My computer file of embroidery designs is expanding exponentially as I acquire more files and find more sites!  AAACCCKKK!  So my problem is organizing.  I have looked at some of the program software for finding them and I need your help.  Can you give me a comparison of the top 5 best?

Hope you can help and thanks in advance.

Thanks for your comment and your suggestion.  I’m sorry but we do not have information on the top 5 programs for organizing design files.  We have posted your query here and invite Secrets Blog readers to comment on the programs they use.  Hopefully you will receive some useful information from them.

Additionally, click here to view some tips you might find useful about organizing your designs, which also includes a system of pre-organized folders you can download for free!!

The Team at Secrets

I am trying to do redwork which has scripture (words).  Which stabilizer should I use tear away (and weight) or cutaway.  I have trouble with the words coming unstitched.  Should I leave back stitches in tact?  Thank you - Linda

Hi Linda!

I’m not sure what project fabric you are using, but for most fabrics I’d use Sulky’s iron-on tear-away. This brand of tear-away is very easy to remove and you will stand less chance of disturbing the stitching. When tearing away the excess, put your fingers on the stitched portions of the design and tear away the stabilizer up to your fingers. Leave a little around the stitching. If it is possible to leave the stabilizer intact on your project (and it won’t hinder the finished look from the front…for instance, on a pillow top or framed embroidery) use a fusible mesh stabilizer over the whole project back and don’t remove it. My personal favorite is Lite & Sheer Mesh Fusible from Terradon Embroidery.

Do not clip the jump threads between the lettering on the back of the fabric. Just clip the front jump threads and any long tails of colored thread on the back. Use a tiny drop of seam sealant, such as FrayChek, to help secure the beginning and ending of each knot on the wrong side of the project. (Do a spot check first on a scrap of your project fabric to be sure that it will not show when completely dry…some fabrics will mark.) Depending on what your project is, it may even be advisable to use a fusible webbing, such as Wonder Under or Steam a Seam, to adhere a piece of interfacing permanently to the wrong side of the embroidered fabric. This will definitely help prevent those stitches from unraveling…but will also give the fabric stiffness, not always desirable!

Good luck!

Evy
A Bit of Stitch

A Bit Of Stitch’s new Bird & Bloom Needle Felting Tutorial will show you how to use your embroidery machine to jump-start the process of needle felting! This project includes 7 embroidery designs plus step by step instructions to guide you through the embroidery to needle-felting process and also show you how to create 3D flowers, leaves and “berries” as shown on the sample projects. This “punch by number” process is a bit like painting one of those “paint by number” pictures we loved to do when we were kids. Directions are also included to make the gorgeous pillow as shown.

Carolyn is asked:

My present question is hard to ask. So here goes: Maybe it’d  be better if I tell you what I’d like to do. I’d “like” to select a “design format”..for example “a circle”.  I would then choose a design, let’s say a “butterfly” that I took a photo of…or drew myself or already had purchased.  I would then like to repeat the butterfly as many times as I’d like around the perimeter of a shape…say a circle…ending with almost the look of a clock face.  Or I could repeat the individual chosen design in the shape of a rectangle, square, star, etc. So, does Embird repeat my chosen design as many times as possible…into a predesignated “shape” that comes in the software? Would Embird repeat a design to form a border or frame, such as making a border on a flat bedsheet or tablecloth?

Thank you for answering these ?’s. I appreciate your time and valuable knowledge! I look forward to possibly purchasing Embird from your site!

Thanks again for providing such a GREAT website…as a TREAT for all involved with texile art!

Sincerely,
Dana Finan

Carolyn Replies:

Sorry for the delay in answering but my modem was destroyed after a series of lightening strikes and its taken me all week to get back on-line again.

Yes, you can create a shape from one design and repeat it in a shape. You need to set your hoop size, import your design and then go to Edit/Auto-repeat in Editor. Choose your shape, the number of repeats etc and Embird will do it for you. It might take you a couple of tries to get the look you want but I can assure you that it works well. It’s fun and addictive.
Best of luck.

Kind regards
Carolyn Keber
Step by Step lessons for Embird and PE Design

Carolyn is asked:

I have recently purchased Embird 2006 Basic (right before they upgraded) because I read that you can import images and turn them into embroidery designs.  I am  also new to machine embroidery.  I have been trying to import images into Embird and then converting to stitches.  Every time I do this stitches are added to the background where there should not be any stitches.  How do I import images into Embird without having this happen every time?  I have imported .jpg, .tif, .wmf, .png and .bmp files.  The files that are created have a transparent background, but is not “transparent” when the image is open in Embird. Thank you for your help, Ann.

