mySewnet™ Font Digitizing

Reference Guide
Windows®

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Contents
1 Chapter 1: Using
mySewnet™ Font Digitizing
2 Parts of the Software Window
4 Overview of Object Types
6 Creating Fonts and SuperDesigns
6 Making a New Font
10 Using the QuickFont Wizard as a Shortcut
11 Making a SuperDesign Set

14 Chapter 2: Designing Fonts

14 Joining Point
16 Character Sets
22 Design Assistants
25 Design Considerations
32 Special Techniques and Effects
33 Character Samples

36 Chapter 3: Creating and Editing Fonts

36 New Window
38 Create or Edit Font
40 Export As EDO
40 Save
41 Exit
42 Editing Characters
45 Font Background
46 Undo and Redo
47 Editing Fonts
47 Universal Properties
50 Size Options
50 Multiple Character Copy
51 Insert Points on Straight Lines
52 Pictures for Fonts
52 Line Properties
53 Fill Properties
54 Getting Started with mySewnet™ Font Digitizing

63 Chapter 4: Glossary & Troubleshooting

63 Glossary
67 Troubleshooting: Error Messages
68 Troubleshooting: Other Topics
71 Checking a Nearest Point Font

72 Chapter 5: Creating Design Elements

72 Creating Designs

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Contents i

 74 Quick Create
75 Creating with Freehand Create and Point Create
75 Freehand Create
76 Point Create
83 Fill Area and Line Properties
87 Column Properties
88 Object Properties
92 Global Properties
93 Change Properties for Selected Objects
94 Changing Stitch Types
95 Design Size and Creating Embroideries

96 Chapter 6: ExpressDesign Wizard

97 New
97 New Window
97 Insert ExpressDesign
99 Choose Design Type
101 Choose Picture
103 Rotate and Crop Picture
105 Outline Finder and Expander
107 Monochrome Threshold
109 Design Size
112 Express Embroidery Options
119 Express Trace Options
122 Express Border Options
126 Open Existing Design
127 Using the ExpressDesign Wizard

133 Chapter 7: Viewing Pictures and Designs

133 View Mode
134 Show Grid
134 Background
135 Design Panel
135 Color Change and Pick Color
142 Show and Hide Objects
144 Display Range
148 FilmStrip
153 Get Length
155 Design Player
156 Life View
160 Zoom Commands

162 Chapter 8: Creating & Managing Designs

163 Open Designs
165 Copy Embroidery
166 Save Designs
167 Export
173 Sending Embroideries

ii mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Contents

178

179 Chapter 9: Using Commands

179 Color Change and Pick Color
181 Stop
182 Single Stitch
182 Alignment Stitches

184 Chapter 10: Appliqué and Colors

184 Appliqué
184 Appliqué Selection
186 Background Picture Viewer
187 Background Wizard
193 Load Picture Wizard
197 Appliqué Method
199 Quick Color Themes
201 Colors Dialog Box

203 Chapter 11: Creating Fills and Lines

203 Creating with Quick Create
204 Creating with Freehand and Point Create
206 Creating Shapes
207 Quick Create from Background
210 QuickStitch™ Functions
213 QuickTrace
217 Freehand and Point Create Functions
225 How to Create Lines with Point Create
230 Editing Fills and Lines
231 Creating Holes

232 Chapter 12: Using Fill Areas

232 Fill Types
233 Creating Fill Areas
233 Pattern Fill
243 Motif Fill
250 Shape Fill
255 Radial Fill
257 Spiral Fill
261 QuiltStipple Fill
264 Contour Fill
266 Crosshatch Fill
271 Curved Crosshatch Fill
276 MultiWave Fill
278 Echo Fill
280 Satin Area
280 No Fill
281 Manage My Fills

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Contents iii

 285 Chapter 13: Creating and Using Satin Areas
285 Satin Area
285 QuickStitch™ Satin
287 QuickStitch™ Multiple Satin
288 Freehand Satin Area
290 Point Satin Area
292 Satin Area Options
293 Using Satin Areas: Blue Jay Embroidery

296 Chapter 14: Creating Columns

296 Column
298 Satin Column
302 Feathered Satin
305 Richelieu Bars
307 Tapered Motifs
309 Creating Columns

314 Chapter 15: Using Lines

314 Line Types
315 Running Stitch
317 Double Stitch
319 Double Zigzag
321 Triple Stitch
323 Satin Line
324 Motif Line
332 No Border Line

