Machine Embroidery Digitizing
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Welcome back to All About Machine Embroidery. If you are visiting for the first time, catch up with the series here.
If you are new to machine embroidery or just curious and want to know more, you will eventually come across the word digitize.
When I first started looking at embroidery machines, this word was constantly bandied about. Dealers would say, “This embroidery machine can digitize on-screen; that is why it costs $7,000.”
I had no idea what the word digitize meant within the context of machine embroidery, but I did know that $7,000 was not in the cards for me.
So, to keep you in the loop, I want to make sure you understand the what and why of digitizing.
First, almost all digitizing should be done with software, thus the need for some type of software. If the actual machine has these capabilities, it is still limited.
Digitizing (as it refers to machine embroidery) is simply taking a drawing or artwork like Van Gogh’s Sunflowers…
And, turning it from artwork into stitches using a software like Embird.
I’m not wanting to scare you off; that’s pretty intense and not something you see everyday.
Now, I’ve never done anything this complex, but I want you to see the possibilities. Complex art can be digitized into something to be stitched out on almost any embroidery machine.
Most digitizing you will likely do will be simple steps like resizing, repositioning, combining designs, or adding lettering.
Here’s an example of something that is more realistic and still has tons of possibility.
Now, imagine your child or grandchild’s artwork preserved in stitches. Stitch their designs onto a one-of-a-kind shirt. Or, stitch the designs out onto panels for future quilts.
If you are handy with graphic design, then understanding digitizing will be a snap. For the rest of us, there is a learning curve. I assure you, if I can do this, then so can you.
The possibilities are endless.
Tomorrow topic: Jump Stitches