Carolyn Replies:

Auto-digitizing - which is what you are referring to - is when a program automatically turns an image into an embroidery design. It all sounds great in theory but in practical terms nothing is ever as simple as it sounds. Images are generally never created to be turned into embroidery designs - they are usually just for documents etc. So it’s a little “hit and miss” when you have a program that will turn images into embroidery designs. The images you are referring to - WMF, EMF etc are created in layers. If you have a black outline showing in your image it is usually a complete black layer with just a bit of black peeping out to create the impression of an outline. Then the rest of the design is created on top of the black, layer by layer. But when you change that image into an embroidery design all the layers are created as stitches which leaves you with loads of stitches that you don’t want. Then you have a lot of editing to do. Sometimes it isn’t worth the effort.

I hope that explains the problems you’re having a little better. It is often much better to use the tools in Studio and create your own designs from scratch. Some images convert well to designs and others are just a “write-off”.

Take care,

Kind regards
Carolyn Keber
Step by Step lessons for Embird and PE Design

Hi, I am embroidering about 30 squares for a quilt group that makes quilts for veteran hospitals. All my designs are patriotic. A lot of them are puckering. I am using tearaway stabilizer, have tried cutaway and sticky. Also loosened the thread tension and did not pull the fabric after putting it in the hoop. They are still puckering. Some of the designs are dense. I am using cotton squares and #11 or #14 needle depending on the design. HELP!!!!! Hope you can set me on the right path. Thank you, - Susie

Dear Susie;

Aren’t you just the sweetest person to be making quilts for veterans!!!!

Sounds like you have a “design unsuitable for the fabric” problem. That means, the fabric weave is too light and not tightly woven enough to support the stitches in the design, causing them to push the fibers apart instead of resting on top of the fibers as they should. Which makes puckers around the design! Here’s a good test…hold your fabric up to a strong light, look at the light holes coming through it. Do you see large patches of fabric that look brighter? Do you see unevenly spaced light holes with some larger than others? If so you probably have a piece of fabric that was woven of inferior cotton thread. Spinners would call it “seconds.” While seconds is okay for most sewing projects, embroidery doesn’t always do so well on it. Look for a high thread count, 200 or so and a nice thick, sturdy feeling cotton.

Sounds like you are stabilizing just fine. I would recommend that you always adhere the stabilizer to the fabric, regardless of it’s type. You can use temporary spray adhesive if you’re not using a wet and stick or an iron-on stabilizer. After the stabilized fabric is in the hoop, slide another piece under the hoop while it is in the machine for those especially dense designs.

Another option would be to try using editing software to reduce the stitch count. If you happen to be using some free designs from sites that offer lots of freebies by various folks you might have designs that have been automatically resized when they were converted and have not had their stitch counts adjusted. No matter what you do, those designs will pucker.

Good luck! Let me know how you do!

Evy
A Bit of Stitch

The following message was received via our website.  We were so impressed that we wanted to share it with everyone - Well Done Hope… from the Team at Secrets.

“I first saw Hope on Pfaff’s, Behind The Seams.  It really took my breath away.  I have been sewing for over 40 years, and I have wanted to do heirloom sewing for as long as I can remember — but never had the courage to try.  Well, after watching Hope and listening to such a warm and friendly person and I thought — hey, maybe I can do this.  Now that I’ve looked at her website, I could just cry with joy, I’m so excited.  Please give her the biggest thank you.  I’m thrilled to pieces.  I’m off to wipe my tears and get busy.  Thank you soooooo much, Hope!”

Carolyn is Asked:

Judy Beals
The J Beals Studio

Carolyn Replies:

You should be able to import an image without any problems. Try using the shortcut on the Menu Bar instead of the actual Import Menu. Two things you could check if this doesn’t work. Have you got the correct Studio download. Go to Help/About in Studio and check that it is showing as Embird Studio 5 Build 8.0.

If you have got this build then make sure that you did actually install Studio in the same folder as your Embird was installed to as there are more options for installing now than there have been before.

Also check the Integrity of the program by returning to Embird Manager/Help/About/Test Integrity.