333 Chapter 16: Editing a Design

333 Select Objects
335 Change Object Settings
336 Delete
336 Insert Commands
336 Change Objects’ Sequence
339 Edit Lines and Areas
348 Reverse Functions
348 Select a Block of Objects
353 Multiple Select and Groups
355 Modify a Block of Objects
357 Modify Block
358 Cut, Copy and Paste Objects
360 Duplicate
360 Insert Embroidery
362 Insert Lettering
363 Insert SuperDesign
365 Notes and Settings
366 Undo and Redo
367 Fill and Satin Patterns

iv mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Contents

371 Chapter 17: Preferences
373 Chapter 18: Printing
373 Print: Design Window
376 Print Setup

378 Chapter 19: Quick Reference Guide

378 Design Window
395 Design Window — FilmStrip
398 Toolbars
400 Design Window — Font Control Panel

402 Chapter 20: Index

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Contents v

 Using
mySewnet™ Font Digitizing
1
Welcome to mySewnet™ Font Digitizing. mySewnet™ Font Digitizing helps you create
beautiful fonts and SuperDesigns for mySewnet™ Embroidery. You can create fonts using
most TrueType®/OpenType® computer fonts, or digitize characters and SuperDesigns over
scanned or clipart pictures.
It is assumed that you have a good working knowledge of the stitch types available in mySewnet™
Digitizing, and that you are already familiar with the concepts and tools used for digitizing with
mySewnet™ Digitizing. When features are in both modules, the information may refer to mySewnet™
Digitizing rather than mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.

Sample Files
Fonts are found in subfolders of the folder ProgramData\mySewnet\Embroidery1\Fonts.
You can open copies of a few of the fonts and SuperDesigns in the mySewnet™
Embroidery Software to see how they have been digitized. There is also a MyFonts folder,
which is intended for fonts you design yourself, or fonts created in mySewnet™ QuickFont
or with Import Font from Embroideries.
To open a copy of a system font in mySewnet™ Font Digitizing, load it in the Create or Edit Font dialog
using the option ’Copy and edit an existing’.

Starting mySewnet™ Font Digitizing

Windows® 10 & 11 Start Screen
1 At the bottom left of your computer screen, open the Windows® 10 or 11 Start Screen.
2 In the Windows Start menu, scroll down to the mySewnet folder.
3 Click the mySewnet™ Font Digitizing icon to launch it.

Shortcuts
An alternative to the Start screen/menu method described previously is to use a Shortcut
to mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.

Within mySewnet™ Embroidery

1 Launch mySewnet™ Embroidery .
2 In the Letter tab, click Font Manager .
3 In the Font Manager, click Digitize New Font , and mySewnet™ Font Digitizing will start.

Windows® 10 & 11 (Desktop)

1 Close or minimize any programs you have running.
2 Double-click on the Shortcut to the mySewnet™ Embroidery Software folder. A list of the programs
appears.
3 Double-click on mySewnet™ Font Digitizing icon to launch it.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using mySewnet™ Font Digitizing 1

 Closing mySewnet™ Font Digitizing
Exit
Ends the mySewnet™ Font Digitizing session. You can also use the Close command on the
Control menu.

Shortcuts
■ Mouse: Click the Close icon on the title bar or double-click the Control menu box.
■ Keys: Alt + F4

About mySewnet™ Font Digitizing

Access via the Help menu. The version number of mySewnet™ Font Digitizing is given
here. You will need this if you contact technical support at any time.

Shortcut
■ Keys: Alt, L, A

Parts of the Software Window

Design Window
Use the Design window to add new areas, lines and columns of stitching, as well as
commands, to your character or SuperDesign, and to change the properties of stitching
that you have already created.
Quick Access Ribbon Bar Tabs Ribbon Bar Title Bar Font Design Panel
Toolbar

Filmstrip Status Bar Work Area

Switch between windows by clicking the tabs at the top of the window.

2 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Using mySewnet™ Font Digitizing

Font Tab
Open or save the font or SuperDesign set
Set the recommended size
Change the font or SuperDesign properties
Copy multiple characters, e.g. upper to lower case
Insert extra points on straight or curved lines
Use a Windows system font as a background for each character
Adjust the Font Grid & Guidelines, and place Navigation objects
Update the thumbnails when the font or set is saved
Select a Character Set
View other pages of characters within the font

Select a character to edit (digitized characters are green)

Open or save a thumbnail picture for the selected SuperDesign

Select the Nearest Point position for the current character
Adjust the size for previewing the font or SuperDesign set

The Font Tab in the Design Panel contains functions for opening, saving, exporting, and
editing the font or SuperDesign set, and for viewing and positioning the font grid,
guidelines and background characters. Choose a background font and a character set,
then select a character or SuperDesign for editing. Set the Nearest Point positions for
fonts, and load and save thumbnail pictures for SuperDesigns. Preview the font or
SuperDesign set at varying sizes.

Work Area
The work area is the area with a grid where characters and SuperDesigns are digitized and
edited. Stitch objects are drawn as outlines in the appropriate colors. Use mySewnet™
Configure to change the background grid color or the background color.

Grid and Snap

The background grid is shown as pale blue lines. Set the Grid Size in the View tab, and use
the View Grid icon to turn the grid on or off.
The Font Grid is shown as dots. It is used to align the points placed when designing
characters. Use Show Font Grid to turn the font grid on or off.
When editing points for a character or SuperDesign, use Snap to Grid to force points to
snap to positions at the font grid spacing.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Using mySewnet™ Font Digitizing 3

 Guidelines
The blue lines at the top and to the left of the grid are guidelines. There are six horizontal
and six vertical guidelines. They provide additional visual reference points.
To position the guidelines, select Move Guidelines and then click and drag the
guideline to the desired position. The guidelines always snap to the dots of the font grid.

