StitchArtist is a program designed to allow embroiderers to create stitch designs from scratch using existing artwork or by ‘drawing with stitches.’ It has been described as an object-based digitizer. You draw and control the shapes, set the stitch type and properties, and StitchArtist generates stitches for you. When you want to create stitches, that’s what it does.
StitchArtist comes in levels that suit different skill level embroiderers.
Note: Each topic in this manual may have notes for different levels. This allows for continuity in the learning process. As you progress, you can purchase additional levels whenever you are ready.
Level 1 is designed for a hobby embroiderer who needs to be able to create stitches without going into debt or spending much computer time. Level 1 offers a limited set of stitch types and, more importantly, properties for those stitches, so that the user can simply ‘create.’ Typical projects for Level 1 are applique designs, running stitch designs and simple filled shapes, backgrounds or unifying elements for design compositions etc. It is not designed for logo work or publishing, unless you’re working with applique.
Level 2 includes Level 1 and is designed for basic skills training for those who would like to create more sophisticated designs, as well as a basic set of tools for logo creation. It will allow the user to learn a wide cross-section of stitch types and properties, and have enough freedom to create virtually anything.
Level 3 includes Level 1 and Level 2 and is designed for someone who either loves to create designs or works commercially in the embroidery field. This level includes advanced items such as QuickStyles, adding user-created motifs and designs, graphical operators such as Reconstruct, Outline Stitches, Inflate, Cut, AND, Union and Break, extended Vector support and more.
Note: Illustrations in this manual are shown with Level 3 enabled unless otherwise noted. Feature differences in other levels will be discussed in the text.
StitchArtist is not an attempt at fully automatic design creation. It will not attempt to ‘convert an image’ into embroidery; It does not contain photo-to-stitch for example. These are all reasonable tasks, but are not the same as what StitchArtist is.
It is also not a ‘customizing’ or ‘editing’ program for the manipulation of existing embroidery designs. You may load designs so that you can add stitches to them, but they are not alterable in most ways.
Embroidery designs have been created with computer programs since the late 1970’s. The hardware used by artists at the time came from the CAD/CAM industry (Computer Aided Design/Manufacturing) and consisted of a CAD “digitizing” board (like an architect desk) and a mouse-like ‘puck.’ As no one thought to change the CAD term, the word “digitizing” has been with us in the embroidery craft ever since. We prefer the term “Design Creation” though for two reasons: 1: Because it really is more accurate. And 2: Because the term “digitizing” carries negative connotations of difficult-to-learn software. Therefore “Digitizing” and “Design Creation” are interchangeable in this manual; however our product is a change in the user interface, and is easier to use. Just wait, you’ll see.
Design creation is a two-fold learning process. First, there is the software. That is the set of buttons and sliders that make objects to be stitched. That’s pretty easy to learn, especially for anyone who understands drawing programs or even has general computer skills. Whereas digitizing software in the past had been developed in its own little world, and the graphics programs went their own ways, the two are now converging with similar tools and operations in both. Do not be misled into thinking that embroidery and graphics are at all similar though, as designers can get away with all kinds of things in graphics that simply are not possible in embroidery. The level of sophistication in an embroidery creation program is much higher than a graphics program, generally speaking.
That brings us to the second and more difficult part of the learning curve – the knowledge of embroidery itself. Embroidery involves thread and fabric. Both are flexible, usually stretchy to some extent and operate differently in different combinations. In graphics you can do things however you want: In any order, at any place, or jump from point to point without regard. And the result will always look the same. With embroidery all those assumptions are false. You need to understand which stitches will go down first, and why they go there, and you need to really think about where the machine is going to go as it stitches the design. Generally there are three areas of thought that need to be part of your process when you create a design:
• The material, thread and project combination. This dictates certain items such as the amount of coverage you need, the maximum number of stitches within an area that can be added to the fabric before it puckers, and how it will be stabilized so as to mitigate somewhat the inherent limits of the fabric.
• The path the machine will take as it creates the design. You don’t want to leave thread trails all over, and you don’t want to have to cut those either. Even if the machine does that for you, you still have to spend the time on that process. And if a design always sews in a given direction, you wind up pushing the fabric around so much that the later stitches won’t align or ‘register’ with the earlier ones.
• The types of stitches used. This is the topic that is easily understood, but can take a lifetime to master. The basic stitches are pretty obvious, but the quality of the output comes from clever usage and combinations of elements.
This manual covers the usage of the program itself, and attempts to interject some knowledge of the embroidery process as well. However, we very much recommend the reader take educational programs on design creation from others. There are a number of wonderful educators for digitizing in the marketplace, and their fees are generally well worth the knowledge you will gain. With respect to those instructors, please humbly accept that any differences you find herein with regards to your teachings, are not intended to be the ‘only way’ someone ought to do something, nor necessarily the ‘best’ approach, but perhaps is what we ourselves are comfortable teaching. We all have our own styles, and those differ from time to time.
If you have never embroidered before, take some time to learn the use of your machine and the basics of embroidery. Your local sewing machine store will have classes that you can attend to help you get going. We must assume for the purposes of this manual that you understand the ordinary hobby aspects of embroidery – what a hoop is, what stabilizer is, what a ‘design’ is etc. Hopefully you have at least stitched something successfully.
You do not have to be an artist. Really -- let’s say it again --you do not have to be an artist.
The reason is that embroidery creation is more of a ‘color-by-numbers’ process. You may be an artist, and that’s great. You can even create your art within the program. However the process of laying stitches on top of your art or image is a mechanical, methodical and logical process, provided that the art is suitable for embroidery. And there too is a reason why we ask that you have at least done embroidery – it will provide you some insight as to what’s possible with embroidery, and what simply isn’t. Naturally an artist can alter a complex image to be more suitable for embroidery, and a person with some experience creating designs may be able to do that intuitively as they work. It all comes from the learning process and involves much trial and error along the way. You won’t learn to paint overnight, nor learn to play Chopin the first time you sit at a piano, so please don’t expect to be creating complex designs well the first time either. But with a bit of persistence, creating designs is a much faster and easier learning curve than those other endeavors, and you can begin with simple things and start sewing in practically no time.
Reminder about Levels: Illustrations in this manual are shown with Level 3 enabled unless otherwise noted. Feature differences in other levels will be discussed in the text. Some sections have information pertaining to multiple levels. We have indicated the minimum level for which the text is relevant. Where practical, we have added higher-level information toward the ends of sections.