This is to Carolyn Duncan.  I have the Designer 1 machine that uses floppies instead of the USB.  I want to put designs on a floppy, but when I click on accessories in 4D Pro, I see disk manager USB (which has both the USB and floppy icons).  I click on the disk manager USB, and it shows the USB sticks at the top, as well as the floppies icons, but the floppy icons are grayed out.  The only thing that is available is the USB stick. 

I cannot figure out how to use the disk manager with the floppy icons.  In 4D configure, I have Designer 1 checked, and the disk checked, but for some reason, the floppy icons are not available in Disk manager USB.  Should there be a listing for Disk manager disk as well as DM USB?

How do I put designs on my floppies? Your help will be greatly appreciated. - Gay

Hi Gay,

If you have told the software that you have a D1 in 4D Configure then you should have the Floppy Disk Option in USB Disk Manager available and not greyed out.  Make sure that it is listed in the Machine Manager Option as well as the Send 1 or Send 2.

If you click on the small  +  alongside the floppy disk icon it will open up the usual 4 menus and you can select a menu and transfer designs over to it.

You can open files just like in the embroidery module using either the  open or view tools and they will be shown in the menu you have selected.

You can write to,or read from, floppy disks using the icon tools as long as your system has a floppy drive installed.  They will be greyed out otherwise.  My desktop does not have a floppy drive so I have to use my laptop to make D1 disks.  Even so my desktop will let me load files into the Floppy disk menu of the 4D Disk Manager software.

Let me know if this helps,

Carolyn Duncan
Sew What Designs
Author of Pfaff, Husqvarna & Sewing Tutorials

Dear Carolyn,

My computer crashed and I had no choice but to do a System Restore. Now my Palette v. 6.08 will not allow me to open files from Design DataBase or Design Center into Layout & Editing. I cannot save files in the older versions of Palette. Also I cannot open any of my files into Smart Sizer, Size Express or Buzz Tool Plus. These were working fine before the crash.

I have been using Palette since it’s beginning and have several of your tutorials. I must say I would not have learned to use the software had it not been for you.

Thanks and I hope you can help me.

Jeannie Stephens

Hi Jeannie,

Sorry for the delay in replying - I have been on an overseas trip.  You will need to make sure that you have a full version of PEDS installed as well as the 6.08 update. PEDS always looks for a full version that is on the computer and won’t operate correctly without it. As you don’t mention whether you installed your full version it would pay to check this. You should be able to open any files in PEDS - PEM and PEL in Design Center and embroidery files in Layout and Editing. 

Perhaps if you could let me know if you do have a full version of PEDS installed it would be helpful - although by now you may already have solved this issue during my absence.

Kind regards
Carolyn Keber
Tutorials for Embird and PE Design

Larisa from Threads That Bind Us had a blast stitching out these cute Framed Tony & Jonie projects. The set includes full instructions on how to make these two framed redwork designs. Everything is completed in the hoop with no additional sewing required. Tony & Jonie are quite the pair, and the fun part of this Piece in the Hoop Frame project is that you could also substitute these designs with your own favorites.

I would like to know if this is a free standing program or if you need embird? Also how does it compare to Corell DRAWing? The price is certainly attractive. Thank you.

Our Pre-Design Studio program is a vector drawing program and “only”  a limited embroidery digitizing program. Pre-Design Studio’s most important function is to create your own artwork for the real embroidery digitizing programs, such as Brother’s PE-Design or Embird, or any other brand of digitizing programs. Drawing in Pre-Design Studio is very, very easy - even if you can’t draw! and then you can export your drawing for example as a PEM-file, open that pes-file in Brother’s digitizing software, or export as a solid color bitmap and open in an AutoDigitizing program, or export as a vector and open in a professional digitizing software, and save lots of time in digitizing.

With Pre-Design Studio you can also convert the lines of your drawing into stitches and take the resulting DST file into an embroidery machine, in the same way as you take downloaded designs from the internet into your machine: so your machine must have either a card reader/writer or a USB port. But, as said: lines only!  redwork, quilt patterns and fringe edge applique designs can be done with Pre-Design - without the need for any other “real” embroidery digitizing software. When a machine cannot read dst-files, you can use the free Pulse Ambassador converter program (included on the Pre-Design Studio CD-rom) to convert into other embroidery formats, such as PES.

Download the trial version and take it for a test drive!  Visit the Pre-Design Studio page,  read the overview page and watch all tutorial movies, to get an idea of what Pre-Design Studio can do for you. It’s easy to draw in Pre-Design Studio, and there are lots of export functions in the program to use it in multiple ways, which makes the program an enormous help and time saver in embroidery digitizing.

A comparison with DraWINGS:
DraWINGS is a more complete program than Pre-Design Studio (well, of course it should be - looking at the huge price difference), but DraWINGS is still not a full digitizing program. In DraWINGS you can draw your artwork and then it has an autodigitizing function which creates filled stitch shapes, but you don’t have full editing control over the resulting fills and outline settings.   DraWINGS could perhaps be compared with Pre-Design Studio in combination with a third party AutoDigitizing program, such as Digitize and Stitch. Where the learning curve of Pre-Design Studio quite a bit shorter than of Corel.