The guidelines are docked initially on the top and at the left of the grid. The suggested
positions for the horizontal guidelines give the cap height, x height and descender depth.
You may also wish to use a horizontal guideline to show the height of your start and end
stitches, which is particularly useful for continuous fonts. Use the vertical guidelines to
mark the right edge of characters that are the same width (for instance, 'b', 'd', 'p').

Baseline
The baseline is the line on which most characters will sit. It is a special red guideline which
is placed at the base of the capital A when the font is created.
Use Move Guidelines to change the position of the baseline.

File Formats
Font and SuperDesign Files
mySewnet™ Font Digitizing stores and loads font and SuperDesign files with the
extensions .efnt and .esds respectively, together with .vsmres files. These are special
databases containing a set of digitized objects for each character or SuperDesign. The
SuperDesign files also contain miniature thumbnails of the SuperDesigns for display on
the SuperDesign tab of the mySewnet™ Embroidery ribbon bar. (Any background pictures
used for digitizing are not stored in .efnt or .esds files.)
Thumbnail .png files for fonts are created automatically.
When you use a system font in mySewnet™ Font Digitizing, make a copy of it by selecting ’Copy and edit an
existing’ in the Create or Edit Font dialog box. The copy is placed in your MyFonts folder.

Overview of Object Types

With mySewnet™ Font Digitizing, you create (or digitize) lettering or SuperDesigns over
any image on your computer screen. The embroidery areas you create are called objects
and may be divided according to the type of stitches they produce (lines, columns, fill
areas or command).

4 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Using mySewnet™ Font Digitizing

Lines
Stitch objects place individual stitches or lines of stitches. The stitch objects are Single
Stitches and Running, Double, Double Zigzag, Triple Stitch lines and motif lines. Closed
lines may enclose fill areas.

Running Double Triple

Set Single Stitches to any length from 2mm to 12mm. Set Running Stitches to any length
from 0.3mm to 12mm. Set double, double zigzag and triple stitch to any length from 1mm
to 12mm. Draw a line or place points to define Running, Double, Double Zigzag, Triple
Stitch, Motif or Satin lines. To produce straight lines, hold down the Shift key while placing
points.

Columns
Satin stitches in columns are parallel to each other and may be placed in straight or curved
sections, depending on whether the Shift key is held down. You can also place columns of
feathered satin, Richelieu Bars and tapered motifs.
The recommended maximum length for satin stitches in a column is 10mm, otherwise the stitches may be
loose and not lie flat. To create a column wider than this, either overlap satin columns, or use one of the
over 250 fill patterns to create smaller alternating stitches.
Create satin borders or lines where a line of satin stitches of constant width is desired.
Draw a line or place points to define a satin border or line. To produce straight lines, hold
down the Shift key while placing points.

Fill Areas
Fill area types include Pattern Fill, Motif Fill, Shape Fill, Radial Rill, Spiral Fill, QuiltStipple Fill,
Contour Fill, Crosshatch Fill and MultiWave Fill.
Pattern Fill areas contain small stitches placed using one of over 250 patterns, or single or
multigradient fills. Use at least three points to define the edge of a fill area, which can be
any shape and can also have holes defined inside it. The stitches can be at any angle and
the density can be constant or varied as desired.

Commands
Commands include Color Changes between different color blocks of your design, Stops
that tell the embroidery machine to stop without a color change, and Alignment Stitches
that are used to align the embroidery when stitching out.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Using mySewnet™ Font Digitizing 5

 Creating Fonts and SuperDesigns
This overview covers the following topics:
■ Making a New Font
■ Using the QuickFont Wizard as a Shortcut
■ Making a SuperDesign Set
See also the exercises in “Getting Started with mySewnet™ Font Digitizing” on page 54.

Making a New Font

You do not need to digitize every character in a font (see “Character Sets” on page 16 for
suggestions on characters to digitize). Follow these steps to make a new font.
■ Start a New Font
■ Select a Background Picture
■ Digitize the Letter A for Baseline and Continuous Fonts
or
Digitize the Letter A for Nearest Point Fonts
■ Digitize Other Characters
■ Standardize the Font (Optional)
■ Reopen a Partially Completed Font
■ Back Up the Font File

Start a New Font

1 Start mySewnet™ Font Digitizing and the Create or Edit
Font dialog box appears. See “Create or Edit Font” on
page 38.
Alternatively, you can start or open a font by opening a
New Window, or by clicking Create or Edit Font .
2 In the Font Information dialog box, enter a Name for
the font.
3 Ensure the File type is set to Font.
4 Click ’Create a new’. This will create a new font.
Alternatively, you can open an existing font that you
created, or open a copy of one of your fonts, or a system
font.
5 In the New Font section, give the font a name.
6 Select the desired Joining Point method.
Baseline fonts use trims between the characters in a
word.
Nearest Point fonts are designed to use running stitch
connection between small characters.
Continuous fonts join lowercase letters for a script effect.
7 Enter the desired Minimum and Maximum size for
characters in the font.
This will be the recommended size range used for the font
in mySewnet™ Embroidery.
8 Click OK. The Create or Edit Font dialog closes, and the letter ’A’ (ASCII character 065) of the new font
is selected in the Font page of the Design window. See “Creating and Editing Fonts” on page 36.
The letter A must be digitized first. A warning message will be displayed if you select any other character.

