When I bring a design into “Editor” and then print from there, I seem to lose my color.  It prints very light compared to printing in any other program such as ” My Customizer”. Is this a setting in Embird that has to be changed?  I’ve been using this way of making my cd discs and have had no problem previously.  When this first started, I thought maybe I was running low in ink however, I have found since that, that is not the reason.  Can you help me please?

Hi there,

I think your printing problem could be solved by making a selection change under the Options Menu in Embird Manager. Make sure that under Options/Documentation Options/Print Stitch Points Only is deselected. This is an ink saving measure and works only too well - so well that you can barely see the printed design.

I hope that works for you.

Kind regards
Carolyn Keber
Step by Step Tutorials for all Embird programs and for PE Design

I need  to embroider ribbons for our members to wear at the “Relay for Life Rally” coming up soon. The embroidery area is 2½” x 7″.  I need help in laying out the letters (Brunswick Pink Angels) vertically rather than hortizontally. I think that three words can be staggered in a 2½ x 7 inch area. I have Embird 8.4, my largest hoop is 5×7″. I have several alphabets but I do not have font engine. Thank you - Donna 

Hi Donna,

If you open the Text or Font Engine Text (whichever you wish to use) you should select your font and then click on the Multiple Lines of Text icon on the Insert Page. Type your lettering and click on the Vertical Text option in Text Properties. You may need to make other selections such as the distance between the letters etc. Click OK when you’re finished. However, if you wish to select a pattern or different type of fill from the default you will need to do this before you move to the Multiple Lines of text screen.

Best of luck

Kind regards
Carolyn Keber
Step by Step Tutorials for all Embird programs and for PE Design

The Purple Hat’s new Funky Food Easter set consists of six made in the hoop projects for 4×4 hoops as well as one design for 5×7 hoops. There’s a small chocolate bunny, two Easter eggs, a juicy carrot, a shy Easter chick peeking out of his egg shell, yummy jelly beans as well as a large chocolate bunny for the 5×7 hoop. Guaranteed to delight your little one! Make any purchase at The Purple Hat to receive a FREE funky Butterfly Pincushion project as a bonus.

I have a PFAFF 7570 Creative Machine can this be converted to any newer version? Thanks - Miel

Hi Miel,

Unfortunately no, as this was the last of the Pfaff 7000 series machines. The 2000 series that replaced them started with the 2140 model that could be upgraded to a 2144 and then to a 2170.

Anyone who purchased a 2170 would not be able to upgrade it further as the CV range came out next and replaced the 2000 series. At present the CV is the only model that can be upgraded. I would assume that Pfaff are probably working on the next range to replace the CV series. It makes you wonder what features can be added but back in the 70’s I thought my TOL 1200 series pfaff was really flash. In those days computers took up the whole floor of a building and the internet was only used by academics to keep in touch. I wonder what the next 40 years will bring? As I need to live to be 150 to be able to achieve all I want to do in my life, I plan to be around to find out. I have heard it said that the infants at school today will finally graduate and go to jobs that do not exist yet !

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

It was most humbling to open my email and see that you are donating the money from one of Carolyn Keber’s tutorials to the Aussie Red Cross Bushfire Appeal. Thank you very much. Knowing that the whole world is opening their arms by giving of their purses in this very frightening financial time must lift the spirits of my fellow Aussies who have lost so much.Thank You - Des

Hello all,

My name is Josie and I live in New South Wales, Australia. I was very moved that Carolyn Keber in NZ and yourselves were so generous at this time, to our Fire disaster in Victoria. I myself live in a fire zone, and over the last 47 years have had my back yard burnt out 4 times and am very sensitive to the folk in Victoria and so grateful to only have lost some Aussie bush gum trees etc. Thank you all so much. - Cheers, Josie

I come from Victoria, Australia where the devasting Bushfires killed 210 people that we know of and possibly another 40 have not been heard from since the fire. Your help in giving to the Red Cross Bushfire Appeal is amazing. We lost my son’s best friends, Rob, Natasha, 3yr old Jorja and 8 month old Alexis at Kinglake and we are still coming to terms with everything.

I belong to North of the Yarra’s Quilters Quild and I have just finished my 6th Quilt and 2 more on the go and will keep going as these are being given to Survivors of these dreadful fires. The temperature on 7th Feb was 46.7 degrees and was an absolutely terrible day. Once again many thanks to all the people all over the world who have helped these families.

I still get tears in my eyes {I am 68 nearly 69 and will also embroider bibs for babies and other things for older children to be given to these families}, when I think of what these people went through, not to mention the animals. - Regards, Heather

Carolyn, I have your tutorials on Embird 2008 and I’d like to know how to add stitches to an existing design. You know sometimes when you edit a design and need a few extra stithes where something else has beem eliminated? Thanks so much.

Hi there,

If you want to add a few stitches in an area and you have the patience then the best thing to do is use the Points Edit Tool and lasso the area. Then select a stitch and right mouse click on it and choose Insert. Alternatively,you can add stitches by selecting a stitch and holding down the CTRL key click along the stitch line in the same direction as the stitching. The cursor changes to a needle if the CTL key is depressed. This is probably the quickest way to add extra stitches.

