I agree with you about standard of workmanship if we were haveing to pay for the design but as the designs are given free then perhaps we really cannot complain about them, We all have to learn somewhere and test out what we do and this forum is a good starting point for many newcomers. perhaps if a design was downloaded and used then comments from the person sewing out could be a good thing, as the designer could then know where they could improve their work. We all know the joy of getting into a new hobby and wanting to share with others. constructive critisism is a good way forward
Remember, even the best designer may make a mistake in their work, I for one am very thankfull for all the designs created by the cuties. be they good bad or indiferent. we can allways bin the
ones we don't want and its cost nothing to do that. Just open them and take a look at them if they don't look right then don't use them.
After all we are told not tolook a gift horse in the mouth. and the good really do outnumber the bad. Perhaps a designer could actually ask for comments on their work so that they could improve themselves.
Not ment to offend Eggyannie in the UK

This is one of the reasons I don't put my designs on the Cuties site! I'm still learning, and although I always use scans of the actual stitchouts they are after I've trimmed the jumps so don't give an actual indication of how they are during stitching, only the finished result. It's also the reason I give away my designs for free - in my book, if you're not paying anyway, you can hardly complain!! I also do my own artwork - I've come across quite a few designs on different sites digitised by different people but using the same artwork (presumably clipart) - so although mine aren't perfect, at least they are original! Love and flowers from Dianne x x x

I always post what I do so everyone can see, just don't get a lot done these days. These r all beginners Ricky & some probably do more digitizing than stitching. I hear where u r coming from It is a waste of time & thread b-u-t I have received some atrocious designs that I have paid for. I simply tell them about it, the only one who never made it good was emblibrary & I've spent a fortune with them. Soooo it is always a good idea to test stitch a design before doing it. I've found I can just skip around do a little of it, go to another color, do a little of it etc. without doing a complete design, Embird allows me to do this. I'm thankful 4 all they r trying to do & we I guess r the guinea pigs, trying them out on us to see what we say, so I guess they're waiting to hear what u have just told them. If they want to perfect what they r learning then there must b constructive, nice criticism to help them.

I put some designs on there with my INDUSTRIAL strength machine testing. They were good. Like Lillian said " the only one who never made it good was emblibrary". And Lillian was not the first one said that. My best friend told me the same thing. So one day, I tested Emblibrary desings on my home embroidery machine and it was nightmare. So, where is the guide line. If Emblibray was that bad, the web site was shut long time ago due to lacking business. For me, the rule of thumb is test every desing first before you put on the final product. BTW, in this bad ecomony, as long as I can get some free designs to keep up my hobby, I don't mind to trim several jump stitches.

Well I am still learning digitizing and would like to hear direct if and where I can improve. I do put designs on designs for cuties to test stitch and that they will at least send me a PM and let me know if they had any problems with the stitch out

Thanks Yvonne Castelyn

Times are real difficult. I really appreciated the work that the digitizers are doing, since they are free all I have to do is stitch test the designs and I like them fine and if not fine to because they did not cost me any money...,*****

I tend to agree with you. If you place an item on the site I believe it should have been test stitched. If I made a design I would want to see how it stitched out before giving it to anyone. As I just recently tried to use that aspect of 4D Extra, I discovered that they don't turn out as expected when stitched out. That is why I shared my projects in the project section and NOT added to the Designs by Cuties. Yes, we do appreciate all of the designs offered by our "Cuties" but at the same time we don't like to make negative comments as they tend to insight too much friction on the sight (as we have already experienced). We do not want that to happen as most of us truely enjoy the sight as to what it has evolved into through the past year or so, Thanks to Veronika!

This comments had been on my head all day, I am not a digitizer as you all know, I wish I was, even if I was going to receive negative feedback. I understand than when someone say "Needs to be tested" you really need to test the design and maybe contact the digitizer and let her know what is going on, I consider you a very good degitizer, nevertheless I remember when testin one of your designs the amount of jump stitches was tremendous, but the end result was real pretty even when the outline was a little off.We are here to be friends, to help each other, doing a post like this will hurt some cuties feelings...My idea is that is you or any of us have problems with a design jus PM the degitizer, we are bless with so many great degitizers here, for instance look the great work of simplyrosie,tubby marymoore, manami...just to name a few, the list will be too long if I add all of their names, but I want to take this oportunity to say THANK YOU to all of them for trying to share their talent and love.

lol ricky ricky ricky i must say i have learned a loy from u about digitizing and i thank you very much for all that but my goodness you want me to test the design that i put time into making as well if i was selling them for money yes i would but i do it for free i am working on the one mickey needs right now been working on it for 7 hours now when i first started it i had 20 colors now i am down to 12 i am almost done with it but i hope she tests it not me i know the sew simulator is not a stitch out but it is what i do to look at my design if they dont like it fine if they do that is great

I am a beginning digitizer and I haven't always had time to stitch things out, but I HAVE asked others on this site to stitch them for me. I guess I just don't want to look bad in front of my friends, so I don't post them unless they work.

However, others may not have people to test stitch for them and may be like me where it takes too much time to find room to set up my machine, etc. This is their opportunity to get the constructive criticism they need to get better. The problem is that, unfortunately, no one offers it.

I posted a few of my original designs that worked when I test stitched them, and asked for someone to let me know how it worked for them and if anything needed to be changed. I didn't get any response beyond, "nice design", "I'll certainly use this", "looks good", etc. So the help and support for these new digitizers isn't there. Yes, it would be nice to know that a design works before downloading it, but we also need to hold up our end of the 'bargain' and give these people the help they need to get better.