6 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Using mySewnet™ Font Digitizing

9 The default thread color can be seen in the FilmStrip on the left of
the work area. Right-click this color and select Properties.
10 Select the desired thread color for your font in the Color Selection
dialog box.
11 Click one of the Create ribbon bar tabs and select the desired Area
and Line type.
Click Options for the selected area or line type to set the pattern, angle,
density etc. The options set for the letter ’A’ will be the default settings
for all characters in the font.
12 Click Save to save your color change.

Select a Background Picture

There is a letter ’A’ in the background on the work area. This is the letter A from the first font on your
computer (often Arial). This background font can be changed.
13 To digitize over a background picture from a TrueType® or
OpenType® font character, click Font Background . The
Font Background dialog box opens. See “Font Background”
on page 45.
If there is a warning message about the letter ’A’, click OK to
continue.
14 Select the desired Font and Style.
You can use Horizontal and Vertical offset to adjust the position
of your letters relative to the red baseline, and use Scale to adjust
the size of the background pictures.
15 Click OK to close the Font Background dialog box. The A from
your selected font now forms the background picture.
The background font and its position are stored with the font, so when you reload the font the background
font is reloaded with the created letters.
16 You can digitize over an existing picture instead of a character in one of the fonts on your computer.
Click the View tab, then click Edit Background to open mySewnet™ Draw & Paint.
mySewnet™ Draw & Paint opens with a work area the size of your work area in mySewnet™ Font
Digitizing.
17 Use Insert or Open to load your picture.
To digitize over a small part of an existing picture: in mySewnet™ Draw & Paint select, crop and resize the
desired area of the picture, then return to mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.
18 To position the picture on the baseline, toggle between mySewnet™ Font Digitizing and mySewnet™
Draw & Paint. You will not be able to edit anything in mySewnet™ Font Digitizing, but you can
preview adjustments made to the picture in mySewnet™ Draw & Paint.
The left edge of the character should be at or close to the left edge of the grid.
When you are sizing the first picture for the letter A (ASCII character 065), leave enough space above the
top of the character to allow for accents above uppercase letters in the extended and super-extended
Character Sets.
19 Save your edited picture if you are ever likely to want to load to edit the character.
20 Close mySewnet™ Draw & Paint to return to mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Using mySewnet™ Font Digitizing 7

 Digitize the Letter A for Baseline and Continuous Fonts
21 Click Move Guidelines .
22 Click and drag a guideline from the top of the work area to move a
horizontal guideline to the top of the A to set the cap height.
23 Move vertical guidelines to each side of the A to set the character
width.
24 When you have placed your guidelines as desired, right-click or click
Move Guidelines again to deselect, then click Save .
25 Click the Create tab.
26 Digitize the letter A (ASCII character 065) using the stitch types on
Create page to the right of the work area.
27 Click an object to display its points and reshape the object as desired.
Right-click it to show its properties.
28 Click the Font tab, then click Save . This saves the character you are working on, and other changes
to the font.
If you try to select another character without saving a warning message will be displayed. The letter A
(ASCII character 065) must be digitized first because it is used to set the size of the font in mySewnet™
Embroidery. The size of all other characters is set relative to character 065.

Digitize the Letter A for Nearest Point Fonts

A nearest point font requires four versions of each character.
29 Digitize the A character (ASCII 065) using the stitch types on the Create tabs. The first version of the A
character (ASCII 065) must start at the bottom left and end on the bottom right.
30 Click Save to save the first version of the letter A.
A warning message will be displayed if you select any other character to work on before the first version of
the letter A (ASCII character 065) has been created.
31 In the Font page, click the second Nearest Point icon (Top Left to Top Right ). Notice that the
background picture stays in place.
32 Digitize each character version, ensuring that the start and end point are in the correct place.
Once you have digitized at least one version of the letter A (ASCII character 065), you can select other
characters to work with. However, it is recommended to digitize all versions of a character before selecting
the next character to digitize.
33 Click Save to save the changes you have made to the character.

Digitize Other Characters

34 Click on the next character to digitize (the letter B). A picture of the letter B will be placed in the
background.
35 Look at the letter A in the Font tab.
36 If you digitized all of the versions, the A in the Font tab will be a solid green. If only some of the
versions have been digitized, it will be half green, half white.
37 If required, load or paste a picture, then size and position it.
38 Digitize the character as desired, then save it. You will be warned if you select another function
without saving.
39 If you are working on a nearest point font, work through each character version, ensuring that the
start and end point are in the correct place. The currently selected Nearest Point icon shows the
expected start and end points.
40 Click Save in the Font tab to save the changes you have made to the character.
41 Repeat as desired.