To find out which direction the design stitches in go to View on the Menu Bar and choose Stitch Direction. You’ll see little arrows pointing in the direction of the stitching when you’re in Edit Mode. Just remember to turn that option off again when you’re finished with it otherwise you’ll think your design looks all fuzzy but it’s just the stitch direction arrows. - LOL!!

Once you’ve added more stitches you’ll just need to move them about a little till they look like you want them to.

Best of luck

Kind regards
Carolyn Keber
Step by Step Tutorials for all Embird programs and for PE Design
Help the Red Cross with Australian Bush Fires Appeal.

I’m using Embird 2008 and trying to change the stitch in a design converted from a vector file.

It is basically a set of music bars that stitch only a single line of straight stitches. I can’t seem to figure out how to tell Embird I would like a small zig zag for durability. The rest of the design is fine - lettering etc.

Can you please offer some help? Thank you!

Louise

Hi Louise, 

I think your problem needs a little bit of creative thinking - unless you have Embird Studio and can re-digitise those areas. If I didn’t have Studio I would be inclined to separate that area of concern and then delete it in Embird Editor. Then, if you have any Embird lettering I would open the lettering and use a letter such as an “I” and use that as an alternative for the music bars. Make sure that the Pattern is set to None in the Properties TAB and then set the size you want in the same TAB.

You can then copy and paste that letter if you want more of the same.

Alternatively if you have Studio you can take the design into Studio - Edit/Edit in Studio - and make any changes in there.

I hope that helps. Best of luck

Kind regards
Carolyn Keber
Step by Step Tutorials for all Embird programs and for PE Design
Help the Red Cross with Australian Bush Fires Appeal

I have a Bernina 730 machine.  I want to edit an embroidery design that is in the ART format.  I need to change a few stitch placements to better align with the edge of the design.  I thought I could then save it as an ART format.  I could not find the ART format as an option.  My machine would not recognize the PEC or PES formats that are listed as Bernina options.  I finally found that my machine could read the EXP format.  The color changes however did not carry over to my machine.  It would tell me when to change colors, but not which color to change to.  Is there a remedy for this problem?

Rose H

Hi Rose,

Just make sure you have Support Palette Files checked under Options, as this will secure the colors for your design when you do a format conversion.

If you still have trouble, do get back to us for further advice if required.

Kind Regards
Margaret Hardwick-Smith
Secrets Customer Services

Dear Secrets of Embroidery

I have just been reading all of the comments about Viking software on your blog, oh my!

I have a Viking Quilt Designer 11 which I have had for some time and I am very happy with it. When I bought it I was not sure which software to go for and not wishing to buy something which I may not use, I bought only the very basic 3D Organiser, a card reader writer and a blank card.

For some time now I have been considering new software but I do not think that I would be interested in digitising but I would like to be able to do a little more than just sewing out the designs which I have bought.

Which software would you advise me to buy, bearing in mind the many adverse comments which I have read about the Viking 4D?

Perhaps you could direct this to your Husqvarna lady who seems to me to speak a lot of sense. Look forward to your comments and advice. Beth Simmons

Hi Beth,

Every software has its pros and cons. My thoughts for what they are worth:

I love the 4D software - mostly. As a digitiser I feel that the manual digitizing side of it is a disappointment but then they have made the automatic digitizing much..MUCH better. I still prefer to use a mouse to digitise, not a pen and tablet - but I am showing my age. It really is a better system, just not the way I have been used to all these years. I will digitise some designs with Autodigitizing which allows me much more “tweaking”. However, this software is no longer available and has evolved into various packages including “ Generations“. If it is a line design then 4D is hard to beat. I find I am using automatic digitizing more and more for a lot of my designs.

4D has been modified to cater for sewers like yourself who want to extend themselves but not necessarily digitise professionally. The Embroidery Extra now gives really good value for money and it does not end up a lot dearer than the various modules. The Express design Wizard really allows you to create great embroidery designs in a very short time, and is really easy to use once you get the hang of it. 4D Embroidery Extra also has the Encore feature, Endless Design tools, 4D Vision, 4D Organiser and Quick Fonts built in. Features that I use constantly.

I have a variety of softwares and have used many in the past and do not have any adverse comments about the 4D. IMO I think that VSM have really listened to their customers and got it right at last. 99% of problems are with the computer set-up not the software itself.

I would always recommend 4D Embroidery Extra over 4D Embroidery as it can do so much more. Good luck

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

Carolyn Keber’s latest tutorial is a lesson on using the new Wide Satin Stitch feature in Embird Studio v5. This feature is a great for when you are creating fill areas that are too large for regular satin stitch to be applied. Carolyn’s Wide Satin Stitch Made Easy tutorial is in the form of an on-line video, plus there’s 10 pages of reference notes in pdf format for you to use in conjunction with the video. Follow along with Carolyn and try out this new feature.