DIY In‑the‑Hoop Stuffed Santa: Machine Embroidery Guide

Video reference: “In the Hoop Santa | Free Embroidery Design” by Kayla's Creations

A plump, jolly Santa you can stitch entirely in the hoop—then turn, stuff, and hang in under an afternoon. This guide distills the complete process into clear, reliable steps, so your Santas come out cute, consistent, and gift-ready.

What you’ll learn

• How to hoop stabilizer and place layered appliqué fabrics for beard, hat, and face

• The exact sequence to embroider details, add backing, and create a clean cut line

• Turning and stuffing techniques for a smooth, even plush

• A fast, invisible ladder stitch to close the opening and add a ribbon hanger

Primer: What this in-the-hoop Santa does (and when to make it) This in-the-hoop (ITH) project builds a small stuffed Santa ornament from layered appliqué in your embroidery hoop. The machine runs a placement/tack sequence for each fabric, adds facial details and outlines, then stitches a final perimeter that becomes your cut line. After cutting, you’ll turn it right side out, stuff with polyfill, and hand-sew a nearly invisible closure.

When to choose this project

• Quick holiday makes and batch gifts

• Personalized gift toppers, ornaments, or stocking add-ons

• Beginner-friendly ITH practice with appliqué and plush finishing magnetic hoop embroidery

Where it shines

• Clean edges thanks to in-the-hoop placement and tack-downs

• Plush, tactile finish using minky fabrics

• Optional ribbon loop for easy hanging

Prep: Files, fabrics, stabilizer, and workspace Gather these before you begin:

• Files: In-the-hoop Santa embroidery design file

• Stabilizer: Cut-away stabilizer (a heavier cut-away was used to keep the plush crisp)

• Fabrics: White minky (beard/hat trim), red minky (hat/back), tan woven or knit (face)

• Threads: Assorted embroidery threads for outlines and facial details

• Fill: Polyfill for stuffing

• Notions: Scissors (plus embroidery scissors for clean thread trims), hand-sewing needle, matching thread, optional ribbon loop, and double-sided tape for gift-topper use

• Hoop & machine: An embroidery machine and an appropriate hoop; the demo uses an 8×8 Mighty Hoop with a 5×7 design. A Ricoma EM-1010 was used in the reference.

Workspace checklist

• Clear, well-lit space at the machine and a comfortable hand-sewing spot

• Design loaded and centered in your hoop’s sew field

• Stabilizer cut to size and ready to hoop

From the comments: Which machine was used?

• Ricoma EM-1010 was called out by the creator in the comment thread. Any comparable hoop and machine can follow the same process. ricoma mighty hoops

Setup: Hoop, design size, and first placement Hoop a piece of cut-away stabilizer in an 8×8 hoop. The design is sized for a 5×7 field, leaving margin around the edges for hooping and later trimming.

Pro tip

• Make sure the stabilizer is drum-tight in the hoop. Loose stabilizer creates fuzzy, shifted edges.

Place the first fabric: white minky Lay white minky over the hooped stabilizer so it fully covers the beard and hat-trim areas of the design. Start the color that runs the placement and tack-down for this layer. The machine will stitch a clear outline to guide your trimming.

Quick check

• The placement line should be centered and smooth. The minky should lie flat with no drag or ripples. embroidery hoops magnetic

Operation: Step-by-step to a stuffed Santa 1) White minky placement and tack

• Start the machine to stitch the placement, then the tack-down over the white minky. Stop and trim excess closely along the stitch line for crisp edges.

• Expected result: Beard and hat trim areas defined with clean edges.

Watch out

• Don’t lift the fabric while trimming; keep the scissors angled slightly up and skim along the stitch line to avoid nicking threads. magnetic embroidery frame

2) Add Santa’s red hat appliqué

• Place red minky over the hat area so it fully covers the placement line.

• Run the placement/tack-down, then trim flush to the stitch line for a tight appliqué edge.

• Expected result: A smooth red hat with no gaps.

3) Add the tan face appliqué

• Lay tan fabric over the face area to cover the placement line. Run the placement/tack-down and trim close.

• Expected result: Face area neatly defined and ready for features.

4) Stitch facial details and outlines

• Let the machine complete eyes, nose, mouth, and any final beard/trim outlines. If a stray thread sneaks under a satin stitch, pause and trim it with embroidery scissors.

• Expected result: A fully embroidered front Santa, clean and tangle-free.

From the comments: Topper or no topper?

• A viewer asked about a topper; the creator replied she didn’t see the need on this design. If your minky piles are especially lofty, test on a scrap; otherwise, skipping topper here is common and works well with good tension and tight hooping. mighty hoop magnetic embroidery hoops

5) Add the back fabric and stitch the final outline

• Remove the hoop from the machine without unhooping the project.

• Place a piece of red minky on the back of the hoop, fully covering the design area.

