No doubt you will have seen some of the amazing embroidery sewing machines that are available now. Thanks to modern technology, scanning, programming and creating designs can now be a part of everyday home sewing and home embroidery.

You don’t have to be a computer whiz to operate these fantastic machines as they are very user-friendly. You can buy embroidery designs on diskettes to go with your machine, or download free embroidery designs from the Internet.

Remember that embroidery designs come in different formats for the different brands of machines. 

Look into the different brands of embroidery machines available and choose one that suits you best. 

Pfaff                             http://www.pfaff.com

Janome/New Home       http://www.janome.com

Brother                         http://www.brother.com

Husqvarna/Viking          http://www.husqvarnaviking.com

Bernina                         http://www.bernina.com

Elna/Esante/Babylock    http://babylock.com 

Allbrands is a handy website with lot of information about the various brands of machines. 

The latest versions of each machine will have the most up to date features, largest sewing fields, and easiest ways to transfer designs from the computer to your machine.  If you can afford the latest, then purchase it. But don't worry if you can't as the earlier machines are also great value and will enable you to create amazing projects.

Your time will be well spent initially doing some research on the Internet. You should have some idea of what options you want on your embroidery sewing machine before stepping into a sewing center and putting yourself in the hands of a salesperson.

• What support is available. Is there a good sewing machine dealer in your area that supports your brand of machine?  They will be able to help you use the machine, get supplies for it, and also service it.
   
• The sewing field and hoop size. Embroidery designs come in different sizes. If your machine only has a small hoop size, you will be limited to what size design you can sew out.  Everyone always wants to sew out the biggest size available.  Standard sewing field sizes are 4x4" 5x7", 6x8" and up to 8x12" with some machines.  The sewing field is the area inside your hoop where the design is sewn.  The physical measurement of your hoop is different to the sewing field size.
   
• How will you obtain your embroidery designs? Do you need any additional hardware and software to use designs from the internet with your machine?  How will you transfer designs from your computer to your machine? 
   
• The embroidery format your machine uses.  Embroidery designs come in different formats for the different brands of machine. You need to ensure the format your brand uses is commonly available online. If it isn't, then you need to check what software you will need to convert to your required format.  The major formats like PES (Brother) and HUS (Husqvarna) are commonly available.  However, sometimes machines require a certain version of the format that is not available everywhere and you may need the software to convert to this.  Do your research on this before you purchase.
   
• Another thing to take into consideration when buying a machine is the cost of the digitizing software if you intend to create any designs yourself.

• A good sewing machine dealer will be happy to let you try different machines and will show you how they work. You should sit down and play with them until you have a good feel for the machine.
   
• Be comfortable with your machine. The most important aspect of choosing your computerized embroidery sewing machine is how comfortable you feel about its controls and viewing screen. Do you feel confused by it, or does it seem to make sense? Is it easy to get it to do what you want it to do, or does it seem illogical to you? The buttons, layout and procedures of the machine are what you will be dealing with, so make sure they make sense to you.
   
• You should not feel pressured to buy a more expensive model.  A good dealer will never try to offer you a special sale price that you have to take immediately or miss out on - rather, they should offer you the opposite - an extension of a special price so you have time to make up your mind comfortably.
   
• Try before you buy. You should visit your local sewing machine dealers and try a variety of different machines to see what you like. Bring your own thread and your own fabric (of types similar to that with which you plan to do your regular sewing) to try the machines with. Note that some dealers will offer to provide these items for you. You should try your own anyway, as they may provide thread and fabric which the machine handles well, but that you wouldn't actually want to use.
   
• Ask about lessons and courses that the sewing center may offer. Some offer video tapes. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Ask people who do machine embroidery.
   
• Read the warranty before buying an electronic or computerized sewing machine to see how the manufacturer guarantees the electronics. Many manufacturers warrant the electronics for a shorter period of time than the mechanical parts of the machine.
   
• Be familiar with the hardware requirements.  If you want to connect your sewing machine to a computer for doing machine embroidery make sure that it can be connected to your type of computer. For example, some sewing machines can not connect to Apple computers, or your laptop may not have the correct port.
   
• Most importantly, take into consideration the price of software needed. Dealers will always want to sell you the latest software to go with your machine.  While some brands require brand specific software and hardware, others can use just as well generic programs like Embird.  Do your research before you purchase your machine and it could save you money in the future.

• Whether you sew constantly or occasionally, basic maintenance of your machinery is essential. Some models need to be oiled after every 10 hours of use. Always check your manual first.  Some of the new machines do not recommend oiling unless it is done by an authorized trained technician.
   
• If your manual recommends oiling, be sure to use proper sewing oil. Oiling not only lubricates the moving parts but also reduces the risk of rust. Refer to your owner’s manual for the right spots to oil. Not every hole needs oil! Some older models have marks  to show you where to put the oil. After oiling, do some sewing on scrap material to absorb any excess oil.
   
• Lint and fluff build up and should be removed. Fine working mechanisms such as the bobbin and tensions can be damaged by lint build up. Use a lint-removing brush or vacuum cleaner to remove this regularly. Never use sharp tools to dig out lint.
   
• Treat your machine to a full service regularly by an authorized trained technician.  This will keep everything working nicely - they can get out bits of thread, lint etc. that are stuck right inside the workings of the machine and could cause damage, or prevent it from sewing quite as well as it should.
   
• Change your needle regularly. It is reccommended to change it after every 10 hours of sewing, or before you start a new project.
   
• If in doubt, ask the experts.  Your embroidery machine is a valuable and highly computerized piece of delicate technology. If you are not sure about anything, always check with an expert.
   

• 3D FOAM Foam that is used to add dimension to an embroidery pattern that is typically used on caps. The 3D foam is placed on the topside of the pattern and stitched over with shortened stitches to cut the foam. The excessive foam is then pulled away from the embroidery giving a 3D appearance. 3D foams are available in various thicknesses.
   
• APPLIQUE  The use of fabrics sewn onto one another for decoration that adds dimension and texture. Designs with applique are economical because they reduce the amount of embroidery stitches needed to fill the design area.
   
• BACKING  A woven or nonwoven support material added to the back of the fabric being embroidered. It can be hooped with the item or placed between the machine throat plate and the hooped garment. It comes in various weights in three types- tearaway, cutaway and washaway.  Backing is often called stabilizer.
   
• BIRD NESTING Collection of thread between goods and needle plate that resembles a bird's nest. Its formation prevents free movement of goods and may be caused by inadequate tensioning of the top thread or flagging goods.
   
• BOBBIN  Spool or reel that holds the bobbin thread, which forms secure stitches on the underside of the fabric.  A special lightweight embroidery thread is generally used when sewing out embroidery designs.
   
