So glad someone else asked about digitizing! I want answers too. Retired and want to learn, but don't know where to start; any help GREATLY appreciated! Please be detailed-I'm slow

Thank you all for these detailed answers - I really must get round to learning!

I bought the tutorial by carolyn kebler and it helped me more than anything, it is at secrets of embroidery.

I've digitised for twelve years with expensive Husqvarna software which had to be upgraded every few years at considerable cost. November 2008 at bought Embird as well - and I love it. Not only is it so much cheaper, I find it easier to use, no unnecessary jumpstitches and so much easier to alter things afterwards - at least compared to the older versions of Husq software, 5D is better but if I were to have only one brand I'd choose Embird!

We are very happy with the Bernina software, because it is complex and you can do more or less everything. To draw a design is simple, but to set up all "sewing" parameters needs the skills. Our first designs looked always very prity on monitor, but they did not stitch out well at all. Loose thread, knots, too dense or too loose areas etc. etc. Nearly all our desings have undergone several iterations of digitizing & stitching - just nowadays we have improved and get desgins right on the first or second go :c)

1 comment

by mops 08 Mar 2011

I am so glad you mention test stitching and altering your designs. It's the only way to learn to do it well, and I agree with time you know what parameters to choose and many designs are right at the first try - but not when you first start!

Like learning all new crafts there's a learning curve to digitising. Choosing the digitising program for you will be a hard choice as there are quite a few to choose from but what you want to look for is a program that you can manually punch in - this is where you tell the machine where you want stitches to be placed and in what order etc, as opposed to auto-punch (where the program will convert an image to a design with little input from you). I know I prefer to stitch out manually punched designs...they take longer to create but seem to stitch nicer than some I've autopunched, I find manually created designs easier to edit too.

I have PE Design (because it came with my Brother machine) and couldnt make heads nor tails of the manual (they assume you can already digitise so you dont need explanations of this & that..not much help when you're new at it tho), so I joined a digitising group, Rose Cottage, run by Vivian Gibson and every month there is a "Digi Challenge" where you learn one technique. This month (march) is FSL. There is a fee for the lesson, US$5 for the current month, and previous months are available for $7.50. I think its so much easier to learn when there's someone there to help you, and questions are always answered via the group. You must have a Yahoo ID as these are yahoo groups. There are many other yahoo groups around to help you learn digitising, however Vivian's group is non-software specific, so while I'm learning PE Design, others are using Embird, or Generations etc. I'll add the links if you'd like to join.

I'm by no means a professional digitiser, I'm still learning and as for software, well there are as many programs as there are opinions on them. I also have Embird now too, but much prefer PED. :) xXx

I was told by someone who has digitized for a long time to consider the Embird program, should I ever want to learn to digitize. She learned on Embird and used it for several years, before purchasing a much more expensive "Generations" software. She highly recommended Embird for those who want to learn without spending a fortune.
I purchased basic Embird several years ago for its many features to help with machine embroidery. If I decide I have time to learn to digitize, I will purchase the Studio portion that goes with the basic Embird. Studio is the digitizing plug-in. You may want to check out www.embird.com, before buying more expensive digitizing software. I want to learn to digitize one day, but too many other things demand my time at present.
Just thought I would share this info with you! Good luck with whatever you choose!
Angel
Angel

You are not the only one. I like to learn to but difficult where to start and what to use, Yvonne