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Hoops and machines

Tell Boldbobbin which machine and hoop you use, and the canvas shows exactly the area that hoop can stitch, so you see straight away whether a design fits.

A hoop is the frame that holds your fabric: it sets the maximum area you can stitch. Boldbobbin organizes hoops by machine: you tell it which machine you own, and it offers that machine's hoops.

  • 4×4 (100×100 mm)
  • 5×7 (130×180 mm)
  • 8×8 (200×200 mm)
  • 6×10 (160×260 mm)
The built-in hoop sizes drawn to scale and centered on the origin. Your machine may offer different sizes; add it in Settings to get its exact hoops.

Choosing a machine and hoop​

Two dropdowns in the editor header (Machine and Hoop) set the active machine and hoop. The hoop list shows only the hoops you marked as owned for that machine. You set this up during the first-run wizard, and can change it any time in Settings → Machine & Hoops. See the how-to: Choose a hoop.

The default hoop on a fresh install is 100×100 (a 100 mm × 100 mm square).

For example, if you own a Brother machine with its 5x7 hoop, pick your model under Machine, then the 5x7 hoop under Hoop: the hoop outline on the canvas becomes 130 × 180 mm.

Supported machine brands​

Boldbobbin includes hoop catalogs for these brands:

  • Brother
  • Bernina
  • Janome
  • Elna
  • Pfaff
  • Husqvarna Viking
  • BAI
  • Tajima
  • Ricoma
  • Baby Lock
  • Magnetic Hoops (aftermarket): Mighty Hoop (HoopMaster), DIME Snap Hoop Monster, Sewtalent / MagnaHoop

Each brand has several models, and each model lists its real hoops with exact dimensions in millimetres: around 67 machines across those ten brands, plus the three aftermarket magnetic-hoop entries, and well over a hundred hoops in total. New models are added between releases, so check the list in Settings rather than this page if you're looking for a specific one.

Brother is the deepest catalog, at 24 models. Twelve Innov-is models were added across v1.2.2 (F440E, F540E, F580, M380D, 2700, XE2, and six more), each with its real hoop sizes.

Custom machines and hoops​

If your machine or a hoop size isn't in the catalog, add your own. In Settings → Machine & Hoops, + Add machine offers Custom machine (name a machine that isn't listed), and + Add custom hoop defines a hoop by name, width and height in millimetres, and shape (rectangle or oval).

For example, for an aftermarket frame with a 150 × 250 mm sewing area that is not in the list, add a custom rectangle hoop with a width of 150 and a height of 250.

Hoop shape​

Hoops are either rectangular or oval. The dimensions are the width and height in millimetres (for example a Brother "5x7" hoop is 130×180 mm).

When a design is too big​

If your design extends past the hoop, Boldbobbin shows a warning (for example on import: "⚠ The design is larger than the current hoop …"). You can keep working, but you'll need to scale or reposition it, or switch to a larger hoop, before stitching. See Design larger than the hoop.

For example, a design 150 mm wide does not fit the 130 mm width of a 5x7 hoop: scale it down, turn it to run along the hoop's 180 mm side, or pick a larger hoop.