• BOBBIN CASE Small, round metal device for holding the bobbin. Used to tension the bobbin thread, it is inserted in the hook for sewing.
   
• BORING or CUTWORK Open-work incorporated into embroidered designs; a sharp pointed instrument punctures the fabric, and stitches are made around the opening to enclose the raw edges.
   
• BUCKRAM  A woven fabric treated with a glue substance to stabilize fabric for stitching. It is commonly used for caps to hold the front panel in place.
   
• CHENILLE  A form of embroidery in which a loop stitch is formed on the topside of the fabric. Heavy yarns made of wool, cotton, or acrylic are used. Some designs are digitized to look like chenille.
   
• COLUMN STITCH A series of zig-zag stitches placed closely together to form a column. Also known as a steil stitch or satin stitch.
   
• CONVERSION SOFTWARE Programs that read information and translate it from one machine to another. Embird is a popular conversion software.
   
• CUSTOMIZING (editing) Manipulating an embroidery design using rotation, mirror imaging, merging one design into another or resizing.
   
• COVER SEAMING  A two-needle stitching that runs around the armhole and base of the band at the bottom of a shirt, sometimes used for set-in sleeves of sweat shirts. It is a feature most often found in heavyweight and super heavyweight sweats.
   
• DENIER  The international system for numbering silk and man-made filament yarns and fibers. The low numbers represent the finer thread sizes and higher numbers, the heavier yarns.
   
• DESIGN Stitches that compose an embroidery pattern or monogram. Often called embroidery designs.
   
• DIGITIZING  The process of taking artwork from any source, including your original drawings, and turning it into a language that a computerized embroidery machine can translate into stitches. A modern term for punching, it is a method of programming a design. Artwork is converted into a series of commands to be read by an embroidery machine's computer.
   
• DOWNLOAD Transferring a file from the Internet to your computer.  When you order designs online, you generally need to download them.
   
• EDITING  Changing aspects of a design using a computerized editing program. Most programs allow the user to scale designs up or down, edit stitch by stitch or block by block, merge lettering with the design, move aspects of the design around, and other features. Embird is a popular editing software.
   
• EMBROIDERY Embroidery is “thread art” used to embellish a garment, hat or some other product by adding a sewn pattern. Generally, this sewn pattern includes a design and can also include lettering and/or monograms.
   
• EMBROIDERY MACHINE Today, embroidery machines can be defined as computer driven machines that move a pantograph with hooped items in various directions to form different stitches. Embroidery machines can be single-head units as used by the home embroiderer or come in multiples of heads with multiple needles per head for production embroidery applications.
   
• EMBROIDERY UNIT The machine part that holds and guides the hoop so you can embroider.
   
• FILL STITCH  A series of running stitches commonly combined to cover large areas. Different fill patterns can be created by altering the angle, length and repeat sequence of the stitches.
   
• FINISHING Processes performed after embroidery is complete. Includes trimming loose threads, cutting or tearing away excess backing, removing topping, cleaning any stains, pressing or steaming to remove wrinkles or hoop marks and packaging for sale or shipment.
   
• FORMAT Machine specific readable information.  The format is identified by the last 3 letters, or file extension of each design file ie, .PES, .HUS, .JEF etc which relate to the machine brand that design format can be used with.  A conversion program like Embird can be used to convert designs from one format to another.
   
• HARDWARE The physical parts of a computer - monitor, chip boards, processor, disk drive, etc. If you want to use CDs, downloaded Internet designs or original artwork, you must have a computer, cables to connect it to your sewing machine, and sewing machine software to tell the hardware what to do. When you buy disks, software, or other add-ons it is important that they're compatible with your existing hardware.
   
• HOOP (n) A plastic frame that attaches to the embroidery unit to hold the fabric taut while stitching. Generally speaking, you want the smallest hoop that will accommodate your design in order to keep the fabric taut. Larger designs are becoming more popular so you'll want several hoop sizes.
   
• HOOP (v) The process of placing the fabric and/or stabilizer into the embroidery hoop. One of the most common reasons for a poorly stitched design is improper hooping.
   
• LETTERING  Refers to the embroidery of letters, either made completely with stitches or a combination of cutout applique pieces and stitching.
   
• LOCK STITCH  Commonly referred to as a lock-down or tack-down stitch, a lock stitch is formed by three or four consecutive stitches of at least a 10-point movement. It should be used at the end of all columns, fills, and at the end of any element in your design where jump stitches will follow, such as color changes or the end of a design.
   
• LOOPING Loops on the embroidery surface generally caused by poor top tension or tension problems. Typically occurs when polyester top thread has been improperly tensioned.
   
• MACHINE LANGUAGE  The codes and formats used by different machine manufacturers within the embroidery industry.
   
• MARKING Marking of goods to serve as an aid in positioning the frame and referencing the needle start points.
   
• MEMORY CARD A computerized, machine-format- specific card that fits directly into your sewing machine and works with the built-in computer to stitch out designs. Cards can be purchased with designs already on them or you may purchase blank cards to transfer designs from disks, CDs, the Internet or your computer, using hardware and software for your specific machine. Cards aren't interchangeable unless you have a converter box or conversion software.
   
• MIRROR A program menu option that allows reverse imaging of a pattern to be sewn. See also rotate pattern.
   
• MONOGRAM Embroidered design composed of one or more letters, usually the initials in a name.
   
• MOSS STITCH  See Chenille
   
• NAP  A fuzzy or downy surface of fabric covering either one side or both, produced by brushing loosely twisted yarns.
   
• NEEDLE  Small, slender piece of steel with a hole for thread and a point for stitching fabric. A machine needle differs from a handwork needle; the machine needle's eye is found at its pointed end. There are special embroidery machine needles available.
   
• NEEDLE PLATE The metal plate located above the hook assembly of an embroidery machine. This plate has a hole in the center through which the needle travels to reach the hook and form a stitch.
   
• ORIGIN The starting point of your design.
   
• REGISTRATION  This refers to the ability to line up details and parts of designs with each other.
   
• ROTATE PATTERN Program parameter that rotates the design in 90-degree increments counterclockwise, with or without mirror imaging the design.
   
• RUNNING STITCH  A series of single stitches forming a line. One stitch which goes Point A to Point B. A running stitch is often used for fine details, outlining, and underlay. Consists of one stitch between two points. Used for outlining and fine detail. Also known as a walk stitch.
   
• SATIN STITCH  A zigzag sewing action where two stitches form a column. It is often used for lettering, outlining, and detail. A satin stitch is normally anywhere from 2 mm to 12 mm.
   
• SCALING Ability within one design program to enlarge or reduce a design. In expanded format, most scaling is limited to 10 percent to 20 percent because the stitch count remains constant despite final design size.
   
• SCANNER A device that takes a computer-readable picture of artwork and brings it into the computer memory so you can digitize the design with your software.
   
