3D In-the-Hoop Trucks

Craft a bit of nostalgia with a 3D in-the-hoop retro truck! This type of machine embroidery design uses multiple freestanding fabric pieces that are then hand-sewn together to form 3D tabletop decor. Park you truck on tabletops, mantels, and more -- for Christmas or anytime at all. Follow these instructions to create your own!

Freestanding fabric and embroidery designs have been specially digitized for water-soluble stabilizer. After the stabilizer is removed, beautiful fabric and embroidery remains.

When you download a 3D truck design, you will find multiple files. Some are the embroidery files, and the others are dieline files marked with the letters "DL". Dielines are used to cut the fabric to the correct shape and size.

Open and print each dieline file using embroidery software. If you do not have embroidery software, Wilcom TrueSizer is a free program to use.

First spray one side of a piece of cutaway stabilizer with temporary adhesive. Smooth the stabilizer onto the wrong side of the fabric piece.

Then spray the back side of the printed, front piece dieline with temporary adhesive, and smooth it onto the right side of the fabric. As all the front and back pieces need to have cutaway stabilizer on them, also spray and place the back dieline piece.

Cut the dieline shapes out of the adhered fabric and cutaway stabilizer. Then remove the paper dieline. For this design the front and back fabric pieces for every file will have cutaway stabilizer on them.

There are a couple of different kinds of water-soluble stabilizer. One is clear and plastic, and that brand is Sulky Ultra Solvy. The other is soft and fibrous, called Vilene. Both will work very well. Vilene is used in this demonstration.

Use a size 11 or 75/11 sharp sewing needle. A sharp sewing needle has a smaller, finer point than an embroidery needle. That means it will make smaller holes in the stabilizer.

Hoop the stabilizer firmly. Make sure it is nice and tight with no wrinkles.

Attach the hoop onto the machine, and load the first embroidery file (not the dieline files).

Embroider the design. The first thing to embroider will be a dieline (or outline stitch). This marks the area on the stabilizer where the fabric piece will be placed.

After the dieline has sewn, remove the hoop from the machine, but do not unhoop the stabilizer.

Spray the stabilizer side of the front fabric piece with temporary adhesive. Smooth the fabric piece onto the stabilizer inside of the sewn dieline.

Then place the hoop back onto the machine, and embroider the tackdown for the front fabric piece. The tackdown will hold the fabric piece in place for the remainder of the design.

After the front fabric piece is in place, all of the inner details of the embroidery will sew out.

If sewing files "a" or "b", stop before sewing the freestanding "gate" to wind a matching bobbin.

If sewing files "c" - "g", continue onto placing the back piece.

As freestanding embroidery will be seen from both sides, wind a bobbin with the same thread that is being used in the top needle.

For files "a" and "b", sew the freestanding embroidery "gate" with a matching bobbin.

For all files, stop before sewing the "back piece tackdown" step.

Remove the hoop from the machine, and turn it over so the back side of the embroidery is facing up. Spray the stabilizer of the back fabric piece with temporary adhesive, and smooth it into place on the back side of the embroidery.

As all the embroidery from here on out will be seen from both sides, wind a bobbin to match each of the remaining thread colors used into the design.

Place the bobbin into the machine, and follow the color change sheet to embroider the "back piece tackdown".

Then change out the bobbin, and embroider the "tire finishing seam" for files "a" and "b".

With a matching bobbin, embroider the "finishing truck borders" for all files. This will cover all the remaining raw fabric edges, and finish the sew out.

After embroidering, trim away the excess stabilizer.

The stabilizer's packaging should give instructions for removing the excess. For Vilene, soak the embroidered fabric for 2-4 hours.

Allow the piece to air dry, and then press it with a pressing cloth on top.

Repeat the steps above to embroider the rest of the pieces.

In this tutorial, the truck is assembled using a hand sewing needle and thread matching the embroidered border. If preferred, a hot glue gun or other clear glue of your choice can be used to assemble the truck.

To assemble the truck, pick up one side piece (file "a" or "b") and the base piece (file "c"). Match up one long side of the base piece with the bottom edge of the side piece.

Make sure the right side of the base piece is against the wrong side of the side piece. Sew or glue from the back corner to where the wheel fender sticks out of the bottom edge of the side piece.

Then repeat to sew or glue from the front corner to where the front wheel fender sticks out of the bottom edge of the side piece.

Finally, sew or glue the two pieces together along the straight edge in between the front and back wheel fenders. You do not need to attach the pieces together behind the wheels or wheel fenders.

Repeat the previous steps to sew or glue the remaining side piece onto the opposite side of the base piece.

Next, take the tailgate piece (file "d"), and match the bottom edge up with the back edge of the base piece. Sew or glue the two pieces together along this edge.

Then take the front piece (file "e"), and match the bottom edge up with front edge of the base piece. Sew or glue the two pieces together along this edge.

Take the hood piece (file "f"), and match the bottom edge up with the top edge of the front piece (file "e"). Sew or glue the two pieces together along this edge

Next, take the roof piece (file "g"), and match one shorter side up with the top straight edge of either side piece ("a" or "b"). Sew or glue the two pieces together along this edge.

To finish the back of the truck, fold the tailgate (file "d") up, and sew or glue one side onto the adjacent back edge of the side piece.

Then repeat to sew or glue the opposite sides together

To finish the front of the truck, fold up the connected front (file "e") and hood (file "f"). Sew or glue one side onto the adjacent side piece's edge.

Then repeat to sew or glue the opposite sides together.

Finally, sew the remaining short side of the roof (file "g") onto the opposite side piece.