8 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Using mySewnet™ Font Digitizing

 Standardize the Font (Optional)
42 Click Universal Properties to standardize
the use of object types within a font, to
change the object types used within a font,
and to select which properties will be
editable.
Universal Properties will make the properties of
all characters in the font the same as the
properties for the letter ’A’.
Use Universal Properties to correct any
properties inconsistencies when creating a font.
43 In Colors, select the colors to make consistent
across the font, then click the Colors
icon to change the selected color in the
Color Selection dialog box.
When you have changed a color, there will be
an asterisk (*) by Color in the Select Object
pane.
44 In ’Select Object’, select a line or fill type to be standardized, then click Properties to change the
properties for that stitch type.
45 Make the desired changes in the Properties dialog box, then click OK. The edited stitch type is now
marked with an asterisk (*), for example: Running Stitch *.
Do not use Universal Properties on a font where complex properties were used, for example if more than
one fill pattern or motif was used, or if fill areas of the same type are stitched at different angles. If you are
not sure how using Universal Properties will affect your font, edit a copy, not the original.
46 You can also change a stitch type for the whole font. Select the stitch type in the Select Object pane,
then choose a new stitch type from the Convert drop-down list.
47 Click Convert to change it to the new stitch type.
If you make a mistake, use Reset to return to your original settings.
48 Make any other desired changes to the colors and stitch types, then click Next. The Universal
Properties - Finalizing dialog box appears.
49 In ’Allow Editable’, select the line and fill types to be made editable in other mySewnet™ Embroidery
Software modules.
50 Click OK to standardize the font.
51 Click Save in the Font tab to save the changes you have made, then click Exit to close
mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.

Reopen a Partially Completed Font

52 Start mySewnet™ Font Digitizing and the Create or Edit Font dialog box appears.
53 In File, select Font.
54 Select ’Edit an existing’. The Category drop-down list becomes available.
55 In Category, select MyFonts, or the Category where you saved your font.
56 In the Name drop-down list, select the font that you want to continue working on.
To work on a copy of a font, select ’Copy and edit an existing’, and select the font from the drop-down list.
Give the copy a name.
System fonts must be copied to be tested or used.
57 Click OK to select the font.
58 Click on the character you would like to edit or digitize. The background font that you selected before
will be loaded with the font.
59 Click an object to display its points and reshape the object as desired. Right-click it to show its
properties.
60 Click Save in the Font tab to save the changes you have made to the character.
61 Continue to select and digitize characters as desired.
62 When you are ready to end your session, save the font.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Using mySewnet™ Font Digitizing 9

 63 To remove unused space in the font file, click Universal Properties , then click Next.
64 In the Universal Properties - Finalizing dialog box, select (check) Compress font. Then click Finish.
Fonts are compressed automatically whenever they reach a certain size, however it is good practice to
compress the font as a final step.
65 Click Exit to close mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.
You should close the font file when you wish to test your font in mySewnet™ Embroidery.

Back Up the Font File

An entire character set can take several days to digitize. It is recommended to make
regular backup copies of the font file.
If you are not sure what the effects of an edit will be, edit a copy of your font, not the original.
66 Browse to the folder ProgramData\mySewnet\Embroidery1\Fonts\MyFonts and select the fonts you
want to back up.
67 If desired, browse to a different folder where you wish to keep backup copies of the font. For instance,
you could create a folder in 'My Documents' called 'Font Backups' and use this for storing backup
copies. This will also prevent the backup copies from appearing in the font list in mySewnet™
Embroidery.
68 Paste the copies into the destination folder.
69 Change the name for the backup of your font. For instance, include the date and time in the name to
indicate when the backup was made.
You can delete unwanted fonts using the Font Manager in mySewnet™ Embroidery, or you could manually
remove them from this folder.

Using the QuickFont Wizard as a Shortcut

If you wish to base a new font on a TrueType® or OpenType® font, you can use the
QuickFont Wizard in mySewnet™ Embroidery to get you started.
1 Open mySewnet™ Embroidery and use the QuickFont Wizard to generate a font based on the desired
TrueType® or OpenType® font.
2 Start mySewnet™ Font Digitizing and in the Create or Edit Font dialog box, select ’Edit an existing’ and
browse to the folder in ProgramData\mySewnet\Embroidery1\Fonts that corresponds to the
category in which you made the font. For instance, if you created the font in the MyFonts category,
the font will be stored in the MyFonts folder.
3 Open the font you created.
4 Click on the character you would like to edit.
5 To digitize over a background picture from a TrueType® or OpenType® font character, click Font
Background , select the Font and Style, and make any desired adjustments to Scale and Horizontal
and Vertical Offset, then click OK.
6 To digitize over a picture, click the View tab, then click Edit Background to open mySewnet™ Draw
& Paint.
7 Use Insert in mySewnet™ Draw & Paint to load the picture, size and position it as required. If
desired save the picture, then close mySewnet™ Draw & Paint.
8 In mySewnet™ Font Digitizing create and save the character.
9 Edit the character as desired, then edit each subsequent character in turn.
10 Click an object to display its points and reshape the object as desired. Insert or delete objects, too.
Right-click it to show its properties.
11 As with creating new fonts, it is recommended to make regular backup copies of the font file.