• SHORT STITCH A digitizing technique that places shorter stitches in curves and corners to avoid an unnecessary bulky buildup of stitches.
   
• SOFTWARE Programs and/or files that the hardware uses to learn or perform different tasks.  This means embroidery designs, or embroidery programs to view the designs with.
   
• SPECIALITY FILL  A fill stitch capability that produces a fill with a relief or motif design within the fill-stitch area.
   
• STOCK DESIGNS  Digitized embroidery designs that are commercially available for general use by embroiderers.
   
• SPI Stitches per inch.
   
• SPM Stitches per minute.
   
• SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS What your computer's hardware and software, operating together, can support. System requirements are printed on software packages, design disk cards and packs, CDs and other computer accessories. You need to know what your system can and cannot support, as sometimes a system isn't capable of handling new software without adding memory or disk space.
   
• TENSION  The tautness of thread when forming stitches. Top thread tension, as well as bobbin thread tension, needs to be set. Proper thread tension is achieved when about one third of the thread showing on the underside of the fabric on a column stitch is bobbin thread.
   
• THREAD Fine cord of natural or synthetic material made from two or more filaments twisted together and used for stitching. Machine embroidery threads come in rayon, which has a high sheen; cotton, which has a duller finish than rayon but is available in very fine deniers; polyester, which is strong and colorfast; metallics, which have a high luster and are composed of a synthetic core wrapped in metal foil; and acrylic, which has rayon's sheen.
   
• THREAD CLIPPERS Small cutting utensil with a spring action that is operated by the thumb in a hole on the top blade and the fingers cupped around the bottom blade. Useful for quick thread cutting, but unsuitable for detailed trimming or removal of backing.
   
• TRIMMING  The action of cutting loose thread, removing backing, etc., from the final embroidered product.
   
• UNDERLAY STITCH  The stitching action that will attach the backing to the fabric being embroidered. It also supports the top embroidery for a more lofty, dimensional look.
   
• UNDERLAY Used under the regular stitching in a design. The stitches are placed to provide stability to the fabric and to create different effects. Underlay is normally a series of running stitches or a very light density fill often placed in the opposite direction from the stitching.

• In the United States, redwork history can be traced back to the late 1800s.  Redwork embroidery was very popular across America. Usually it was used in coverlets and spreads as well as household linens. The coverlets were thin, consisting of only a top and bottom with no filler and were used in the summer. 
   
• At first red thread was used for this type of embroidery because the method of dyeing the "red" color resulted in a color fast thread . Other colors would run when washed and did not hold up with repeated washing. By the 1920s, dyes improved and other colors became available. 
   
• Penny squares were a very popular method of making redwork quilts. Each square had a design stamped on it and could be bought for a penny, hence the name. Some of the antique redwork quilts available today were made from penny squares. There was a variety of designs available. These included children, animals, nursery rhymes, flowers, fruit, vegetables, or designs of historical importance. These designs were worked in a variety of stitches. The outline or running stitch were used the most. Other stitches included cross stitch, chain, stem, and double running. 
   
• Redwork designs are very popular today.  The popularity of redwork, which declined in the 1920s, has been revived and they are again a very popular form of embroidery amongst the modern embroiderer. Now machine embroidery is used to re-create traditional penny squares, quilts, and to decorate a large number of household and childrens items.  
   
• Perfect for quilts and stippling.  Modern Redwork Embroidery designs are generally outline designs and are not filled in with various embroidery fills.  This makes them very quick and easy to sew out, and perfect for stippling in quilts.  Try using a layer of batting on top of your stabilizer when stitching out the redwork design.  This will give you a fabulous embossed or quilted look.
   
• Experiment with different colors.  Modern Redwork embroidery designs these days are sometimes known as Blackwork, Greenwork, or Bluework depending on the thread color used to sew them out with.  Try experimenting with your various threads, and even use variegated threads for different results.  Generally, a darker color on light fabric shows the design better, but you can try the reverse and sew out the design in a light colored thread on dark fabric for some stunning results, like gold thread on navy blue satin cloth.
   
• Try heavier threads, or diferent textures.  Some redwork or Stipple designs are perfect to sew out in heavier weight cotton threads as there is no fill detail in the design, and the designs can handle a heavier thread without becoming too dense.  Quilting is a rich and honored tradition. Colors, fabrics, patterns, and designs reflect your artistry and your personality. Ensure you use a needle that can accommodate a heavier weight thread.
   
• Always test sew your design.  If you experiment with different colors, thread weights, or textures of threads or batting, always ensure you test-sew your design first to ensure it will work and give the finished result you would like. As you are changing the reccommendations given by the designer for the threads to use, you need to ensure the embroidery design will sew correctly with the thread size and needle you are using before you sew it on your final project.

• Hand Embroidery has been done for generations and with the invention of modern machine embroidery designs, anyone can sew traditional heirloom designs very quickly and easily.  Heirloom sewing is a specialized sewing often used in blouses, childrens clothing, and table linen.
   
• Cutwork and Lace Shaping - Heirloom Sewing often involves special lace placement and trims to create the Lace Shaping or Peek-A-Boo windows effect.  Sewing cutwork embroidery designs involves embroidering the design, then trimming out the sturdier fabric from behind, giving you an elegant cutwork lace effect.  It is basically the reverse of applique, as instead of adding applique fabric, you are cutting the base fabric away.
   
• Modern Heirloom Designs - Many of the embroidery designs that were hand sewn in the past, can now be re-created very quickly and easily by modern machine embroidery.  The stitches used in the traditional hand embroidery, like simple outlines, crosses, or satin stitches are now digitized to re-create the vintage look. 
   
• Tone on Tone Sewing - There are many beautiful "one color" or "tone on tone" embroidery designs available that you can use to sew out in soft whites, creams or ecru threads on natural linen fabrics to give the delicate "tone on tone" look.   Any embroidery design can be sewn out in this "tone on tone" effect just by changing your thread colors.  You can either use the same thread color to stitch out the entire design, or if it is digitized in different colors, you may like to use similar shades of the same color thread to give it a delicate subtle look. For example, try 3 pastel shades of pink for a baby girl's project.
   
• Use Natural Threads and Fabric - Any type of embroidery thread or fabric can be used to sew heirloom designs.  However, try using 100% cotton threads and soft linen fabrics to re-create a more authentic yester-year look.  If you are sewing redwork designs, you may like to use a heavier weight cotton thread and larger needle for a beautiful look
  
   
• English Cotton Netting - Pre-wash your fabric. Dip in hot water, wring out excess water and dunk in straight liquid starch. Fill a bowl with just enough starch to cover fabric. Swish around and wring out excess starch. Let air dry until 80% of the moisture is gone and iron dry. Netting is perfectly stabilized and ready to use with Hope's Heirloom Embellishment embroidery designs.
   
