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Patriotic Embroidery Designs for 4x4 Hoops: Easy Americana Projects for Small Hoops
Discover patriotic embroidery designs perfect for 4x4 hoops, including totes, pot holders, placemats, and more. Creative Americana machine embroidery ideas for small hoop users!
This year patriotic designs abound for America’s 250th celebration, and Designs by JuJu has so many to choose from, even if you don’t have larger hoops. From quick stitches to charming details, JuJu has plenty of patriotic designs that will shine in your smaller hoops!
Approximate size of project depends on project. The pot holder is 8” square. Tote size depends on the tote you purchase.
Supplies
Please be sure to check out the DBJJ team’s favorite supplies in the Designs by JuJu Amazon store, and find our favorite stabilizers, batting, and threads at DesignsbyJuJu+.
- Designs by JuJu+ magicMesh Cut-Away Stabilizer
- Designs by JuJu+ loftySOFT™ Batting
- Heat-n-Bond® Lite - optional, but recommended
- Tear-away, sticky-back stabilizer
- Scraps of iridescent film - optional
- Insul-Bright® if making a pot holder
- Double-sided fusible tape - optional
- Items to embroider
- Fabric fat quarters and scraps
- Embroidery machine, hoop, and threads
- Sewing machine and basic sewing supplies
- DBJJ designs used in these projects:
I did a search of the DBJJ website for “patriotic” and narrowed the search for 4x4 hoops only (on the left side bar). There are 177 designs! Now, of course, not all designs work really well in the smallest hoop, but this is a great starting point to find what will work for you and your project.
As I scrolled through the designs, I discovered quite a few that would be perfect for totes, placemats, pot holders, clothing, pillows, and wall hangings. We just need to think a bit outside the box, and use our sewing machines to put things together. Let me show you some of the designs I found and what I did with them.
First choose your designs and where they will go (tote, placemat, etc.). That is the hardest part!
Projects included in this post:
Tote
Gather your supplies and load your designs onto a USB drive.
Starting with a premade tote, I chose USA from the Patriotic Applique Satin Stitch Monogram Embroidery Font. Hoop a piece of sticky-back stabilizer with the paper facing the top of the hoop. Use a pin to score the paper and remove only the paper from the hoop. Center and finger press your tote in place. Then add a few pins for extra security. I did not need any other stabilizer as the canvas was heavy enough with the sticky stabilizer. Apply the Heat-n-Bond Lite to the back of your applique fabrics according to the instructions.
I embroidered the S in the center of my tote first, placing it 2” down from the top of the tote. Embroider the other two letters on either side of the S in the same manner. But I ran into a problem! When I got to the A, it told me to change to a larger hoop. Oops! I forgot to read the Product Details!
Had I read the details first, I would have known to use the 3” font. I did the first two letters with the 4” size. I was able to fix it by shrinking the A two clicks with my machine and finishing the embroidery. But don’t rely on that type of fix! Always read the Product Details.
I learned a valuable lesson with this project! Always, always read the Product Details!
Pot Holder
I love all of Designs by JuJu’s in-the-hoop pot holders, but most require an 8x8 hoop. But wait! Those of you with a 4x4 hoop can still make them—you just have to do a bit of sewing.
Gather your supplies.
Cut a 9½” square of loftySOFT and Insul-Bright, hoop magicMESH, choose a design, and let’s get started. I cut fabric strips to make a Log Cabin–type block around my embroidery.
I cut a 4½” square of my center fabric that I will embroider. You cannot see it in the photo, but I put double-sided fusible tape around the edges of the back of the square. I am highly allergic to temporary sprays, so this is my work-around. I drew a grid on my loftySOFT, finding the center and pressing my square to the center. NOTE! Do not press directly on the loftySOFT! Use a press cloth. Then I embroidered the Patriotic Star Sketch.
I used the plastic grid that came with my hoop to double-check that it was centered. Then I pinned my loftySOFT in place.