10 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Using mySewnet™ Font Digitizing

 Making a SuperDesign Set
A SuperDesign set may have a maximum of 9 SuperDesigns. Follow these steps to make a
new SuperDesign set.
■ Start a New SuperDesign Set
■ Add a Background Picture
■ Digitize the First SuperDesign
■ Digitize Other SuperDesigns
■ Standardize the SuperDesign Set (Optional)
■ Reopen a Partially Completed SuperDesign Set
■ Back Up the SuperDesign File

Start a New SuperDesign Set

1 Start mySewnet™ Font Digitizing and the Create or Edit
Font dialog box appears.
2 In File, select SuperDesign Set. Notice that Open and
the New Font options are unavailable.
SuperDesigns are placed individually in mySewnet™
Embroidery, therefore joining point is irrelevant. All
SuperDesign sets are saved in one folder.
3 Enter a Name for the SuperDesign set.
4 Enter the desired Output Size Range.
5 Click OK and the work area appears ready for you to
digitize the first SuperDesign, as shown in the title bar.
6 Right-click the initial color in the FilmStrip, and select
Properties. Choose the desired thread color in the
Color Selection dialog box.
7 In the Create tab, select the desired Area and Line type
from the Control Panel.
8 Click Save in the Font tab to save the changes you
have made
Click Options for the selected area or line type to set the
pattern, angle, density etc. The options set for the first
SuperDesign in a set will be the default settings for all
other SuperDesigns in the set.

Add a Background Picture

9 To digitize over an existing picture, click the View tab, then click Edit Background to open
mySewnet™ Draw & Paint.
mySewnet™ Draw & Paint opens with a work area the size of your work area in mySewnet™ Font
Digitizing.
10 Use Insert or Open to load your picture.
To digitize over a small part of an existing picture: in mySewnet™ Draw & Paint select, crop and resize the
desired area of the picture, then return to mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.
11 Resize and position your picture as desired, then save your edited picture within mySewnet™ Draw &
Paint if you may need it again.
The modified picture will then be available in the correct position if you wish to edit the SuperDesign later,
as background pictures are not saved within the SuperDesign file.
12 Close mySewnet™ Draw & Paint to return to mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Using mySewnet™ Font Digitizing 11

 Digitize the First SuperDesign
13 Move the guidelines to the desired positions.
14 Digitize the SuperDesign using the stitch types on the Create page in
the Design window. You will be warned to save the SuperDesign if you
select a new function.
Unlike the fonts, you can digitize a SuperDesign set in any order. It is not
necessary to start with the first design, although this is advisable. The first
design is used to set the size of the SuperDesigns in mySewnet™
Embroidery. The size of all the SuperDesigns in the set is set relative to the
first design.
15 Click Save in the Font tab to save the changes you have made to the
SuperDesign.
16 After you have created the SuperDesign, use Save Picture to save
the thumbnail for the SuperDesign.
17 Ensure that Create / Update Thumbnails is selected while creating thumbnail pictures.
Use Open Picture to reload your thumbnail picture in mySewnet™ Font Digitizing. Reload your
background picture from mySewnet™ Draw & Paint.

Digitize Other SuperDesigns

18 In the Font page, choose the next SuperDesign to digitize.
19 If required, load or paste a picture in mySewnet™ Draw & Paint, then save the edited picture.
20 Digitize the SuperDesign as desired, then save it. You will be warned if you select another function
without saving.
21 Repeat as desired until the maximum of 9 SuperDesigns have been digitized.
22 Click Save in the Font tab to save the changes you have made to the SuperDesign.
Use Save Picture to save your thumbnail pictures.

Standardize the SuperDesign Set (Optional)

23 Click Universal Properties to standardize the use of object types, or to change the object types,
within a SuperDesign set, and select which properties will be editable.
Universal Properties will make the properties of all SuperDesigns in the set the same as the properties for
the first design in the set.
24 In Colors, edit a color to make the colors consistent across the SuperDesign set.
25 In ’Select Object’, choose the line and fill types to be standardized.
Use Universal Properties to correct any properties inconsistencies when creating the SuperDesign set.
Do not use Universal Properties on a SuperDesign set where complex properties were used, for example if
more than one fill pattern or motif was used, or if fill areas of the same type are stitched at different angles.
If you are not sure how using Universal Properties will affect your SuperDesign set, edit a copy, not the
original.
26 You can also change a stitch type for the whole SuperDesign set. Select the stitch type in the Select
Object pane, then choose a new stitch type from the Convert drop-down list.
27 Click Convert to change it to the new stitch type.
If you make a mistake, use Reset to return to your original settings.
28 Make any other desired changes to the colors and stitch types, then click Next. The Universal
Properties - Finalizing dialog box appears.
29 In ’Allow Editable’, select the line and fill types to be made editable in other mySewnet™ Embroidery
Software modules.
30 Click OK to standardize the SuperDesign set.
You can deselect Create / Update Thumbnails before finally saving to prevent inserted images from being
automatically replaced when the SuperDesign set is saved.