I hope one of those solutions work for you.

Kind regards
Carolyn Keber
Tutorials for Embird and PE Design

Hi everyone

I hope you’re enjoying the new Embird 2008 and Embird Studio that was released this week. As you’re all probably aware the new version requires an upgrade fee and new registration number so if you have downloaded and paid for the new version just remember not to install it until you have received your new registration numbers. If you do install it without the new registration numbers then you’ll be running Embird in “unregistered mode” until the new passwords arrive. Some folk have been lucky and have received their passwords almost instantly but you know what happens when you are excited and decide to install the program thinking that your passwords will arrive quickly as well – Murphy’s Law is that yours will be delayed for some unknown reason.  So play the patience game and wait for the new passwords before installing.

Embird 2008 isn’t visually any different from Embird 2006 but it does have some nice new features. However Embird Studio does have a number of changes – especially the Trace Tool and the new Font Engine. The Trace Tool allows you to turn any jpg, bmp, etc image into an embroidery design simply by selecting the tool, selecting the fill type and then left clicking on an imported image. The important things to remember with this tool is to import the design at the original size as this will preserve its integrity and also to have a clear image. That will help heaps with the conversion to stitches. In the pipeline is an improvement to the outlines as well – as they currently are a little limited. But it’s a great new feature with more improvements to come.

The new Font Engine in Studio takes a little getting used to as it is so different to Font Engine in Editor but it will also take major leaps forward, I am sure, in the coming months. Like any new feature it takes a while for us to adjust to a new way of doing things. One thing that I am very happy with is the ability to scan images directly into Embird, Studio and Cross Stitch. I asked Ladislav for this feature months ago when I was writing my “ Select Scan and Align Tutorial for Embird” and happily he agreed to include this option.

The other thing I asked Ladislav for – as the ladies in Townsville Australia would remember at my seminar – was the ability to Print Color Layers in color. Previously Print Color Layers/Manager only printed in black and white with the colors listed in color bars on the paper but Ladislav has now added – at my request – the ability to Print Color Layers and show the actual thumbnails in color. I am so impressed that software developers will listen and implement changes to the program that they think worthwhile. Now if only I could have the same influence with brother/Babylock!!!

Believe me, there’s still more to come as well – so it is worth upgrading to Embird 2008. I know for a fact – as I requested it – a much improved stipple stitch for Embird Studio. I asked Dusan for this after writing my latest PEDS V7 tutorial about Stippling and Hole Sewing. I had so many emails afterwards asking if I was going to write a similar lesson for Embird that I asked Dusan if he would create a stippling stitch in Studio that worked in a similar way to PE Design/Palette. He has agreed to this but said it would take a bit of programming to do – so watch for this in the future. While there is currently a motif stitch that is a stippling type stitch it leaves a lot to be desired when compared to the capabilities of the PEDS/Palette stippling stitch.

Another new feature in Embird 2008 is for Bernina owners and it is the ability to write designs to the Bernina Artista Medium. This is found through the Right Panel /Input/Output Operations menu. It allows you to read/write files from/to media card for Bernina Artista 200/730, Bernina Artista 630/640 and Deco 330/340. I haven’t checked it out on my machine yet – as I have been too busy – but will do so very shortly.

See what I mean. Lots of new things for us all and I am sure that lurking in the program are other things that are not in the “ What’s New” list that you don’t find until you are playing and  have a “uh oh, I haven’t seen that before” moment!! Those little extras are always the delicious wee surprises that the Balara’s throw into the program that never cease to amaze us. – LOL!! And don’t we all love surprises. As always – an amazing program at an amazing price that never fails to deliver.

By the way – if you have trouble downloading the updates or are confused about what you have to do to download new versions check out my four new free videos at Secrets of Embroidery that take you through all the steps of downloading and installing Embird.

Until next time –

Kind regards
Carolyn Keber
Tutorials for Embird and PE Design

Learn to make a fabulous quilt and pillow with the charming new Playtime Quilt Blocks collection from A Bit Of Stitch. These appliquéd and stippled blocks are created completely in the hoop with batting and backing fabric. Step-by-step illustrated directions are included for making the blocks and the projects. These designs coordinate with the new Playtime Applique set which has 6 fun soft toy appliqués. Purchase either of these sets and you will qualify for the monthly bonus Baby Quilt Square.