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Homemade Hooper
Here are pictures:
Explanation to follow
Explanation to follow
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Juli in Kona<br />Stitches in Paradise -
Pic #1: This shows the laser cross hair lineup. Notice the two clear plastic brackets that hold the bottom hoop. The front one has two holes drilled in it and dowels glued in. These fit in holes drilled in the part that the shirt fits on. I'm going to call that the TOP. The back bracket does not have holes. I am going to apply double stick tape and see if that works. The problem with drilling holes is that it is not very adjustable and it is really hard to drill accurate holes! So, old design I drilled the holes and now with the new ones I am making (with different TOP sizes) will have the double stick tape.
Pic #2: You see a reg mens shirt on the hooper all lined up. If I have to be very precise, I mark the shirt with a dot to indicate the center of the design making sure the laser is lined up with the neck seam. Notice the left side where the laser lamp is screwed on to the BOTTOM part. That bottom part is a big wood cutting board. The whole thing is sitting on a wood wine crate from Costco.
#3: This is a small setup for children's shirts. I had all the parts, so I made this one although I won't use it much. But when I need it, it will be there. Please note where the screws are - not under the hoop. I'll let you guess why I mention this!
#4 This is another view of the same one in pic #3. It is not attached to a bottom yet because for this one and the jacket sized one, I want to have only one bottom that I can just change out the top part. I plan to have a strap of sheet metal screwed down just forward of the upright.
The upright is a piece of hardware that I got at a building supply. There are about 50 different configurations of these things, but this one filled the bill very well. Flat pieces top and bottom with a sturdy upright and nothing else. Cost about $17 ouch!
#5 Here you can see where I drilled 2 holes to fit the pre-drilled holes in the hardware. I used machine screws/nuts. You only need 2 screws.
#6 This is my big one. That is a jacket back hoop. Still just 2 screws. The brackets are just sitting there. I want to get the job in first before I apply them down. For this big hoop, I am going to double stick tape down two plastic strips, running from top to bottom of the zipper. I will position the zipper between the strips (they will be 1/4" thick and run the whole length of the hoop) so they will be in the exact position for sewing on both sides close to the zipper and then laser cutting the applique. I'll have to video that.
#7 Another pic of the under side of the top part, not yet attached to the bottom. And it does need to be firmly attached to a large base because it won't stand up by itself, especially with a shirt or jacket on it.
#8 Another picture of the hardware. It is about 6 inches tall with lots of pre-drilled holes.
#9 This is exactly the same shirt as in Pic 2 but I am showing the laser cross-hair lamp attached to to bottom part.
A word about:
Cutting boards. Walmart, KMart, where ever. I have been using the nylon thinner ones for the top and thicker wood ones for the bottom. I want to use sheetrock screws to hold down my strap and I need it to be at least 1/2" thick. They all come encased in plastic and I leave that one. It provides a smooth, snag free surface.
Brackets: I traced and laser cut these new ones myself. After all, I do have a laser! But the first ones (with the holes drilled and wood dowels in them, I had some else do those and for one set, including the plastic, it cost me $25. I just bought a nice 18 x 24 x 3/16 for $17. I can make a lot more if I want.
Different size hoops: Just remove the back bracket and re position it ro fit the larger of smaller hoop. The whole hoop and brackets have to rest on the top, but the sides can stick out. See pic #6
The laser lamp: You can find it here:
Wow, that's a really long URL. I just searched for laser crosshair for embroidery This is the one I got and it cost $89, but it looks like they are 100 bucks now. The laser is what makes this so good and easy to use, so do find one and use it.
Stabilizer: I use Scotch tape to hold down the stabilizer. As many pieces of tape as I need. One roll of tape lasts a long time.
The top of the hoop: I put it on fast!. If you are faint hearted and hesitate, you will be starting over. Actually I just drop it from about 4 or 5 inches.
This whole system is pretty accurate and it is adjustable, Even with just one size top, you can make infinite adjustments. I need a big jacket back one because I am expecting a lot of big jackets soon. But there will be jackets to fit 4 year old too. So that is why I now have three sizes. Prior to this I just had the one size.
You can make this for under $200 including having someone make the plastic brackets to hold the top and bottom of the hoop. The first ones I made were wood. Just used a hack saw and file. I know you will have questions, so ask away.Juli in Kona<br />Stitches in Paradise
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