After embroidering, I clipped the Insul-Bright to the back of the loftySOFT and started sewing my strips with my sewing machine.
The first strip on the left is cut 1½” x 4½”. Sew it right sides together to your center, then finger press it open. Add the top strip: 1½” x 5½”, finger press it open, and move to the right side. This one is also 1½” x 5½”, and the bottom strip is 1½” x 6½”.
I added a second round of 1½” strips starting with a 6½” length on the left. The top one was 7½”, right side 7½”, and bottom was 8½”, finger pressing the strips open after each addition. Finally, give the whole thing a press with your iron and press cloth.
Trim around the sides even with your last strip.
The backing is added envelope-style. I cut two pieces of fabric, one 8½” square and pressed in half, wrong sides together. The other 7½” x 8½”. To this piece I added a small hem. First press under ¼” and then press under about ¾”–1”. Sew the hem down.
Overlap the two pieces with the larger, hemmed piece first, then the folded piece onto the front of the pot holder.
Sew all around the outside edges with a ¼” seam allowance, then trim the corners.
Finally, turn your pot holder right side out through the back opening and give it a good press. You can use a strip of double-sided fusible tape to close the opening, if desired. A hanging loop could be added before sewing the back and front together. I don’t hang my pot holders, so I didn't add one.
Other Ideas
Have you tried any of the Quilting Backdrops (QBs) with your 4x4 hoop? I love to quilt a piece of fabric and loftySOFT together and then cut it apart for other projects. I usually do that with my largest hoop, but your 4x4 hoop works too.
I hooped magicMESH and cut my loftySOFT and fabric the same size. This one is 10” x 12½”. Be sure to read the QBs Product Details! It will tell you that for a 4” hoop, you should use the 3” designs. BUT, if you are using the quilting files only, you can use the 4” size. The Quilting Only files do not have the placement and tack-down stitching, and that is perfect for our purposes. I just kept hooping magicMESH and moving my fabric and batting to quilt the fabric piece. I ran each quilting design twice to get the look of using a heavier thread. You can read more about how I do this in the Star Spangled Stitches Project: DIY Bowl and Plate Cozies for Patriotic Serving Decor blog post.
Next, I embroidered a few 4” designs on 5” squares. The Patriotic Sparkle designs are a perfect place to use iridescent film! Here I am using it for the Ice Cream Bar. The iridescent film works well with almost any sketch design, but do not change or alter the size of sketch designs—it can skew them.
I have used this film on kitchen towels and washed and dried them. You cannot touch the film with an iron, but it can be pressed from the back using a pressing cloth. Experiment and see where you can add a bit of sparkle!
I folded the right side of the film out of the way to finish embroidering the stars on that side.
Using your finger to support the edge of your embroidery, gently tear the film away. It tears really easily.
Four designs ready for a project! The USA design is a sketch design, and you can see that I used the iridescent film. The Star Flag has two options to embroider a sketch design or an ombre design. I chose the ombre 4” design.
So, what should I make?
I can use the four designs with sashing to create a small table mat. Just pretend this is all sewn together.
Or I could embroider USA, like I did on the tote, on the quilted piece and make a wall hanging.
Or how about using the quilted piece as sashing?
Or maybe placemats? The quilted piece and one block could go on the side of the placemat. I could quilt wavy lines with my sewing machine on the strawberry part with loftySOFT under that side.
You can also embroider these 4” designs and turn them into pouches like I did in How to Sew a Stylish Cork Tote and Eco-Friendly Snack Bag with Machine Embroidery blog post. Just embroider on fabric with loftySOFT instead of using the Splash Fabric. Or embroider a bunch of designs and make a tote!
Now that I have been using my 4x4 hoop, my mind is just whirling with ideas! Have I inspired you? I hope so!
Please be sure to share your projects in the Designs by JuJu Embroidery Blessings Facebook Group, or use the hashtag #designsbyjuju anywhere on social media. We all love to see what you create!
