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Watch the video: “Embroider a Baseball Cap with Hoop 'N' Buddies | Bernina of Naperville” by Bernina of Naperville
Ready to turn a store-bought baseball cap into something totally you? This tutorial shows exactly how Bernina’s Hoop 'N' Buddies hat insert makes cap embroidery smooth—right down to marking, hooping, pinpoint placement, basting, and stitching a crisp emblem and tidy side initials.
What you’ll learn
- How to prep a cap (remove packaging, avoid metal grommets) for clean stitching.
- How to build the Hoop 'N' Buddies insert with sticky-back stabilizer and fit it into the large oval hoop.
- How to align designs with pinpoint placement and secure everything with a basting box.
- How to re-hoop for side initials and cover prior perforations with a stabilizer scrap.
- Practical finishing checks and what to adjust if your placement isn’t quite right.
Introduction to Cap Embroidery with Hoop 'N' Buddies What is the Hoop 'N' Buddies Insert? The Hoop 'N' Buddies hat insert is the star of this method. It’s a partial hoop (the top component) with brackets that grip the bill of a baseball cap, and it nests neatly into a standard large oval hoop. The insert’s sticky-back stabilizer anchors the cap fabric flat so your design can stitch accurately on a curved surface.
Why Embroider Your Own Caps? Caps are small, wearable canvases with big impact. With careful prep and placement, you can stitch logos, initials, or small emblems on the front and even on the side strap for a truly custom finish. It’s fast, satisfying, and a great way to refresh your machine skills for the season. If you also own other hoop systems, you may compare workflows later; this guide stays focused on Hoop 'N' Buddies, but some shops also discuss options like bernina snap hoop.
Preparing Your Baseball Cap and Hoop Prepping the Cap: Inside and Out Start by clearing the interior: remove any cardboard or packaging inserted to help the hat hold its shape on the store shelf. Undo the back strap and set it aside so nothing dangles into the stitch field. Look closely at the eyelets: stitched eyelets are fine, but if your cap has metal grommets, you’ll need to place your design away from them to protect your needle.
Quick check
- No cardboard or packing left inside the cap?
- Back strap unfastened and accessible?
- Eyelets checked—and any metal grommets noted so you can avoid them?
Watch out Stitching into a metal grommet can break a needle and interrupt your project. If your favorite cap has metal hardware, simply shift the design so the needle path steers clear.
Assembling the Hoop 'N' Buddies with Stabilizer The insert ships with sticky-back tear-away stabilizer. Peel the protective sheet and smooth the adhesive side onto the insert so it’s flat and bubble-free. If you see a bump, lift and re-smooth before moving on. Then seat the insert into your large oval hoop bottom so the combo is snug.
Pro tip A smooth foundation matters most on curved surfaces. Take the extra beat to eliminate wrinkles in the sticky-back stabilizer. As you evaluate accessories for other projects, it’s common to hear about alternatives like magnetic hoops for bernina embroidery machines; for this specific cap method, the Hoop 'N' Buddies insert is the tool used in the video.
Precision Placement for Front Embroidery Marking the Center of Your Design On the cap front, mark the intended center with a heat-vanishing pen. The middle seam makes a reliable centering reference; set your mark at the height you want for the emblem. You can remove or adjust the mark with heat if your first guess doesn’t feel quite right.
Hooping the Cap: A Step-by-Step Guide Pull the cap band down and flatten the crown. Slip the bill into the insert, aligning the cap’s center seam with the insert’s center mark. Squeeze the brackets to secure the bill, then press the cap fabric onto the sticky stabilizer so it sits flat over the design area. Re-check the center alignment before you move to the machine.
Securing Loose Fabric Any wiggly bits? Use painter’s tape to corral straps and extra fabric away from the stitch zone. Tape is the unsung hero here—it keeps the embroidery path clear so nothing snags.
From the comments
- Viewers asked about using this approach on other brands and models. The channel clarified that this specific insert is for BERNINA machines that accept the large oval hoop; it’s not for bernette models. If you’re researching other setups, you may come across accessories like snap hoop for bernina or bernina magnetic hoop. This video’s method focuses on Hoop 'N' Buddies.
Machine Setup and First Stitch Out Configuring Your Bernina for Cap Embroidery Load your design (in the video, a Swiss emblem), then choose the Buddies 120x74 hoop on the screen—this constrains the embroidery field to the safe area within the insert. The visible perimeter on the display shrinks accordingly so you don’t drive the needle into hard plastic.
Mounting the Hooped Cap and Pinpoint Placement Before attaching the hoop, move the embroidery arm into position using the stitch function—this clears space to mount the hooped cap without bumping anything. Once attached, head back to the edit screen and use pinpoint placement to align the design to your marked center. Nudge the position with the multi-function knobs until you’re happy—even raise the center slightly if it looks better a touch higher.
