Play Food, In-the-Hoop

In-the-hoop play food is a wonderful way to share delicious embroidery with your favorite little ones. Whether you're preparing a stack of tasty pancakes or sweet s'mores, they're a wonderful gift for children of all ages.

When you download an in-the-hoop play food 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 an embroidery software. If you do not have an embroidery software, take a look at our helpful video on using dielines.

To prepare the front fabric piece of the donut, spray a piece of medium-weight cutaway stabilizer with temporary adhesive.

Smooth the fabric on top.

Then, spray the backside of the front piece dieline with spray adhesive and smooth that on top of the fabric.

Cut out the shape. For the donut, also cut out the middle and remove paper.

Repeat for the back fabric piece.

Now that the fabric pieces are cut to the proper shape and size, it's time to embroider the design.

Hoop a piece of tear-away stabilizer.

Madeira E-Zee Tear 1.5 oz. or Floriani Tearaway Medium are good choices. Those brands are more fibrous, less paper-like, and will tear more cleanly.

Attach the hoop to the machine and load the full embroidery file (not the dieline files).

Use a size 11 or 75/11 sharp sewing needle, rather than an embroidery needle. A sharp sewing needle has a smaller, finer point than an embroidery needle, so that will make smaller perforations in the stabilizer.

Embroider the design. The first thing to stitch is a dieline or outline stitch for the fabric piece.

Spray the backside of the front piece with adhesive.

Remove the hoop from the machine, but do not unhoop the stabilizer.

Place the fabric piece right inside the sewn dieline.

Attach the hoop back onto the machine and continue with the design.

A zigzag or tack down stitch will sew next. This binds the fabric piece to the stabilizer.

Next, the inner elements will sew.

Watch for a note on the color change sheet that says "back piece tack down."

When you get to this point, remove the hoop from the machine.

Spray the backside of the back fabric piece with adhesive.

Turn the hoop over, and place the fabric inside the shape on the backside of the embroidery.

Since both sides of the embroidery will be seen, wind a bobbin with the same color as the top thread.

Attach the hoop back onto the machine and continue with the design -- another zigzag tack down will sew

And then a finishing satin border will sew.

After the embroidery has finished, carefully tear the stabilizer away. Repeat to make all the different types of play food.

If making the s'mores, repeat these steps to sew another graham cracker portion for a total of two crackers (file a).

Then follow the same instructions to sew one of the chocolate and marshmallow portions (files b and c). Layer the s'mores portions together for a sweet playtime treat. Or, sew together using a needle and thread.