfere with your embroidery machine’s operation or damage your needle.

Load your embroidery machine with your thread color(s) and needle size(s). Adjust your tension and speed settings if needed.
Make sure to check your progress regularly and trim any loose threads or jump stitches as you go.
When your embroidery is done, remove the hoop from the machine and unhoop the stabilizer. Trim or tear away the excess stabilizer around your design. If you used adhesive spray, tape, or sticky stabilizer, you may need to wash or iron your garment to remove any residue.

How Do You Align An Embroidery Hoop?

An embroidery hoop can help you achieve neat and even stitches, but it can also cause problems if it is not aligned properly.

If your embroidery hoop is not properly aligned, your fabric may shift or wrinkle while embroidering, resulting in distorted or misaligned designs. To avoid this, you need to align your embroidery hoop correctly before you start embroidering.

How To Align Your Embroidery Hoop?

To align your embroidery hoop, you need to follow these steps:

Mark the center of your fabric and your design. You can use a water-soluble pen, a tailor’s chalk, or a pin to mark the center point of your fabric and your design.

You can also use a ruler or a tape measure to find the center point by measuring the length and width of your fabric and your design and dividing them by two.

Loosen the screw or the clamp on the top of the hoop. This will allow you to separate the inner and outer rings of the embroidery hoop.
Place the inner ring on a flat surface. Make sure it is clean and smooth without any dirt or dust.
Place the fabric over the inner ring. Make sure the right side of the fabric is facing up and the center mark of the fabric is aligned with the center mark of the inner ring.

Depending on your machine manufacturer, there should be either small marks on your inside hoop or at least a plastic grid that comes with your machine. You can use a permanent marker or fingernail polish to add marks or enhance existing ones on the inner hoop frame if needed.

Place the outer ring over the fabric and the inner ring. Make sure the screw or the clamp is facing up and the center mark of the outer ring is aligned with the center mark of the fabric and the inner ring. Press down gently to fit the outer ring over the inner ring, sandwiching the fabric between them.
Tighten the screw or the clamp on the top of the hoop. Do not over-tighten it as it may damage your fabric or your hoop. Just make sure it is secure enough to hold your fabric in place without any slack or wrinkles.
Adjust your fabric if needed. You can gently pull or smooth your fabric around the edges of the hoop to make sure it is taut and flat without any puckering or distortion.
Trim any excess fabric if needed. You can use scissors or a rotary cutter to trim any excess fabric around the hoop, leaving about an inch outside the hoop. This will prevent any interference with your embroidery machine or needle.
Load your embroidery machine with your thread color(s) and needle size(s). Adjust your tension and speed settings if needed.
Start embroidering your design. Make sure to check your progress regularly and trim any loose threads or jump stitches as you go.

How To Re-Align Your Embroidery Hoop?

Sometimes, you may need to re-align your embroidery hoop during or after embroidering, due to various reasons, such as:

Your embroidery hoop was knocked out of place by accident or by your embroidery machine.
Your power was interrupted and you had to reload your design.
Your design was too large for your hoop and you had to split it into multiple parts.
Your design was too close to the edge of your fabric and you had to re-hoop it.

To re-align your embroidery hoop, you need to follow these steps:

Turn off your embroidery machine. This will prevent any damage to your machine or needle.
Do not unhoop your fabric. This will help you preserve your original alignment and avoid losing your position.
Locate the last stitches on your fabric and on your design file. You can use a magnifying glass or a flashlight to help you see them clearly.
Adjust your needle position on your embroidery machine to match the last stitches on your fabric. You can use the arrow buttons on your machine’s screen or panel to move your needle up, down, left, or right until it aligns with the last stitches on your fabric.
Check your alignment before restarting stitching. You can use one of these methods:

Use a basting stitch function on your embroidery machine to stitch a box around your design area. This will help you see if your alignment is correct or not. If it is not correct, you can undo the basting stitch and adjust your needle position again until it is correct.
Use a target sticker or a laser pointer to mark the center point of your design on your fabric. This will help you see if your alignment is correct or not. If it is not correct, you can adjust your needle position again until it is correct.