12 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Using mySewnet™ Font Digitizing

 Reopen a Partially Completed SuperDesign Set
31 Start mySewnet™ Font Digitizing and the Create or Edit Font dialog box appears.
32 In File, select SuperDesign.
33 Select ’Edit an existing’. The Category drop-down list becomes available.
34 In Category, select MyFonts, or the Category where you saved your SuperDesign set.
35 In the Name drop-down list, select the SuperDesign set that you want to continue working on.
To work on a copy of a SuperDesign set, select ’Copy and edit an existing’, and select the SuperDesign set
from the drop-down list. Give the copy a name.
System SuperDesign sets must be copied to be tested or used. SuperDesign sets that you create or
customize can only be used from the SuperDesigns folder.
36 Click OK to select the SuperDesign set.
37 Click the design that you want to edit.
38 To load an existing background picture, click the View tab, then click Edit Background to open
mySewnet™ Draw & Paint.
39 Browse to your saved background picture to load it, then close mySewnet™ Draw & Paint.
40 In the mySewnet™ Font Digitizing work area, click an object to display its points and reshape the
object as desired. Right-click it to show its properties.
41 Click Save in the Font tab to save the changes you have made to the SuperDesign.
42 Continue to select and digitize SuperDesigns as desired.
43 When you are ready to end your session, save the SuperDesign set.
44 To remove unused space in the SuperDesign file, click Universal Properties , then click Next.
45 In the Universal Properties - Finalizing dialog box, select (check) Compress font. Then click Finish.
SuperDesign sets are compressed automatically whenever they reach a certain size, however it is good
practice to compress the SuperDesign set as a final step.
46 Click Exit to close mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.
You must close the SuperDesign file if you wish to test your SuperDesign set in mySewnet™ Embroidery.

Back Up the SuperDesign File

A SuperDesign set can take some time to digitize. At the end of a long session of digitizing,
you should make a backup copy of the SuperDesign file.
If you are not sure what the effects of an edit will be, edit a copy of your SuperDesign set when you open it,
not the original.
47 Browse to the folder ProgramData\mySewnet\Embroidery1\SuperDesigns\MySuperDesigns and
select the SuperDesign sets you want to back up.
This is also where you can delete unwanted SuperDesign sets.
48 If desired, browse to a different folder where you wish to keep backup copies of the SuperDesign sets.
For instance, you could create a folder in 'My Documents' called 'SuperDesign Backups' and use this
for storing backup copies. This will also prevent the backup copies from appearing in the
SuperDesign list in mySewnet™ Embroidery.
49 Paste the copies into the destination folder.
50 Change the name for the backup of your SuperDesign set. For instance, include the date and time in
the name to indicate when the backup was made.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Using mySewnet™ Font Digitizing 13

 Designing Fonts 2
Joining Point
Baseline Fonts
This is the simplest font type. Stitches for these characters should start on the extreme left
of the character and end on the extreme right, while also trying to keep the start and end
points on or near the baseline. Space is added between the characters in mySewnet™
Embroidery. Choose Trim Connection when using baseline fonts in mySewnet™
Embroidery.

Nearest Point Fonts

Nearest point fonts use special logic in mySewnet™ Embroidery to determine the best way
to join characters together. Space is added between the characters in mySewnet™
Embroidery. Choose Running Stitch Connection between characters in mySewnet™
Embroidery to avoid the need for trimming with small characters. Each character has four
versions to give different start (on the left) and end (on the right) points as follows:

Bottom Left to Bottom Right Top Left to Top Right

Bottom Left to Top Right Top Left to Bottom Right

In mySewnet™ Embroidery, the correct character versions are automatically selected to

give the shortest joining distances between each character. Here, the two Ms are
connected in different ways (top left to bottom right and bottom left to top right):

14 mySewnet™ Digitizing Designing Fonts

Continuous Fonts
Continuous fonts are typically used to give a flowing handwriting effect for script. When
continuous fonts are used in mySewnet™ Embroidery, no space is added between the
lowercase letters. (The Gap setting is not used.) All other characters are connected the
same way as baseline fonts.
All the lowercase letters in a continuous font should start and end at the same height
above the baseline to ensure they connect correctly in mySewnet™ Embroidery.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Designing Fonts 15

 Character Sets
You do not need to digitize every character in a font. For instance, if you are designing a
Fun or Monogram font, you may prefer to digitize only the uppercase characters.
The available character sets are: Extended, Super Extended, Western 1, 2, 3 and 4, Cyrillic 1
and 2, and Hiragana 1. These correspond to the character sets that can be chosen in the
QuickFont Wizard of mySewnet™ Embroidery. The fonts that are provided with
mySewnet™ Embroidery use the Extended character set.
Different character sets are available, depending on the selected file type.