Pro tip Pinpoint placement is your best friend on curved and uneven surfaces. If your dot feels off once you preview, refine the placement while the cap is mounted rather than living with a design that sits a few millimeters low.
The Importance of Basting Stitches Activate the basting box. The machine will stitch long basting stitches around the design perimeter to flatten the cap fabric onto the stabilizer and give you a visible outline of the design area. Hold your thread tails lightly as you begin and slow the speed a touch for the basting pass if you prefer. After basting, you can still change your mind—remove those stitches, adjust placement or size, and baste again.
Once the outline looks right, thread up and embroider the design (in the video: stitch the red patch, then the remaining elements). When it’s finished, trim away basting stitches before removing the cap from the hoop.
Pro tip Basting is the safety net that prevents distortion on a rigid, curved surface. It also reveals crooked or undersized designs before anything permanent is stitched.
Note on accessories If you own other Bernina-friendly frames, you might compare this process to setups people discuss under terms like magnetic embroidery hoops for bernina. Regardless of accessory, basting to test placement is still a smart move.
Adding Personalized Details to the Side Re-hooping for Initials on the Cap Strap After the front is complete, remove the cap. If the stabilizer surface is perforated from the previous basting, plug that opening with a small scrap of sticky-back stabilizer, then re-hoop the cap so the side adjustment strap sits flat on the insert. Because space is tight on a strap, you’ll stitch through the layers—it’s expected here.
Aligning and Stitching Small Designs Select your initials (the video uses “CH” as a nod to Confoederatio Helvetica) and use pinpoint placement to position the starting point, such as a fraction of an inch above a reference line along the strap. Baste again to secure everything, then stitch the letters. Trim basting and thread tails to finish.
From the comments A viewer asked “Confederation what?” The creator clarified it’s Confoederatio Helvetica—the formal Latin name for Switzerland. If you prefer, swap in any two-letter initials or a jersey number in a simple, readable font.
Final Touches and Tips for Success Troubleshooting Placement Issues Even with careful marking, you might decide the emblem wants to live a bit lower or higher once you see it stitched. In the video, the front placement was revisited with a re-hoop, which also opened a design opportunity to add “GO SWISS” under the emblem. That small change transformed the final look. Consider adding a complementary wordmark if you re-hoop and shift the original design.
Quick check
- Are all basting stitches removed and thread tails trimmed?
- Did you inspect the underside of the embroidery for clean tension and no loops?
- Does the placement look balanced with the cap’s seams and eyelets?
Watch out If your cap has metal grommets, keep the needle path well away from them. If they’re too close to your desired layout, pivot to a smaller design or move it laterally.
From the comments: compatibility and sourcing
- Bernette compatibility: The creator confirmed this insert is for BERNINA machines that use the large oval hoop; it’s not for bernette models.
- Older Bernina models (Artista 165/180): The channel noted the insert isn’t designed for the rectangle-style large hoop on those models, though you might adapt techniques in your existing hoop.
- Service and support: A channel response explained that BERNINA retailers support machine sales and service; check bernina.com to find a retailer in your region.
- Where to buy: One viewer asked about purchasing the insert; the video doesn’t list a specific storefront link. If you don’t see it at your dealer, contact them directly and ask about the Hoop 'N' Buddies hat insert and sticky-back stabilizer.
Pro tip Before you start a series of caps, run one full test on a blank hat. Use that as your placement benchmark and keep notes on your preferred center height and any strap offsets.
Sidebar: handy comparisons if you’re exploring frames While this guide focuses on Hoop 'N' Buddies, cap stitchers often compare toolsets. If you’re researching alternatives for other projects, you’ll likely encounter search terms such as bernina magnetic hoops, magnetic embroidery hoops for bernina, and dime snap hoop monster bernina. If your projects need oversized motifs, you may also see options labeled like mega hoop bernina or discussions around magnetic hoop for bernina. Choose tools that match your machine’s supported hoop types and your specific project needs.
Enjoying Your Custom Embroidered Cap That’s a wrap: your cap is finished, customized, and ready for the wild. The combination of careful marking, pinpoint placement, and basting stitches gives you professional results on a notoriously tricky surface. If you need to tweak the aesthetic, re-hooping isn’t a setback—it’s an opportunity to refine or add a second element that completes the composition.
What’s not specified in the video
- Exact stitch speeds: The creator mentions slowing for basting and increasing for embroidery, but no numeric speed values are provided.
- Exact design sizes: The Swiss emblem and “CH” initials are shown at small, cap-appropriate scales without exact dimensions.
From the comments: common questions, quick answers
- Can stiff, flatter brims make hooping easier? The video doesn’t address this directly.
- Can you embroider numbers on socks? This video doesn’t cover socks. Look for a sock-specific tutorial if that’s your next project.
When you’re ready to expand beyond caps, many stitchers compare accessory ecosystems such as magnetic hoops for bernina embroidery machines. Whatever you choose, keep the core method: prep carefully, align with pinpoint placement, and baste before you commit to stitches.