In-the-Hoop Taco Ornament

Make your own in-the-hoop taco ornament for Christmas decorations, gift toppers, and more. Step-by-step project instructions will show you how to make your own.

The lettuce (file "a") for our taco is a freestanding fabric design. Freestanding fabric designs have been specially digitized to sew on only a hooped piece of felt, so there is no stabilizer used of any kind. After the pieces are embroidered and cut out, only the embroidery and felt remains, allowing for the pieces to look pretty on both sides

As the lettuce will be seen from both sides, wind a bobbin to match every thread color used in the design.

Hoop the piece of felt firmly. Make sure it is nice and tight with no wrinkles.

Attach the hoop to the machine and load the lettuce file (file "a"). Embroider the design. The first thing to embroider will be the "cut line". This marks the area on the felt where the piece will be cut out later.

Follow the color change sheet and embroider the rest of the design. Make sure to change out the bobbins to match every thread color.

After the embroidery has finished, unhoop the felt. Then using a scissor, carefully cut along the inner edge of the "cut line". Cutting right along the inner edge will remove the cut line from the edge of the lettuce, leaving a clean felt edge after the piece is cut out.

When you download the taco design, you will find multiple files. Some are the embroidery files, and the others are dieline files marked with the letters "DL". Dielines are used to cut the fabric to the correct shape and size. Open and print each dieline file using an embroidery software. If you do not have  embroidery software, you can also stitch the dieline onto paper or a piece of scrap fabric, and use that as your fabric pattern.

Spray the backside of the paper dielines with temporary spray adhesive, and smooth it onto the felt fabrics.

Cut the dieline shapes out following the lines on the printed dieline. Once cut, remove the paper. Repeat for both felt pieces.

Hoop a piece of tearaway stabilizer so it is taut and has no wrinkles.

Attach the hoop to the machine and load file "b" of the embroidery design (not the dieline files). Use a 75/11 sharp sewing needle, rather than an embroidery needle as it has a finer point that will make smaller perforations in the stabilizer. Begin to embroider the design. The first thing to embroider will be the "shell dieline". This marks the area on the stabilizer where the first fabric piece will be placed. 

Remove the hoop from the machine but do not unhoop the stabilizer. Take the circle that will become the taco shell and match up the circle's edges to the sewn dieline. The fabric piece will go past the bottom straight fabric edge. Use tape or spray adhesive to hold the fabric piece in place on the stabilizer. If using tape, try not to place it where embroidery will occur later.

As all of the remaining embroidery will be visible from both sides of the taco, wind a bobbin with the same thread that is being used in the top needle. Place the matching bobbin in the machine before embroidering the next steps.

Attach the hoop back onto the machine and continue embroidering the design. The "taco tackdown" will embroider next. This tackdown will adhere the felt to the stabilizer for the rest of the design. After the taco tackdown has sewn, you can remove the tape holding the taco shell in place.

Remove the hoop from the machine but do not unhoop the stabilizer. Take the meat (or beans) felt piece, and lay it on top of the taco shell. Match up the bottom straight edge with the sewn tackdown on the shell. The whole bottom edge and corners should match up. Then use tape or spray adhesive to hold the piece in place. If using tape, only tape along the curved edge.

To add the hanger, cut a piece of cord that is about 7" long. Fold it in half to create a loop and place it over the meat (or beans) so the loop is sitting above the felt on the stabilizer. Tape the hanger in place.

Then take the embroidered lettuce piece and lay it on top of the meat (or beans). Also match up the bottom straight edge with the sewn tackdown on the shell. The whole bottom edge and corners should match up. Then use tape or spray adhesive to hold the piece in place. If using tape, only tape along the curved edge.

Finally, fold up the bottom half of the taco shell over the lettuce and meat (or beans). Fold it up so the folded edge lines touches against the bottom straight edge of the lettuce and meat inside of the shell. Tape the folded shell in place along the curved edges. Try not to place the tape where embroidery will occur later.

Then place the hoop back on the machine. Be careful that the fabric does not get caught on the sewing foot of the embroidery. Embroider the "final tackdown" with a matching bobbin. This will sew all the layers of felt in place, creating the folded taco shell with fillings inside.

After the embroidery is completed, tear away the remaining excess stabilizer from around the design. Also remove all of the tape if you used tape.

You will also need to flip the taco over, and remove the stabilizer that is stuck to the back of the taco shell inside of the sewn tackdown.