There’s an old-time saying in the embroidery world. If I can hoop it, I can sew it. Simply put, it means that there are only two barriers to being able to embroider something.

• Can the needle physically penetrate the fabric consistently?
• Do they make a hoop that can hold it?

The first of those barriers is easy to determine. You simply need to load up a small design and test a piece of the fabric, or multi-layer material and make sure that your machine doesn’t bog down.

It turns out that some machines are built stronger than others, and of course there’s a difference between home machines and commercial embroidery machines. My own preference is that the Avance embroidery machine is the most powerful machine in a compact frame you can buy.

The second barrier to embroidery is if there is an easy and repeatable way to hoop the item. And, here’s where the Embroidery Grip by Colman and Company stands out.

They made this incredible device that can fit all sorts of machines. It lets you easily clamp down on items to be embroidered so that they are holding firm while your machine runs. They built the device to fit on all sorts of machines.