So this would have been asked hundreds of times, but how did people get started with digitizing? I'd like to start branching out and being a little creative.

Download the trial version when you expect to have time to use it, in that case 30 days is ample time to try out whether you like it or not. The only difference between the trial version and the bought one is that you can't save your designs and stitch them. But you can use the stitch simulator to see the sewing sequence. It is a feature I always use as many a mistake can be seen before you use fabric and thread.

The tutorials on the Embird site are well worth using, they are free and to the point. I never needed to buy any tutorials as they cover everything. The times I did buy the much praised tutorials from the Flying Needle I was very disappointed as I learned nothing new notwithstanding the description that suggested otherwise.

The service by the Balarad family is great, their updates always free, their upgrades at token prices ( some $20 for the last one, compare that with the almost $1000 I had to pay for upgrading from 5D Suite to 6D Premium). So I always by from the developers rather than from a different site.

2 comments

by anssmile 04 Jun 2014

Hi,

I bought my Embird originally from Secretsofembroidery, and I buy my upgrades directly from the Embird site. So I got the best of both worlds.

Even though I bought Embird from Secretsofembroidery, the Balarad family answered any technical questions I had promply.

And Embird is licenced using a licence file, no dongle!

I would not know how the other software support (like for 5D Suite or 6D Premium) is when you buy it somewhere else, so I would buy that (if you decide agaist Embird) directly from the developers.

Have fun.
Anneliese

by mops 04 Jun 2014

As those programmes have a dongle you can just as well buy it from your (machine) dealer - at set prices. And as far as the software support is concerned, if your dealer does not know the answer you have a hard time to get one through the website.
There is a yahoo group, I very recently joined, and most of he questions and the answers are rather basic - like I can save in format vp3 but not in format Y - nothing you can't find in the manual.

Ask yourself if you like to create things. If you like to play with colours. If you like to draw or doodle. If you want unique designs no one else has. If you are prepared to take the time to learn how to use a digitizing program, and read the tutorials. If you have the patience to draw something, stitch it out and fix the errors, and keep on repeating these steps until you are happy with what you have.

If the answer to those things are yes, you will love digitizing. I am also using Embird, and love it to bits. It has extremely good customer care. It is extremely user friendly, but you HAVE TO take the time to learn what the different icons mean. Upgrades are normally not expensive, the last one was $20 to upgrade the full Embird suite.

Download a trial from secretsofembroidery and make sure to download the free tutorials too.

Should you decide to buy it, buy it from secretsofembroidery, you get bonus points and Bonus embroidery sets. Also some of the prices are cheaper there than at Embird's own site. And the support still comes directly from Embird. And invest money in tutorials, you will not regret it.

Look at the discussion here to see various tutorials and groups for Embird:
http://www.cuteembroidery.com/960...

link to download trial version: http://www.secretsof.com/content/...
link to free tutorial download: http://www.embird.net/sw/embird/t...

Don't buy a lot of alphabets, buy one or two, you will never use them all. I bought 3: a block alphabet, an informal alphabet and a alphabet you use when writing with all letters linked.

Best of luck with your decision!
Anneliese

1 comment

by anssmile 03 Jun 2014

I don't think any trial will exceed a month...

Secrets of Embroidery have Embird free trial I think it's 1month..

1 comment

by spendlove 03 Jun 2014

Correct - it is 30 days but you can't save any designs you create.

I had the Embird software as a Christmas gift. Although it wasn't hugely expensive compared to other software, it cost too much to not make the effort to learn how to use it!


I didn't really know what I wanted to try to do with it until someone posted a project which was a teddy made in the hoop. It was the first time I'd seen anything like it so I did a bit of net surfing and decided that was the direction I wanted to go in. I'd always made rag dolls, so I drew a simple pattern, found the Embird line tool and "drew" round it. No-one was more surprised than I was when I took the design to my machine and stitched it out. I think my first design had about 250 stitches but I thought it was brilliant!