As you say, it may be the same people making the same mistakes over and over again, but to be fair, have you let them know there is a problem and offered your help? If someone flat out refuses to take advice, then they are just a bad seed and make a note of it and steer clear of their designs. Don't condemn us all for getting our feet wet at a new endeavor...

Designs By Cuties is a sharing area for digitizers, beginner and seasoned alike. Most are honest and say please test this first. Unlike trusted sites such as www.buzztools.com which Raels can share her horror story of a bad font (wood) she trusted from there. I believe their reply to her complaint of atrocious digitizing was basically "at your own risk". The design I had trouble with came from a reputable site like brother, even though at the moment I do not recall exactly where it was from. I have had designs from very expensive collections with a ton of jump stitches. So my opinion on this subject is I greatly appreciate all designs that are uploaded into Designs By Cuties (auto digitized and manual digitized) and know it goes with the territory to always test your design no matter where it comes from. I hope this critique doesn't deter any of the cuties that work so hard to share their art and creations with us. We have all, I am sure, been burned by a bad design. Sometimes it is the design that is bad sometimes our own mistakes with stabilizers, hooping, fabric choice, or even altering the designs size or format.

Ricky, I understand your concern as well as sympathize with those looking for input to improve their work. After reading the posts, I think the best thing would be for the digitizer to state "not tested, please provide feedback" or tested on [machine](in my case, Janome 10001) and include the stabilizer used. Then we will know what to expect when we test stitch. I also haven't posted many designs because I don't want to give away a design I'm not satisfied with. Usually, I test several times before I get them satisfactory; often trashing them and starting over. I've yet to get any of them perfect. To all the digitizers; you are your own best critic, just ask yourself if you would pay for the design you created.

Dear Mpo

I posted a comment 16 days ago and you have not as yet commented on it . Would you and other cuties please send PM to those that you are referring to
'This will help us new digitizes for the future"

Thanks Yvonne Castelyn

Gee, I hope mine were ok, from July to December, I couldn't test stitch any of the designs i digitised because my machine seized up and was sent away for repairing under warranty .... I still don't have my machine back they've had it longer than I got to use it!!!
At least now I have machines, but alas am not feeling well enough just now to be digitising.

As for jump stitches, I find them preferable to multiple, avoidable, colour changes, which irk me no end, but that's just me, i'm easily irked! LOL!!!
hugs n roses, Meganne

I am sorry if you have a bad experience with some of the designs but after all they are free designs. It would be nice if you can send some feedback to those whom you are refering about. I myself am open for constructive critique and I am sure that many of the cuties that have posted their designs will like to know if there is any bugs on their design so that one can learn from those mistakes and improve. I really apeciate all the efford that each cutie has put on their design even if they came up all screwed up, after all many of them are new to the digitizing and so excited of accomplishing something that want to share it with us. I have a couple of times pay for designs that turned out to be not good to me either, that is why we should always test stich regardless of freebie or payed. The only difference is that if you payed for it then you 100% have a reason to complaint about it.

I have only uploaded a few designs, all of which I have test stitched and posted a photo of the end result. So I hope I am not one of the people who are the main target of this criticism.
I can't support this type of mass approach to criticism rather than telling the individual designer that in your opinion there is a problem with their design.
I am more than happy to receive constructive criticism, it is how I will learn to do it better, but I do think you need to consider how you give the criticism too as the people who post their designs are only trying to give you something. We should all ask ourselves before we hit the submit button if I received the message I am about to send how would I feel?
I am fairly new to this site and to date have enjoyed the good commaradarie I hope this continues as it is good to connect with others who have similar interests/passions.

Cheers,
Claire

I test the designs on a square if it is no good I trash it if it is good I put it away when I have enough I make a lap quilt these are nice to send to a nursing home I have a bunch of squairs I have tested of some designs I did I will make something out of them. it is not really a great wast to try them out first . If I get a free design and it does not stich out I just trash it I did not pay for it any way.

I got some angels fron sonia showalters and when I stiched them out they would get half way through the design and mess up.I thought this was a wast of money .but before I said any thing I had my machine checked and my whole tention works had to be replaced it was wore out from so much use now the little angels stich out so pretty .It is not always the design sometimes it is what you use or your machine.

Ricky I am happy to say I stiched your dalphins out and they are wonderful.

Hi, and thank you to all of the people who digitize. Well done, you are having ago at something I want to learn someone day. The designs that I have downloaded from the area "designs by cuties" I have not had any problems with them, keep up the good work and yes criticisim of any sort is always constructive if done in the right way.

Okay, I'll ask. How do you "know" the designs are atrocious and a waste of time? You said you refuse to download anything you haven't see the stitch out for. So, How do you know?

I would like to thank all of you who put designs on the designs by cuties sections. I understand that noone is born expert and everyone makes mistakes but thats the only way to learn. I appreciate the designs you put up cos not everybody is brave enough to expose himself to the critism of others(no hard feelings to anyone intended). Its one's choice whether to download a design or not, if one doesn't like a design one can simply not downloaded, that's what I do. I have downloaded many and stitched unfortunately only a few so far. I can't say I had problems. Neither have I had problems with emblibrary, in fact they are my favourites cos their designs have always turned out fantastically which is not the case for another much more expensive site where I bought a pack of lace designs which all broke apart much to my disgust.
Anyway to cut it short I just want to say a word of encouragement to all of you who are trying to learn to digitise and post your designs here. Don't let anyone discourage you please, there are many of us here who DO appreciate your work. Thank you.