well, let's see if I can try to help - I'm also a newbie, but I do all my embroidery w/out hooping fabric. I assume Jerilyn meant to keep the WSS on top to wet it probably around edges to make it stick-I don't know about this. BUT, I first hoop a stabilizer in the hoop. Then I mark the template points (center and 4 sides) and I do the same to the project with a chalk or washable marker. I then spray the stabilizer (that's in the hoop); then place the fabric matching the center point and sides and then I do the basting stitch and off I go on to embroidery. I don't use the sticky stabilizer, but watching the directions and the seminar I just went to they do the same thing. So I see that you hoop the sticky stabilizer, place your project on top of that and then float a tearaway under the hoop, do the basting and then you start stitching. If it's a towel then, I guess it's sticky in the hoop, then towel on top and then WSS on top of towel and then basting stitch and then embroidery. Sorry for lengthy, and I hope I have not complicated it even more for you. hugs&***'s4u

Miss Charlie, let me try to help. If you're doing something that requires a bit more stabilizing, like a knit fabric or a design with a high stitch count, then you can 'float' an extra piece of stabilizer between plate & hooped stabilizer & fabric. Most stabilizers are 'rated' for stitch count. If the stabilizer you're using is say a medium cutaway rated for 10,000 stitches, and your design is very large or dense and has 15,000 stitches, just one layer of stabilizer won't sufficiently support all those stitches. But it would be pretty bulky to hoop 2 layers as well as material, so you can just 'float' the second layer under the hoop. The first few stitches will catch it ok & it will move right along with the rest of your hoop. What Jerrilyn is talking about, floating WS stabilizer on top of, say, toweling is this. The loops from the terry will eventually poke through and the stitches sink into the terry towelling. The WSS on top will hold the stitches up and prevent this. The WSS can just be cut to the size of the design and I usually use a bit of scotch tape to hold it on each side. As with the floating underneath, the first few stitches will catch it and hold it in place. Basting is a different ball game again, hee hee hee. If you hoop the stabilizer, then with the towelling you can baste the towel to the hooped stabilizer without having to try and hoop the heavy terrycloth. Did I cure the headache, or give you more of one? 3 different techniques, 3 different reasons (well, more, but we'll leave it at 3 for now, hee hee hee). Hope it helps. Marji

You have your answers but here is a flower for you.

The term hoopless embroidery made me wonder what this was all about. But now I understand. Well Miss Charlie, you got your expert answers. Those basting stitches are great aren't they? My machine does them automatically (can turn that off of course) and I use it almost all the time. Pieces of wss don't need to be oversized and that's quite economic. You see, you can get expert advice here without googling for ages! Hugs and flowers.

I think you got great answers to your questions. When you are new to this it doesn't make sense always. The WSS I talked about was on toweling. It makes the pokies lie down and it's prettier when you embroider over them instead of among them. I just cut a pieceof WSS the size or a tiny bit larger than my design and dip my finger in water (I keep beside machine) and touch the corner and press it down and voila! it sticks.;)

misscharlie U have sufficient answers so here's a *4U

Everyone has good suggestions for this. I read them and also learned. Thank you.

Thanks for the link Charlie, I love visual tutorials and appreciate you finding this one. hugs n roses, M

What a great question. Many times those of us who have been at this for a long time forget that some of these tecniques require some explaining. And us oldies can always learn new and better ways to do things.

You should be all set with all the terrific explanations from your cute buddies...one comment I would add is watch that the stablizer doesn't get moved or folded down on the back when you slide your hoop on...especially the corners. putting scotch tape on the corners works best for me and then I don't get the back of my towel sticky..