If you don’t have any embroidery digitizing software yet, then I think you should start looking at the brand of the embroidery machine you have: every brand of embroidery machine has their own full digitizing software.Visit your embroidery machine dealer and ask for a demo of their software. Pre-Design Studio will be a time saver for each and every brand of digitizing software. And before you buy a full digitizing program, take Pre-Design Studio for a test drive just to get the rewarding feeling of seeing your machine sew a pattern you drew just seconds before in Pre-Design Studio.

Thanks for your interest!

Happy Holidays,

Loes van der Heijden
Pre-Design Studio

I own a Bernina 640 and only have Editor Lite.  The upgrade Version 5 is VERY expensive.  I have seen Embird mentioned on your site several times.  Where can I get information and price range.  I would also like some comments from users of both.  A comparison .  I know from my embroidery club users that they have had trouble with 5 (very complicated).

Hello,

Thanks for your email.  Embird can be used with any machine, however at this stage the Embird program can’t convert to the ART formats.  The Bernina Artista Software is the only one that can convert to the ART format.  The Bernina company keeps the rights to the ART format to ensure you purchase their brand of software.

So this would be a restriction for you, as you would need to purchase your design files already in ART format. You can open and view designs in ART using Embird, and you can convert ART formats to another format, but you can’t do it the other way around.

Many designers on our website do provide their designs in the ART format.  After you click the Add To Cart button, you will see a drop down box to select your format.

More information about Embird can be found at this link.

Any further queries just let me know.  We are always more then happy to help.

Kind regards,

Margaret Hardwick-Smith
Customer Support
at Secrets of Embroidery

I recently purchased Pfaff 4D Extra software for my Viking 300.  I installed it on my new laptop and it worked fine.  I need the laptop for classes, but I wanted to install it on my home computer because I’m more comfortable working on it right now.  When I installed it on my home computer, which I thought was permissable, my dongle stopped working on my laptop.  I emailed Pfaff last week but have yet to hear from them.  Anyone have a solution for me? - Carol

Hi Carol,

I would not think that installing the software on a second computer would cause problems as the majority of people have a desktop as well as a laptop.

Are you sure that you returned the dongel to exactly the same port on the laptop? 

I suggest that you try the dongel on each port in turn until you find the one it was installed on. Otherwise you can configure each port by putting the dongel in a port and turn the laptop on -  You will probably get a “new hardware found” message each time.  Once you have done this for each port you should be able to forget about which one to use.

Let me know if this solves your problem.

Carolyn Duncan
Sew What Designs
Author of Pfaff, Husqvarna & Sewing Tutorials

My Fair Lady’s collectible Puzzle series for 2008 is complete! The December Puzzle & Applique set is now free with any orders over $10 from the My Fair Lady design store. This month’s gift includes the December Puzzle, December Applique, plus the Back Cover and Tab for completing the Puzzle Book. If you have been collecting the puzzles during 2008, be sure to get this gift so you can finish your book in time for Christmas. There are FREE  Puzzle Book & Quilt Assembly Instructions available on the page now too! These fun activities will be treasured keepsakes for kids of all ages.

Hi Carolyn,

I have a new Viking Diamond and can not get it to stitch out free standing lace. I have used from one to two layers of badgemaster in addition to adding a layer of organza and it still leaves the bobbin thread very loose and a knotted mess. I have tried bobbin thread as well as the same thread as I am using on the top. Help! - Victoria

Dear Victoria,

When making free standing lace I like to use the same thread top and bottom so that the lace can be viewed from either side.  My preference is to use a product called water soluble Vilene.  I have had no problems stitching out most lace on a single layer but some designs recommend two to four layers. Be guided by what the designer recommends.

I have not used “Badgemaster” but on the internet it is described as being “similar to Solvy” .  Solvy is a soft plastic used on top of fabrics with nap or pile like terry towling or fleece to stop the fabric from poking up through the embroidery.   It would not be suitable for FSL even with multiple layers. ( I have some disasters to prove it).  The organza would help but FSL designs are digitised very differently so that they do not fall apart when washed.  Try to get hold of some water-soluble vilene and see if that solves your problems.

The following hints may also help:

Use your HV Hoop Magic if you have one or use some non skid underlay to make a grip for your hoop.   I described this in detail in my Stitching onto Organza tutorial.

But be warned - FSL can become very addictive!

Carolyn Duncan
Sew What Designs
Author of Pfaff, Husqvarna & Sewing Tutorials

My computer crashed and I had no choice but to do a System Restore. Now my Palette v. 6.08 will not allow me to open files from Design DataBase or Design Center into Layout & Editing. I cannot save files in the older versions of Palette. Also I cannot open any of my files into Smart Sizer, Size Express or Buzz Tool Plus. These were working fine before the crash. I also have Smart Sizer Gold, but cannot get it to re-install. I have been in contact with Babylock for the past two weeks, but cannot make them understand what my problem is. They have no idea what I mean by opening a file from Design Database or Design Center. I also have Studio Plus and no files will open in Layout & Editing from there. I have been using Palette since it’s beginning and have several of your tutorials. I must say I would not have learned to use the software had it not been for you.

Thanks and I hope you can help me.

Jeannie Stephens

OK, I have called 3 dealers to get a price on the MB-4 and I keep getting the run around. It’s like I am at an old car dealership and they are trying to get me to pay the highest price they can. I just want to know average price so I can tell my husband how much my Christmas gift will be lol. Can someone tell me the average price is within $500 one way or the other?

Thanks bunches
Elizabeth