The famous Giga Hoop - I'd love to know your feelings about this animal as it is giving me a hard time!

Cuties are still the best - I overcame my hesitation to take the bull by it's horns and use the Giga hoop!!

Every time the giga-hoop is talked about I say I'm going to give mine a try. I'm saying that now, again! Question. When combining designs does the design show up as one on the machine's screen? Mine ends up as several individual pics so I never get any further. Jan

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by melnic 19 Jul 2012

I did it, gave mine a try. Stippled out a background & embroidered a design last night. The design shows as one on the screen - I use Digitizer V3 software. I still have a lot to learn but very impressed with myself.

It depends on your machine. The one Marji has and my 10001 lets you use 1 and a half 5X7 designs together and you flip the hoop. If you have an 11000 you have the whole hoop available. My answer assumes you don't have an 11000: I have trouble with allignment when the designs are vertical but rotating the design and lining them up horizontally rarely gives me trouble. The reason is due to the push/pull of the fabric. For example, when the design pulls the fabric then you flip it over it pulls the opposite direction in effect creating a push which miss-aligns the design. It's hard to know how much push/pull you will get and how much to compensate for it. If you don't have one, don't bother you can get the same result with two hoopings. If you already have one, the best thing to do is test stitch, I know it seems like a waste, but I put my test stitchouts in my scrap bin and they end up in quilts or appliqued on clothing.

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by melnic 19 Jul 2012

I own a Giga hoop & have a Elna 8300 (Janome) machine with software. Do have to flip the hoop. Next step will be to print the 285 page manual as it is difficult to follow and apply instructions with on-line manual

I have a Bernina jumbo hoop - exactly the same problem. I use it to do multiple 4x4 designs all at once but not much joy to use, since you have to move the hoop. I wish for the 830 to fall into my lap with the lovely big hoop as well.****

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by melnic 19 Jul 2012

Good idea to use it for multiple 4x4 designs - specially for FSL designs - saves time and WSS

If you're doing a complicated design that's been split, sometimes it won't line up just perfectly & has to be played with, because the hoop is flipped. Hope debleerl sees this, she has one & uses it, could tell you better. But her experience is why I didn't buy one. Stippling & such may be ok, but your largest field is still 5x7 & that hoop has to be moved. To put several smaller designs in a larger space might be ok, because registration wouldn't be that critical. Me, I'm just praying for an MB4 or a Happy to fall out of a plane while being shipped somewhere & land softly in my hayfield, hee hee hee. Slightly more likely than my hitting the lottery. Maybe debleerl can give you some tips. If she doesn't reply here, why don't you PM her, she does make use of hers. Hugs, Marji

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by melnic 19 Jul 2012

Loved your comments - I now wish for a multiple needle emb machine - wish,wish, wish.......

I have a giga hoop and I love to use it for making large stipple frames around my 5x7 designs, they take a bit to get used to

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by melnic 19 Jul 2012

Thanks a lot - you inspired me to start with the stippling and it worked!!! Jipee