• Heirloom Principals - Use a high quality 100% natural fiber fabric such as silk, linen, rayon or cotton when using heirloom techniques. Synthetic fabrics such as polyester have a memory to prevent wrinkles and are not suitable for heirloom techniques such as twin needle pintucks or wing needle stitching.
   
• Spray Starch - Spray natural fiber fabric with starch lightly and let it soak in for 30 seconds. Iron dry. Mist fabric (do not wet fabric) again and iron dry, repeat 3 more times. Use this method to stabilize fabric before doing any embroidery or decorative stitches (such as wing needle work). The only exception is when doing pintucks.
   
• Hooping Fabric - Place "Wash Away Wonder Tape" on the wrong side of your top hoop frame. Place a piece on all 4 sides and peel away the paper. Once you have drawn placement lines on your fabric, lay the hoop on top of fabric and the tape will keep the fabric from shifting while you finish hooping. Another good tip is to purchase a rubber mesh shelf liner at your favorite discount store. Lay underneath the bottom part of your hoop to keep it stable so it doesn't slide over the countertop.
   
• Creating and Removing Placement Marks - Use a blue water-soluble fabric marker (not a purple air-erasable marker) when drawing placement lines on your fabric. You can apply spray starch and heat from an iron to marked fabric without causing any damage to the fabric. Occasionally when pressing on purple air-erasable lines they may become permanent. When removing the blue marks, soak fabric in WATER ONLY. Occasionally detergent can cause a chemical reaction and the lines will not disappear.

• Free machine embroidery is the process of creating embroidery using a straight or zigzag stitch stitch without feed dogs in an ordinary embroidery hoop. Free machine embroidery is fun and easy but requires practice at first. It's called "free" because the hoop is controlled freely by hand rather than being fixed to the machine.
   
• Requirements are a sewing machine with a drop-feed control or a plate that covers the feed dogs - in other words, you have to be able to lower or cover the feed dogs so they don't feed the fabric, an embroidery or darning foot but some machines will quite happily sew without any foot at all, an embroidery hoop, fabric, thread, and thread for the bobbin. The procedure is to drop the feed dogs or cover them with a special plate.  Place the fabric in the embroidery hoop so that the surface of the fabric is at the bottom of the hoop. It is very important to stretch the fabric in the hoop as tight as possible - as tight as a drum!   The tighter the cloth the better the embroidery.  When you place the hoop on the table the fabric surface should rest on the table with the right side of the fabric facing up.  Put the embroidery or darning foot on. Place the embroidery hoop in the sewing area. Set the sewing machine for a straight stitch and have fun!
   
• Stippling by Free Sewing - Stippling is a similar technique and is used to give a quilted effect.  A hoop is often not used at all, so it is really freestyle sewing.  Typically you move the fabric so that the stitching forms wavy lines which evenly cover the fabric but do not intersect. You may need to increase the bobbin tension slightly.  The rule is fast foot, slow hand. It takes practice. 
   
• Stippled Embroidery Designs - There are many digitized embroidery designs available now specially created for stippling.  They enable you to stipple designs in beautiful patterns, automatically without having to move the cloth by hand. You need to be able to place your cloth either in the embroidery hoop, or secure it on top of the hoop with adhesive stabilizer to sew out the stipple design. The hoop is then placed on your embroidery unit, and you embroider the design.  Add batting for a quilted effect. 

• Alphabet & Monogram Embroidery Designs  are pre-digitized embroidery designs, either built into your embroidery machine, or found online and downloadable as a set.  These are beautiful, detailed designs, but not usually scalable in size.  They are embroidery designs in the shapes of letters, and can not be used in the lettering programs.  These designs come in single large letters that you need to combine together either in your digitizing program, or by carefully marking out where you would like to sew them. 
  
  There are an amazing variety of fonts and monograms available.  Many of these alphabets are a work of art and not just a letter. They are very detailed embroidery designs. You can get letters in different themes especially to match your project.  You will find hundreds of different designs available on our site.  You need to be familiar with multiple hooping and design placement.  You need to be familiar with design placement either in your embroidery software, or marking your cloth and multiple hooping to be able to combine more then one letter together.  The letters are often 4x4" in size, so if you have a larger embroidery hoop, you can combine a few letters inside the hoop and sew them out together.
  
  Alternatively you need to mark your cloth where you would like to sew out each letter. Sometimes printing out pictures of the letters in an accurate size helps with the design placement.  For best results, use the original size of the letters.  When you purchase embroidered fonts and monogram embroidery designs, you are purchasing an embroidery design in the shape of a letter, and not a scalable font to use with your embroidery software. The same principles that you apply to your embroidery designs, apply to these letters. They can generally not be scaled in size very much without loosing the quality of the design, or making them too dense to sew out.  For best results, you need to stitch them in the size you purchased them in. Most designs come to fit the 4x4" hoop size, but some are smaller and around 2x2" in size.
   
• Automatic Lettering Programs - Automatic Lettering Programs like Embird Font Engine enable you to digitize letters very easily, and scale them in size to suit your needs. You can often convert from true type fonts to letters with the click of a button on your computer. Huge range of fonts available either on your computer, or online, to convert to embroidery designs.  This is the easiest way to have the widest range of fonts available, and easily add them to your design. 
  
  All the good quality embroidery software programs include the feature to add lettering very easily, by just typing in the letters and changing your stitch preferences.  This makes it very easy to add words to your embroidery designs. You can import your embroidery design into the program, add the words of your choice, save the design and embroider it out.  It is very easy to convert fonts to embroidery designs.  Many of these automatic lettering programs enable you to easily convert from open type or true type fonts to an embroidery design.  Embird Font Engine is a very popular program to use for automatic lettering. Font Engine gives you many adjustable lettering parameters such as size, density, fill and outline modes as well as character layout and deformations. When finished, lettering is compiled into stitches and put into Embird Editor for final adjustment and saved in desired embroidery format. 
  
  There is a huge choice of fonts available.  Check to see if your embroidery software enables you to use true type or open type fonts.  If so, you will find some true type fonts already on your computer under C:/Windows/Fonts folder and these can all be used with automatic lettering programs like Embird Font Engine to convert to embroidery designs. You will also be able to search for fonts online and either purchase or download free ones to use for your lettering. These Fonts are not embroidery designs, but are a digital font, recognized by many programs on your computer like Microsoft Word etc.
   
• Embird Alphabets - Embird Alphabets are a combination of letters that have been digitized specially for embroidery, but are scalable and enable you to use all the features of a lettering program. Some of the best quality, and most reliable fonts available to stitch out, specially when adding very small text.  The Embird Alphabets are pre-digitized embroidery designs, but with all the scalable features of fonts available in software programs.  They give you the best of both options.
  
