15 Adorable In the Hoop Embroidery Projects to Try

If you’re looking for something new to try with your embroidery machine, check out this list of adorable in the hoop projects.

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When I first got my embroidery machine, it was with one use in mind—embroidering faces and other details for Choly Knight’s plushie patterns. (Side note: If you love sewing plushies, I highly recommend you try some of Choly Knight’s patterns. Click here to check out her shop on Etsy.) It was a bit of a splurge, certainly, for just one type of project. But in almost three years of having it, I’ve branched out and have tried a variety of other projects.

One of the uses for my embroidery machine that I was most excited to come across about was “in the hoop” (ITH) projects. I love the simplicity of these crafts and the fact that I can make adorable bag charms, keychains, and mini plushies all on my embroidery machine.

What Do I Need to Use In the Hoop Files?

You need an embroidery machine! The one that I use is not available online anymore—it was a special edition Disney one—but I’ve found a similar one. Click here to take a look at it.

Keep in mind that the size of the machine’s embroidery space will determine the size of the project that you can make. My machine’s embroidery size is 4×4. This means I can only take on projects that fit on a 4×4 hoop. When you’re buying patterns, make sure you check that the pattern will work with whatever hoop size you have.

How Do I Use In the Hoop Files?

Upon purchasing an ITH file, you will download the file to your computer and then move it to your embroidery machine. This process may vary from machine to machine. I bought a small USB flash drive that is only for my embroidery files/embroidery machine. It lives there 24/7 unless I need to transfer a file.

When I download a new embroidery file, I remove the USB drive from my machine, plug it into my computer, upload the file to the drive, and then return the drive to its port on my embroidery machine.

I find that having a USB drive for this purpose alone, and leaving it in the machine at all times, helps reduce the risk of losing the files I’ve accumulated.

Can I Use In the Hoop Files To Make Character Keychains?

A lot of people have made ITH files of popular characters and media like Pokémon, Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, etc. Unless they have a license from the companies that own that intellectual property, creating and selling these files is a violation of copyright/trademark law.

Of course, this doesn’t stop people from taking a risk and hoping they don’t get caught.

I would never advise you to sell files that violate copyright/trademark law. However, if you wish to buy these files so you can make the projects, that should be fine—provided you are only making them for personal use.

If you buy an ITH file to make a little Pikachu keychain, you cannot sell that keychain—by doing so, now you are profiting off someone else’s intellectual property and this is illegal. Buying the ITH file does not mean you can sell the finished product, even if the seller of the file says that you can.

Is it possible you might get away with it? Sure. There are hundreds of thousands of sellers on Etsy who are proof of it. But if one of these companies chooses to go after you for trademark or copyright infringement, the cost can be astronomical. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide whether the risk is worth it.

What Can I Do With My In the Hoop Projects?

If you’re making keychains, plushies, cat toys, etc., you can sell them, gift them, or keep them for yourself! Provided you’re not making anything that infringes on another company’s copyright, in the hoop projects can be a great product to sell because they come together quickly. You can fill up an Etsy shop with products relatively quickly, and because they’re so small they don’t require a lot of materials so your material costs will be fairly low.

They also make great teacher and librarian gifts, stocking stuffers, classroom/student gifts, employee gifts, pet toys, and more! They’d also be excellent additions to your Random Acts of Handmade art collection!

And now let’s jump into the list!