Animal Eye Masks (In-the-Hoop) | Machine Embroidery Designs | Embroidery Library - Print

Animal Eye Masks (In-the-Hoop)

In-the-hoop wearable masks use fabric to fill open areas and add a back to their designs. The result is a fun and friendly mask that is fabulous for dress up, birthday parties, Halloween, and more. Follow these tips and tricks to learn how to embroider an in-the-hoop mask.

Supplies


Project Needs & Notes

- Felt, flannel, or ultra suede
- Small piece of stiff felt (for added fabric pieces -- like the beak on the owl mask)
- Medium-weight (2.5 ounce) cutaway stabilizer
- Tear-away stabilizer
- Temporary spray adhesive (like Gunold KK100)
- 1/2" - 5/8" wide ribbon
- Large eye tapestry needle
- Small sharp scissors or craft knife and cutting pad

For this tutorial, I used the small size of the Woodland Fox Mask (In-the-Hoop) design.
Find even more in-the-hoop mask designs here.

Sizing Notes:
The masks are available in three different sizes: large, medium, and small. Use the chart below for choosing the appropriate size. Measure between the pupils of the eyes (this will ensure that the eye holes will sit properly when the mask is worn):

Large: 3 3/16"
Medium: 2 3/4"
Small: 2 3/8"

Cut ribbon ties according to mask size (see below):
Large: two 29" lengths
Medium: two 24 1/2" lengths
Small: two 20" lengths

This project was featured in the following:
12 Top-Trending Embroidery Styles Lookbook

Products Used


  • Woodland Fox Mask - Large (In-the-Hoop) (Sku: EMP69343-1)

Steps To Complete

In-the-hoop masks from Embroidery Library have dieline files.

Download the mask design and unzip it. Extract the files and look for those marked with the letters "DL". Those files are the dielines. Dielines are used to cut fabric to the right shape and size of the masks. Print the dielines; if you don't have embroidery software, Wilcom's TrueSizer is a free program that can print templates.

Note: Some of the mask designs will have three dieline files: "DLFront", "DLBack" and "DL". The "DL" file is an added fabric piece (like the beak on the owl mask).

To prepare the front fabric piece, spray a piece of medium-weight cutaway stabilizer with temporary adhesive and smooth the fabric on top. Spray the baskside of the front piece dieline printout with a quick shot of adhesive; smooth that on top of the fabric.

Cut out the shape. Also cut out the back fabric piece and any other added fabric pieces (I used stiff felt for the additional pieces).

Hoop a piece of tear-away stabilizer. Load the full embroidery file and attach the hoop to the machine. Embroider the design. The first thing to stitch is another dieline.

After the dieline has stitched, remove the hoop from the machine, but do not unhoop the stabilizer. Spray the backside of the front fabric piece with adhesive.

Place the fabric piece right inside the shape.

Attach the hoop back onto the machine and continue with the design. A tackdown stitch, also called a zigzag stitch, will sew next. This will bind the fabric to the stabilizer.

Other elements of the design will sew. Watch for a note on the color change sheet that says "back piece tackdown". When you reach this step, remove the hoop from the machine and turn it over to the backside.