  The Embird company has over 40 different alphabets available that can be used within the Embird program. You must have Embird to use these alphabets.  You can trial the ABC of each alpahbet before you purchase it, to see how the letters work for you.   The best thing about these alphabets is that they are pre-programmed and digitized to sew out beautifully. The characters are scalable in large scale (4,5 mm - 8 cm for "a").  We have found these are the most reliable alphabets to use for small lettering and the quality of the stitchout is always perfect.
  
  It is very easy to combine and change preferences.  These alphabets work within the Embird software, so you can easily adjust many different fills, sizes, underlay etc. It is also very easy to write words with them, as the letters can be joined together within the embroidery software to form words.

• General Information - Freestanding lace is an embroidery design that is stitched onto a special stabilizer that dissolves in warm or cold water, leaving you with the freestanding lace.  Only designs digitized specifically for freestanding lace can be sewn in this way, other designs will fall apart when the stabilizer is dissolved.
   
• Stitch Count - When you look closely at any fabric you will see the weave of the fabric which looks like a grid.  Freestanding lace designs need to be digitized to support this grid system to ensure that they don’t fall apart when the water soluble stabilizer is dissolved. They generally have a higher stitch count for this purpose.
   
• Always read the instructions carefully to ensure that you are sewing out a freestanding lace design and are using the correct stabilizer, thread and needle recommended by the designer.  There are many ways to digitize freestanding lace and it’s always best to follow the directions specific to the designs you are sewing.  Each designer may be testing using different threads and stabilizers and the designs may not work on all dissolvable stabilizers.
   
• Stabilizers - here are many freestanding lace stabilizers available these days.  You  can get the so-called "laundry bags", badge master, vilene and many more.  Daleen has found the best results are obtained when stitching on the water soluble vilene.  It is a thin, non-woven, water soluble stabilizer which does not stretch or tear while stitching.  She always recommends two layers be used at a time.  A small design can get away with only one layer, but when you do full 4x4” or larger size designs, you will need to use two layers of Vilene for best results.
   
• You should always ensure the lace design you are purchasing is clearly marked FSL, or freestanding lace to ensure it will stitch correctly, and hold together when you wash the stabilzier away. At Secrets of Embroidery we have a huge range of freestanding lace designs available.
   
• Stitching FSL Tips  - Hoop the dissolvable stabilizer as recommended by the designer, and then stitch out the design in thread colors of your choice. Daleen recomends you use two layers of Vilene for best results.
   
• Making Multi Colored Lace - If the design is a bowl or doily which has many different colors, you will want both sides of your finished lace to look fabulous.  So you will need to use matching top and bobbin thread for each color.  Simply wind a bobbin full of the same thread you use for the top and remember to change the bobbin color when you change the top color. 
   
• Creating a Heavier Lace Look - Use the same thread type in the bobbin area to give your design a heavier, fuller lace look.  For example, if you use 40wt Marathon thread in the top, use the 40wt Marathon in the bobbin area as well.
   
• Creating a Daintier Lace Look - For a more dainty lace look, use embroidery thread for your top thread and bobbin thread in the bobbin area.  If you are wanting an even finer lace look, use bobbin thread in the top area as well.  (PLEASE ask the designer first if the design would be ok to use bobbin thread with both top and bottom as sometimes your design might unravel in water if it has not been digitized for this purpose). 
   
• Washing Out The Stabilizer - When you have finished stitching the design, cut away the excess Vilene and rinse the design under a running tap with warm water.  Feel the design as you go, as you don’t want it to feel slimy – so rinse until all the Vilene has been dissolved.
   
• Making Firmer Lace - If you want a firmer design (for a design that needs shape, like Christmas Bells) don’t rinse all the Vilene out.  Leave some in as it acts like a starch when dry and assists in keeping the shape.
   
• Making Softer Lace - If you want lace to be very soft for doilies etc. you will need to rinse the design about three times each time in clean water.  If it is still not soft enough, soak in warm water for about one hour with some fabric softener
   
• Finishing Off Your Freestanding Lace Projects - Each lace piece is finished off with a satin stitch outline.  Some designs like Christmas Ornaments are ready to be used immediately.  Just attach ribbon for hanging.
   
• Multiple Piece Lace Designs - Many freestanding lace projects require a number of lace pieces that are joined together to complete the finished project.  Follow the directions included with your freestanding lace designs and sew out all the pieces of lace required. Use the zig zag stitch on your machine to join the pieces of lace together.
   
• Look After Your Lace - Never wash your freestanding lace items in a washing machine or tumble dryer.  Hand wash only and do not rub, simply soak and press till clean.  If it is an item that needs to be hard, add starch to the final rinse water and shape as it dries, by either placing over a mold or by using a hairdryer to dry the design and shaping with your hands as it dries.
   
• Tips For Getting The Perfect Freestanding Lace - If your freestanding lace designs fall apart after rinsing the stabilizer, check that you hooped the Vilene drum tight and there there is no way the Vilene could have slipped when you stitched out your lace.  Make sure you used the correct thread in both the top and bobbin area.  Make sure you used the needle the digitizer recommended. for example - a 75 needle.  

• Problems With Larger Designs - Larger freestanding designs that have large filled areas are more likely to unravel at the edges or where the satin edge meets the filled lace area.  This is because there are a lot of stitches and the stabilizer can sometimes move and stretch in the hoop. Many designers will digitize their lace to avoid this problem. However if you find your designs are unraveling, you can ask the designer to add some additional stitches that stitch first to stabilize the design.

• Digitizing Tips For Stabilizing Freestanding Lace - When  making a round doily, first sew a circular, straight stitch outline around the shape.  This stitching stabilizes the design, so when it is filled with stitches, the stabilizer does not stretch as much.  The filled stitches should also be pulled right under (almost outside) the satin edge to ensure the satin edge is catching the filled stitches.  The satin edge should always have good underlay as well.  Daleen uses a double zigzag, as well as a center run underlay under all her satin edges to ensure they are well stabilized.  All parts of the digitized freestanding lace design should touch each other like a chain, one piece connected to the other.  This ensures they hold together when the stabilizer is dissolved.

  Thanks for these tips on Freestanding Lace tips to Daleen of Stitch Delight

Thanks for these tips on Paper Embroidery to Shelly Smola from My Fair Lady Designs

• Before you begin Applique - It is always important to pre-shrink project fabric. It is doubly important to do so when using appliqué designs. Natural fibers (rayon, silk, linen, cotton, wool) all reduce at different rates when washed. Man-made fibers may also reduce, although usually very slightly. If an appliqué fabric reduces more or less than the project fabric underneath it, a wrinkled, puckered appearance will be the result after the first washing.
   
