Hooping T-shirts made easy: embroidery TIPS with the PFAFF creative icon 2

Yesterday, I chose the perfect beginner-friendly design and set up the PFAFF creative icon 2 for embroidery. Now, it’s time to get hands-on with one of the trickiest steps—hooping the T-shirt!

If you’ve ever fought with stretchy knits and wonky hooping, I see you. And if you’re nervous about ruining your tee, I’ve got you! Today, we’re going to stabilize like pros, hoop with confidence, and prep our project so it stitches like a dream.

So why are T-shirts tricky? T-shirts love to move. That’s great when you wear them—but not so great under the needle.
Hooping stretch fabric incorrectly can lead to puckering, distortion, or designs that appear as if they’ve been on a bumpy ride.

The secret? Let the stabilizer do the heavy lifting. Your goal is to keep the T-shirt still and supported while the machine does its work.

In most cases, only tear-away stabilizers aren’t strong enough for stretch fabric. You’ll get much better results with:

• PFAFF Cut-A-Way Light: stays soft inside the garment after stitching
• PFAFF Aqua Magic or Pellon Sol-U-Film: water-soluble topper to support the stitches on the knit texture
• Odif 505 Temporary Adhesive Spray: helps keep layers together without pinning or basting

These work together to prevent distortion and help your stitches sit on top of the fabric—not sink into it.

Lay your T-shirt on a flat surface and smooth out any wrinkles. Mark the center of your design area with a water-soluble or white chalk pencil. Use a ruler and a light hand when marking—no stretching!

Take a piece of PFAFF Cut-a-Way Light Stabilizer, 15” x 8½”. Lightly spray it with Odif 505 and press it to the wrong side of the T-shirt, right over the marked embroidery area.

Now hoop your fabric
Slide the PFAFF creative icon 2 outer Square Hoop under the shirt (back side), and gently place the inner hoop with the design centered. Avoid pulling or stretching—just press the fabric down smoothly. The fabric should be flat but relaxed. It should sit naturally, without tension lines.

Double-check your placement, then press the hoop together.

Take a 6” x 5½” piece of PFAFF Aqua Magic Stabilizer or PELLON Sol-U-Film and place it on top as a water-soluble topper. Hold it in place with masking tape at the corners—keep it slightly loose. This layer helps the embroidery stitches stay raised and crisp, rather than sinking into the knit.

Roll or fold the rest of the T-shirt out of the way so the back of the hoop is clean, and secure it with clips or pins around the hoop edges. Nothing should hang loose under the embroidery arm. A smooth path = smooth stitching.

Simply slide the hoop connector into the attachment from front to back until it clicks into place. Then, press “OK” on the screen.

Now, we’re all set for embroidery! To begin, click “GO” and press the start button on your machine’s panel.

After the first few stitches, a pop-up will appear, asking you to cut and pull the thread tail; this prevents tangling or a messy back. Once done, press OK and let the stitching continue.

If you look closely, you’ll notice the shimmer of the water-soluble topper over the T-shirt fabric. This thin film plays a big role when stitching on stretchy knits. Without it, your delicate design could easily sink into the fabric’s texture, especially with fine lines or tiny details.

In about 5 minutes, the Mouse on Ice design will be complete!

Unhoop the T-shirt, trim away any excess PFAFF Cut-a-Way Light Stabilizer from the back, and wash away the film topper with warm water. You’ll be left with a clean, crisp design on your soft cotton tee. Gently press from the back to finish.

And there you have it: your very first T-shirt embroidery is complete! From stabilizer to stitch, you’ve just taken a huge leap in machine embroidery. The best part? Now that you know how to tame stretchy fabrics, you can start dreaming even bigger.

Join me tomorrow, the embroidery fun is far from over! I’ll add a bit of lettering and a tiny garment embellishment to bring even more personality to this piece. Whether you’re creating for someone special or just making your wardrobe more you, these little extras make all the difference. The PFAFF creative icon 2 makes it oh so easy.

This is part 2 of 4 in this series

Go back to part 1: Beginner’s Guide: T-shirt embroidery on stretch fabrics with PFAFF creative icon 2