sewingsusan wrote:
self-taught myself with the aid of a 1/2 dozen or so books - I went
back to my sources to see who "wrote" that hoops are bad for satin
fabrics. I looked through every book until I found it in Erica
Wilson's "Crewel Embroidery" from 1962. That was probably my
source...

I've never seen pictures of Erica Wilson using a "dressed" hoop. I
believe "dressing" will make a world of difference on more fragile
fabrics. Anyway, there are things we can get away with on cross-stitch
that wont'd work with lush wools or metal-thread embroideries.

I wasn't aware of full-dressing until this year. Half-dressing is
wrapping the inside of a plain (not lip'd) hoop with cotton floss or
yarn, as a cushion and to avoid direction contact with metal or
potential for wood splinters. The hoop's fully dressed if a separate
piece of fabric with a window smaller than the hoop's opening is used
between the working fabric and the larger hoop. The extra piece not
only cushions the fabric but also protects the stressed edge from direct
abrasion and incidental soiling.

Diane Hare