Showing off your embroidery in a hoop is no surprise for the most stitchers, and there are as many ways of finishing a hoop as the are stitchers themselves. You can cover the hoop back with fabric, glue the excess canvas, or use cardboard paper – or use needle and thread and a piece of felt like I do. (Truth be told, I don’t mix well with glue, so trying another method would be a disaster!)
In the following videos I show how I finish my hoops step by step:
Step one: hiding the fabric edges
Step two (optional): lacing
I usually skip lacing for smaller hoops (up to 8 inches) and use it for bigger hoops and/or if the fabric is really stretchy to give the finished embroidery a tighter feel.
Step three: Adding the felt
I use blanket stitch to secure the felt in this step, but if you are somehow against it – then whip stitch will also work great.