All the excitement of last week’s release of Hoop Guard spurred quite a few questions about using Hoop Guard on a multi-needle machine. The fact is, you don’t need Hoop Guard for a multi-needle machine. Multi-needle machines have been designed for tubular embroidery, not flat fabric. The actual design of the machine allows a finished piece of clothing (shirt, pant leg, sleeve, etc) to slide around the machine throat and into the hoop.
Here’s a thorough explanation. The hoop’s inner ring attaches to the machine at two points and slips inside the outer ring. Because the inner ring attaches to the machine from the top of the hoop, the excess fabric falls over the outer ring, under the attachment points. This design allows for true tubular embroidery. The hooping process for a multi-needle machine is as follows: place the outer ring on a flat surface, center the stabilizer and fabric over the outer ring. Insert the inner ring.
Lift the hoop by the attachments and slip it onto the machine, threading the machine’s throat through the body of the garment. The bulk of the t-shirt hangs below the attachment points and surrounds the throat. Hence, there’s no need for Hoop Guard. 
Not only is there no need, Hoop Guard wouldn’t function probably on a multi-needle machine. Some of the needles (or head) cross the perimeter of the hoop during stitching and would knock into Hoop Guard, unlike the needle on a single-needle machine. The needle never crosses the perimeter of the hoop during stitching. It gets close to it, but not across. 
Hoop Guard was designed for single-needle machines. The struggle to keep parts of a garment OUT of the sewing field on single needle machines is many embroiderers’ biggest challenge and that’s what Hoop Guard does. Hope this clarifies the concept of Hoop Guard.
8 COMMENTS
Gail Beam
11 years agoLove the sneakers that you embroidered!
Gail
Royce Zook
11 years agoAfter using a single needle embroidery machine it is difficult to grasp the difference of access to the embroidery area for the multi-needle. I continue to have questions asked of me how I applied a design to a pant leg or sleeve when it doesn’t look like I opened a seam. I amaze the questioner by replying, “that’s because I didn’t open any seam”.
The multi-needle for the home has opened many project doors for ease of performance and variety.
Joyce Hardiman
11 years agoI still struggle with smaller shirts like toddler and oneies and getting them hooped for embroidery. My struggle is actually fitting them in the hoop.
Mary Simmons
11 years agoI wanted a new embroidery machine, but never considered a multi needle machine until I read this blog entry. It sold me. I got my six needle machine and embroidered my first shirt sleeve yesterday.
This is great! Thanks for opening my eyes.
Corazon Holmstrom
8 years agoI love this blog and this article
Brenda Swanger
7 years agoCan you use a magnetic hoop on brother Embroidery machines.
Ruth Ann
7 years agoI do on my Babylock
Brenda Swanger
7 years agoCan you use magnetic hoop on brother Embroidery machines. I see them being used on other machines but nit brother .