• Appliqué designs will look better longer if the appliqué fabric has been adhered to the background material. This is easily accomplished using fusible webbing on the back of the appliqué fabrics. Fused appliqué fabric will not sag or wrinkle. Most fabric intended for appliqué should be backed with fusible webbing, with a few exceptions. Faux fur, vinyl, leather, fleece or any specialty fabric that will melt or crush during contact with heat should not be fused.
   
• A mini-iron may be used to fuse the appliqué fabric directly in the hoop. The fabric should be fused after trimming and before stitching the final appliqué satin stitch edging. Place the hoop on a hard, flat, heat protected surface while doing so. Protect the appliqué fabric with a pressing cloth while ironing.
   
• Choosing fabric for your Applique - The sky is truly the limit when choosing fabrics for appliqué. The only fabrics to avoid are those that tend to ravel badly, such as satin faced brocade.* One of the joys of appliqué is that many different choices are available, often within the same piece of printed fabric. Small portions of very large printed fabric work great for little appliqués. Layering sheer fabrics over other material will achieve interesting results. Give a plain cotton fabric a bit of glimmer by laying a piece of sparkle tulle or organza over it. Bold colors will be softened with a layer of chiffon or silk organza.
   
• Thrift stores are great places to find unusual and unique fabrics for appliqué. Garments made from silk and other fine fibers are readily available at rock bottom prices. It doesn’t matter if the garment is un-wearable, the wrong size or just plain ugly! (Not to mention that it’s wonderfully therapeutic to whack up a garment with scissors on purpose!)
   
• Fine leather, vinyl, plastic (such as flannel backed table cloths) fabric paper, wide ribbons and woven trims all make great appliqué fabrics. Don’t forget to check out your linen closet, your closet or even your husband’s closet for inspiration. If you can’t use it, can’t or won’t wear it and it is too good to throw away, give it a new life in an appliqué!
   
• Fabrics that tend to fray* may still be used with a little special handling. Lay a piece of sheer fabric (such as silk organza or fine tulle) over the fabric when placing the appliqué fabric into position. The overlay fabric will help prevent delicate fibers from fraying later.
   
• Back light colored fabrics with interfacing or white fabric when appliquéing on dark backgrounds. Fuse both layers together with fusible webbing then apply another layer of fusing to be used while ironing the appliqué to the background. This step is also helpful when placing a light colored appliqué over a darker colored appliqué.
   
• The right scissors make appliqué trimming a snap. Use small, very sharp scissors with curved blades.

Some machines have a basting stitch function on them and some software programs have the feature built in.  Bonnie has included some free basting files for those of you that don’t have either of the options listed above.

It’s best to use a basting stitch that’s the same size or slightly larger than your design, however, the basting files available here for free download work well too.

Download Free Basting Stitches Here

Designers Gallery Plus
Basting Video

Designers Gallery III
Basting Video

• Each brand of machine has its own pre-programmed embroidery cards with designs on them which you can buy ready made. These vary from machine to machine, but for some brands they are as much as $100 each. The designs on these cards are very well tested so you can be sure you get good quality embroidery designs. However, they are also very expensive compared to the thousands of designs available online today, and you are limited to the collections released by the brand of machine you use.

• Over the last 10 years the market has been flooded with thousands of embroidery designs available either free or for purchase which you can find online.  This is great for the embroiderer as you now have access to every kind of design imaginable at very reasonable prices. From the basic filled embroidery design to freestanding lace, appliqué, redwork and even home decor items and everything in between.  If you are entering the popular world of machine embroidery, you will want to ensure you have the right software, hardware and embroidery machine to use designs from the Internet. To use designs from the internet you will need:

• An Internet Connection on your computer so you can browse online and find designs you like, either free or for purchase.

• An Email Address so you can order designs and have the order confirmation, download links etc. sent to you via email.

• An Embroidery Software Program on your computer so you can view the embroidery designs after you have downloaded them.  Each brand of machine has its own software specific for the design format it uses - alternatively you can purchase a generic software like Embird that can read many different design formats. 

• Hardware to Transfer Embroidery Designs from your Computer to Embroidery Machine. There are two main methods used to transfer designs from your computer to machine. The original method requires a reader/writer box and read/writable card. This can either be brand specific or generic like the Ultimate Box hich can be used with different brands of machines.  All the latest machines eliminate the need for a reader/writer box and card and enable you to transfer designs from your computer to your embroidery machines with a floppy disk, usb thumbdrive or connection cable.

• Compatible Software and Hardware for your embroidery format and machine.  Many of the reader/writer devices require a specific software to write the designs to your blank embroidery cards.  Some brands of embroidery machines like Artista and some Husqvarna models require you to use their brand of software to convert designs and transfer them to your machine. This means you have to purchase their software if you want to be able to use all the designs online, and convert them yourself if they are not available in your format.  We advise you look into the costs of the software and hardware needed for your machine before you purchase it, so you know if it has to be brand specific to support your embroidery format, or if you can use some of the cheaper generic options available.

• Once you are familiar with the many types of embroidery designs available out there, you may want to create your own embroidery designs. You will need digitizing software to be able to do this. Again, each brand of embroidery machine has their own digitizing software, or you can use a generic program like Embird to create your own embroidery designs.  If you are not using brand specific software to create your design, you will need to convert it from the format it was digitized in, to the embroidery format you need. Embird can convert to most embroidery formats. There are digitizing tutorials available online to help you learn to digitize in a very easy step by step way.

• Before you even begin I would suggest that you create some folders in your hard drive to put your embroidery designs into.  It makes life a LOT easier if you have folders for each type of design you have.
   

• We suggest you begin with a main folder called "Embroidery” within which you can have many sub-folders (a folder within a folder).  The folders inside Embroidery could be named flowers, children, alphabets, animals, etc. You can put as many folders as you want inside your main embroidery folder.
   

• We have a system of pre-named category folders that you can download.  It corresponds to our website categories and sub-categories.  It will unzip into an array of empty folders and sub folders, all named. This is a convenient way to organize your embroidery designs.

• If you are working on velvet, courdory, chiffon, organza, crepe, organdy, and other lightweight fabrics hoop them gently to avoid marks. The simplest way to protect the fabric is to place a buffer between it and the hoop. This buffer can be fabric, backing, or even tissue paper.
   
• Some reccommend you wrap the inner ring of your hoops for any embroidery on delicate fabrics.   This will avoid snagging the goods, stops the fabric slipping and will cushion the fabric, avoiding a contact shine or deeper hoop impression. You can use bias binding or any soft gauze or tape for this.
   
• Alternatively, it is even better if you can avoid hooping the fabrics at all. 
   
• Another option is to use a sticky backing. You place this in a large hoop and peel off the paper backing exposing the sticky side. Position your piece of fabric and press it onto the exposed area of the carrier.
   