• Return the hoop and run the final outline stitch. This secures front and back fabrics and creates the precise cut line.

• Expected result: A fully encapsulated Santa sandwich with a clean perimeter stitch.

Pro tip

• Smooth the back fabric firmly while holding the hoop flat to avoid pleats on the reverse.

6) Remove, cut, and leave an opening

• Take the project out of the machine and unhoop. Cut around the stitched outline, leaving a small seam allowance. Leave an opening to turn and stuff (the design’s opening may be snug with heavier stabilizer; that’s normal).

• Expected result: A clean edge following the stitch line, with a gap for turning.

Watch out

• Cutting too close to the stitch line can cause fraying or seam breaks during turning. Keep a sliver of allowance intact. mighty hoops for ricoma

7) Turn right side out

• Gently work the plush through the opening. Use fingers or a blunt tool to push seams and corners fully.

• Expected result: A well-shaped Santa with smooth edges and defined points.

Quick check

• If turning feels tight, pause and roll the seam between fingers to relax the edge before pushing again.

8) Stuff with polyfill

• Feed small tufts of polyfill into the body, distributing evenly to avoid lumps.

• Expected result: Firm yet squeezable; no bulges that distort outlines.

Pro tip

• Stuff edges and corners first so the silhouette stays crisp once the center fills in. magnetic hoops for embroidery

9) Optional: Add a ribbon hanger

• If making an ornament, fold a short ribbon into a loop and tuck the ends into the top opening before you stitch it closed.

• Expected result: Ribbon nested between layers, ready to secure as you sew the closure.

10) Close with a hidden ladder stitch

• Thread a hand needle with a matching color. Take small, alternating horizontal bites on the folded edges from each side of the opening, then pull snug every few stitches. Knot and bury the tail.

• Expected result: A nearly invisible seam that blends with the fabric.

Quick check

• If stitches show, shorten your bites and match thread color to the dominant fabric.

Operation checklist

• White minky placed, stitched, and trimmed

• Red hat and tan face appliqués stitched and trimmed

• Facial details stitched cleanly; stray threads trimmed

• Backing added and perimeter outline stitched

• Cut with a narrow allowance and a clear opening left

• Turned fully, stuffed evenly, ladder-stitched closed

Quality checks: What “good” looks like at each stage

• Hooped stabilizer: Drum-tight with no slack

• Appliqué trims: Even, close to the tack-down, no frayed edges

• Details: Eyes and mouth aligned and fully covered by satin fills

• Perimeter stitch: Complete loop with no missed sections

• Edges after turning: Corners pushed out; silhouette matches the outline

• Stuffing: Even density; plush holds its shape without seam strain embroidery magnetic hoops

Results & handoff: Finish, hang, or gift Your Santa is ready to go! Add a name tag and a dot of double-sided tape to turn it into a charming gift topper, or hang it on the tree. Consider coordinating sets: vary hat colors per family member, or make a few to adorn a row of stockings. dime snap hoop

Troubleshooting & recovery

• Problem: A stray thread got caught under a satin stitch

Likely cause: A loose tail dropped into the stitching path Fix: Pause and trim with embroidery scissors; the satin will mask minor snips.

• Problem: Turning is difficult

Likely cause: Opening left too small; heavier cut-away adds stiffness Fix: Take your time and use a blunt tool. If needed, enlarge the opening slightly and resew with the ladder stitch.

• Problem: Wavy appliqué edges

Likely cause: Fabric shifted or wasn’t fully covered before tack-down Fix: Reseat the fabric and rerun the tack-down if your machine permits; otherwise, trim more carefully next time and ensure full coverage before stitching.

• Problem: Lumpy stuffing

Likely cause: Large clumps of polyfill Fix: Use smaller tufts and work them into corners first; redistribute by massaging the plush.

• Problem: Visible closing seam

Likely cause: Large ladder-stitch bites or contrast thread Fix: Shorten each bite; switch to a closer thread color and snug the ladder every few stitches. mighty hoop

From the comments

• Topper question: A viewer noted no topper was used. The creator confirmed she didn’t need one on this design, and results were clean without it.

• Machine model: The machine used was a Ricoma EM-1010.

• Community vibes: Multiple readers shared holiday cheer and enthusiasm to make sets for family—this truly is a quick, repeatable holiday project.

Setup checklist

• Stabilizer hooped (8×8 in the example), design loaded at 5×7

• White minky ready for first placement

• Threads on hand for details and outlines magnetic embroidery hoops

Prep checklist

• File loaded, stabilizer and fabrics cut to size

• Polyfill, scissors/embroidery scissors, and hand-sewing supplies ready

• Optional ribbon cut and ready to insert before closure magnetic frames for embroidery machine

Embed note This tutorial is based on the project shown in the referenced video by Kayla’s Creations and reflects the exact sequence and techniques demonstrated, plus added guidance for clarity and repeatability.