• Another alternative backing is a wash-away stabilizer. To use this technique, hoop a piece of water-soluble topping both under and over the area to be stitched. When the project is completed, simply remove the topping and backing by rinsing the fabric.

Follow these steps to avoid puckers:

• Iron on or "sticky" stabilizer
   
• Hoop the fabric and attach the hoop.
   
• Insert a layer of cut-away stabilizer under the hoop if necessary
   
• When embroidering on sweat-shirting or any other fabric which is puffy on the right side there's the danger of losing your work. In other words it can sink into the pile of the fabric. One solution is to use a piece of wash-away solvy, dry cover up or melt-aways on top and remove it when you have finished.

• We suggest you use an iron-on stabilizer on the back of the towel to keep it stable (one of the papery ones that you can peel away afterwards is best). Then place a layer of Solvy (washaway plastic film) or Dry Cover Up on top of the towel and then hoop all of this together. Once the hoop is on the machine slide a piece of tear-away under the hoop and start stitching. 

• We get many requests on this topic, here is a link to Hoop-it-All, a product that lets you embroider on baseball caps, sleeves, baby, socks and more! 

by Evy Hawkins of A Bit of Stitch

• When at all possible, hoop your fabric. It is the most secure method for embroidery. A few exceptions are Velvet, Corduroy, Satin Faced Silk, Velour and very thick terrycloth.  There are other fabrics that benefit from not being hooped as well, mostly expensive silks and fine linens. Many natural fibers crush or mark easily so it is always smart to test a little corner of your finer fabrics before you hoop your project. Some people have success in preventing hoop burn by wrapping their inner hoops with soft fabric. (I use this method as a last resort.)
   
• Fabrics that have loops (such as terry cloth); have a cut pile (such as corduroy and velvet) or have a very loose weave may be damaged by sticking to a stabilizer if that stabilizer will be pulled away after stitching. These fabrics are usually either hard to hoop or tend to mark with hooping, so they really need to be stuck. I like to use Vilene stabilizer and temporary spray adhesive for these projects. Vilene stays well in the hoop and is sturdy enough to support most fabrics. Because it dissolves with water, you do not have to worry about disturbing the pile of the fabric by pulling it away.
   
• Sometimes however, I find myself using a fabric that shouldn't be hooped or washed, and would be damaged by ripping away a sticky stabilizer. In these cases I use a regular piece of lightweight woven interfacing for my stabilizer and just trim away as much of the interfacing as I can after stitching. Usually these projects end up with a lining, and as interfacing is soft and pliable, you cannot tell that it remains.
   
• Knits are one of the fabrics that benefit from using woven interfacing as a stabilizer. The most commonly used stabilizer for knits is the non-woven cut-away. However, as a knit is already thick and spongy this just adds to the depth, which can cause design distortion. If you have ever embroidered a design on a sweatshirt using a cut-away stabilizer and ended up with a not-so-happy result, the stabilizer was most likely the problem. I like to use iron-on woven interfacing for all my knit projects. Apply it to the back of the fabric, ironing just enough to hold the layers together, and then add another layer of iron-on tear-away stabilizer over that. (The iron-on woven interfacing needs to be slightly bigger than the area of the embroidery design, and the iron-on tear-away needs to be slightly bigger than the hoop.) After stitching and removing the tear-away, gently pull up the interfacing and trim the excess from around the design. Some people like to use iron-on knit interfacing, which stretches in both directions. They usually use two or three layers placed at different angles. I find that woven interfacing works best and only one layer is needed. Remember, when embroidering on knits, the thinner the better!
   
• There are several stabilizers that can be removed with heat. These stabilizers also work well for projects that cannot be washed, you just need to be sure the fabric can withstand the heat necessary to remove the stabilizer later.
   
• Peel and stick stabilizer is popular, but use with extreme caution, as the sticky is very sticky! Any stabilizer can be made into a "stick to" stabilizer by spraying one side of it with temporary spray adhesive.
   
• Fabrics that cannot be hooped also benefit from being basted in place on top of the stabilizer as an extra precaution. Most embroidery machines have a function that will sew a basting stitch outline around the perimeter of the design area. If your machine does not have this function, you can carefully baste the layers together by hand while they are in the hoop.

Follow these steps to avoid puckers:

• Iron on or "sticky" stabilizer
   
• Hoop the fabric and attach the hoop.
   
• Insert a layer of cut-away stabilizer under the hoop if necessary
   
• When embroidering on sweat-shirting or any other fabric which is puffy on the right side there's the danger of losing your work. In other words it can sink into the pile of the fabric. One solution is to use a piece of wash-away solvy, dry cover up or melt-aways on top and remove it when you have finished.

by Evy Hawkins of A Bit of Stitch

• Monogrammed towels look lovely right after you stitch them.  Do they look as nice after washing a few times?  Denim shirts are such fun items to embroider, but have you tried to embroider light colors (especially white) over dark denim and gotten muddy or strange shades of color in your embroideries?  Love the look of embroidery on printed, striped and dotted fabric…and hate the show-through that can happen?
   
• These problems can be solved with a wonderful product created by Hoop-It-All, Inc. -- dryCoverUp.  This embroidery stabilizer is actually thin vinyl sheeting, sold in 17 different colors including clear.  Most embroidery enthusiasts know that when stitching on textured fabrics, such as terry cloth, a water-soluble topping will keep the fabric nap from poking through the stitching.  It also helps prevent the stitching from getting lost in pile fabrics.  Yet this topping is water-soluble…it goes away when you wash it, just like it’s supposed to.  Then what?
   
• Less than satisfied with my beautiful monogrammed towels after the second time through the wash, I decided to try out the new roll of clear vinyl topping from Hoop-It-All.  Placed directly on the fabric, held in place with a very light spray of temporary spray adhesive, it worked just like a water-soluble topping.  The excess tore easily away, and my embroidery looked great with no loopy show-through.  Many washings later my towels still look good!
   
• Using dryCoverUp under light or white colored embroideries when stitching on dark cloth will keep your thread colors true, and even lend a little 3-D effect to the embroidery.  It will also prevent unwanted show-through of fabric patterns in your designs.  This vinyl can also be used as a permanent stabilizer on the back of embroidery when the stitching needs a very firm, permanent foundation.
   
• The manufacturer recommends that you match the dryCoverUp with your thread color.  I have found that the colors I need help with the most are white and yellow, both of which tend to turn blue and green when stitched on dark denim.  White dryCoverUp works well with a variety of pale colors.  Although the cover-up is intended for use only with fill stitching, I’ve discovered that it also works wonderfully with large monograms that have a good layer of understitching beneath the satin stitches.
   
• On the down side, dryCoverUp is a little hard on thread. Using a slightly larger needle helps with both the stitching and the tearing away of the excess plastic.  Don’t use a ballpoint needle, and stay close to your machine while stitching.  If not pulled quickly and cleanly off, tiny pieces of the vinyl can show around the edges of the embroidery. If the area has an outline stitch, remove the excess dryCoverUp before stitching the outline, and this will help cover up those pesky little edges.  As always, preshrink your fabric or garment before embroidering.

.... thanks to Carolyn Keber, author of Embrid and PE Design tutorials

• I have chosen to explain briefly about the different methods of creating your own designs in your embroidery software.  I must advise you right here and now that what I have written below is entirely my opinion. My opinion may not be your opinion and there are really no rights and wrongs with digitizing,  just preferences.
   
• The main program that I use for digitizing is Embird Studio or PE Design,  but most digitizing programs have similar features.  There are now also several new-ish  embroidery software programs on the market that allow you to just point and fill areas which very quickly gives you an embroidery design.
   
• While this is a wonderful quick way to create a design it does not always create the best result. You may find that outlines do not sew correctly or close enough to a design or that you have a lot of jump stitches to remove when you have embroidered your design.  Do you remember when you embroidered a design from a pre-programmed card, CD or from one of the professional digitizers?
   
• You should have been impressed if the design embroidered out with either no jump stitches or the very minimum.  This is the mark of an excellent digitizer. You will find that the professional digitizers do not use click and fill programs at all as they like to control the path of the stitching themselves and not leave it up to the program.
   
• The difference between the good and the excellent designs is the method used to create the design. I guess it's like that old saying your Mum had, "if a job is worth doing then its worth doing well".
   
• Check your program to see whether you have the option of actually inputting the stitches yourself rather than allowing the program to make the decisions for you. If you have this option it will be worth the effort to learn how to use it.  The click and fill method is great if you are in a hurry and it is a one-off design you are doing, but if you intend stitching your design out time and again, then you should try to learn to digitize your design.
   
• When you use a click and fill type program and  you move from one area to the next of the same color you do not generally have the option of how the stitching continues. The program takes the shortest route which is normally a regular jump stitch. However if you were punching the design yourself you would try and eliminate that jump stitch by changing your punching tool to a running stitch. Then you would run-stitch from one area to another through an area that would be sewn over later, thus covering this stitching.
   
• The other draw-back is in the creation of a design with a larger area of fill.  I am sure you have all sewn out a design on fabric with a pile such as a towel to find that that the design does not meet in the centre leaving you with a line of no stitches. This is the sign of a design that has been created using the click and fill method. The design will begin sewing from one side then it embroiders towards the centre. Once it reaches a certain point the stitching moves to the outside and then sews back towards the middle of the design until it meets.  But as you know, it sometimes doesn't quite meet causing you a certain amount of frustration.
   
• If the design has been Manual Punched the design will sew exactly as you have applied the stitches.  Learning to manual punch a design isn't as daunting as it sounds. Sure, it takes longer to do it this way but the end result will be a lot better. As with anything practice makes perfect and just by having the courage to have a play around with the program will teach you a lot of new tricks.
   
• One way to start would be to create a design in a click and fill program and then take the design and add some other elements to it in your manual punching program. You can add bits of shading, outlines or whatever you fancy.  Once you have tried this you might feel courageous enough to try manual punching a complete design. One step at a time.
   
• Remember to test, test and test.
   
• Here are 2 links to download two designs that I have prepared for you, as a sample of what I'm talking about.  One design is done with Manual Punching, the other with Click and Fill .  If you have Embird then you can run these designs through Sewing Simulator just to see what I mean about designs not joining in the middle from a click and fill program.  Check the Manual Punched design and you will see that there are no gaps as it stitches from one side right through to the other side of the circle.

• Then you will have to make you own decision as to which method you would rather use when creating your designs.  Do you settle for good, or would you prefer to be excellent?  It's up to you.

- thanks to Carolyn Keber, author of Embrid and PE Design tutorials

• Don’t we have a wonderful choice of designs available to us these days, either over the Internet or on embroidery design cards? But how many times have you found the perfect design to realize that it’s not in the size that you want to embroider it? Do you sigh in frustration and look for another design in the size you want or do you have a go at re-sizing the design? Have you tried re-sizing the design and found when you embroidered it out that it was either too dense or had gaps in the design?
   
• The “powers that be” state that when re-sizing designs that the maximum that you should re-size up or down in size is 20%. Beyond that amount the quality of the design isn’t guaranteed. However I have taken designs such as Amazing designs and re-sized them by 100% successfully. It depends entirely on the design itself whether it can be re-sized by a large amount and also a little bit of “insider knowledge” and a correct program for re-sizing.
   
• If you do not own a software program specifically for re-sizing then you are really stuck with either re-sizing on your machine – if your machine has this function – or resizing in your machine's embroidery software if you own it. Then you really are limited to the 20% increase or decrease in size. Any size beyond that is taking a bit of a risk on the finished result unless you test the design first at your new size.
   
• If you resize upwards you risk gaps because as you enlarge the design you are also lengthening the stitches including any satin stitches. As satin stitches are generally already longer stitches, by increasing the size of the design you are also increasing the length of the satin stitches to such a degree that your embroidery software “thinks” that these stitches are actually jump stitches. Then when you view your design in a realistic or 3D view you will see the gaps in the design.
   
• The reverse will happen when you decrease the size of a design without re-sizing software. Your stitches will bunch up as you are squashing them into a smaller area. You will now be in the danger of breaking needles when you embroider and we all know what ”fun” that is.
   
• The best way to re-size designs – if your embroidery software doesn’t have this function – is to purchase a program that is designed for re-sizing. My favorite (of course) is Embird.
   
• In Embird Editor you can take a design and increase or decrease the size of it and also increase or decrease the density if you wish. This means that the stitches will re-calculate if you choose certain settings. There is also the ability to change satin stitches to fill stitches if the length of the satin stitch goes higher than a set size. This means “no more gaps”. Embird also allows you to change the density of just certain parts of your design as well. If you find a design is too dense in one area only then you can separate this part of the design and change the density of just that part. 
   
• Just a word of warning though – if you currently own Embird and have a design open in Editor and then decide to go into the Density screen for a little “look” just to check it out, make sure when you exit this Density screen that you click on Cancel if you do not want the density in your current design changed. If you are “just looking” in this Density screen with no intention of altering your density in your design on the design page then by clicking OK to exit you are telling Embird that you want your current design to be the same density as their default setting – which is not necessarily the same density as your design. A few people have been fooled by this in the past – VBG
   
• I am sure that if you own Embird that you have already discovered that it is an excellent all round editing program as well as being great for re-sizing. For those of you that don’t own Embird then you don’t know what you are missing!!