Font Format Character Set Default Set

mySewnet™ Embroidery Extended Extended
Font Super Extended
Cyrillic 1
Cyrillic 2
Hiragana 1
HUSQVARNA VIKING® Font Western 1 Western 1
Western 2
Western 3
Cyrillic 1
Hiragana 1
PFAFF® Font Western 4 Western 4
Cyrillic 2
Hiragana 1

The more characters in a font, the greater the amount of time needed to create that font. Nearest Point
fonts require four versions of each character. Therefore, such a font will take longer to create.
Select the desired set from the Character Set drop-down list on the Font page. See
“Creating and Editing Fonts” on page 36.

16 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Designing Fonts

Creating a Basic Character Set
To make a basic character set that is appropriate for general text, you need letters,
numbers and some punctuation. As a minimum, consider digitizing the following
characters:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n
o p q r s t u v w x y z
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 spc ! " @
$ £ % & * ( ) - + _ \ = / ?
' ; # , . :
Their positions and ASCII codes in the Font page are as follows:
spc ! " # $ % & ' ( ) * + , - . /
032 033 034 035 036 037 038 039 040 041 042 043 044 045 046 047
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 : ; = ?
048 049 050 051 052 053 054 055 056 057 058 059 061 063
@ A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O
064 065 066 067 068 069 070 071 072 073 074 075 076 077 078 079
P Q R S T U V W X Y Z \ _
080 081 082 083 084 085 086 087 088 089 090 092 095
a b c d e f g h I j k l m n o
097 098 099 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111
p q r s t u v w x y z
112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122

128

£
163

You can optionally leave out the lowercase letters to have an uppercase font. This is
usually indicated by having UC in the font name. Monograms are complex (often multi-
color) characters that are intended for stitching at large sizes. A basic uppercase character
set is often appropriate for monograms.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Designing Fonts 17

 Extended Character Set
The extended character set is a good choice if the font will be used for Western languages
other than English. The fonts that are provided with mySewnet™ Embroidery use the
Extended character set. In addition to the basic character set, the following characters
should be digitized to make a complete extended character set:
À Á Â Ã Ä Å Æ Ç È É Ê Ë Ì Í
Î Ï Ð Ñ Ò Ó Ô Õ Ö Ø Ù Ú Û Ü
Ý Þ ß
à á â ã ä å æ ç è é ê ë ì í
î ï ð ñ ò ó ô õ ö ø ù ú û ü
ý þ ÿ
The positions and ASCII codes of the extended character set in the Font page are as
follows:
spc ! " # $ % & ' ( ) * + , - . /
032 033 034 035 036 037 038 039 040 041 042 043 044 045 046 047
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 : ; = ?
048 049 050 051 052 053 054 055 056 057 058 059 061 063
@ A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O
064 065 066 067 068 069 070 071 072 073 074 075 076 077 078 079
P Q R S T U V W X Y Z \ _
080 081 082 083 084 085 086 087 088 089 090 092 095
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o
097 098 099 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111
p q r s t u v w x y z
112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122

128
£
163
À Á Â Ã Ä Å Æ Ç È É Ê Ë Ì Í Î Ï
192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207
Ð Ñ Ò Ó Ô Õ Ö Ø Ù Ú Û Ü Ý Þ ß
208 209 210 211 212 213 214 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223
à á â ã ä å æ ç è é ê ë ì í î ï
224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239
ð ñ ò ó ô õ ö ø ù ú û ü ý þ ÿ
240 241 242 243 244 245 246 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255

18 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Designing Fonts

Super-Extended Character Set
This provides all the characters in the extended character set, plus extra useful characters
and punctuation marks. In addition to the extended character set, the following
characters should be digitized to make a complete super-extended character set:
< > [ ] { | } ~ Š Œ Ž ‘ ’ “
” ˜ ™ š œ ž Ÿ ¡ ¢ ¥ © ®
The positions and ASCII codes of the super-extended character set in the Select Character
dialog box are as follows:
spc ! " # $ % & ' ( ) * + , - . /
032 033 034 035 036 037 038 039 040 041 042 043 044 045 046 047
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 : ; < = > ?
048 049 050 051 052 053 054 055 056 057 058 059 060 061 062 063
@ A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O
064 065 066 067 068 069 070 071 072 073 074 075 076 077 078 079
P Q R S T U V W X Y Z [ \ ] _
080 081 082 083 084 085 086 087 088 089 090 091 092 093 095
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o
097 098 099 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111
p q r s t u v w x y z { | } ~
112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126
Š Œ Ž
128 138 140 142
‘ ’ “ ” ˜ ™ š œ ž Ÿ
145 146 147 148 152 153 154 156 158 159
¡ ¢ £ ¥ © ®
161 162 163 165 169 174
À Á Â Ã Ä Å Æ Ç È É Ê Ë Ì Í Î Ï
192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207
Ð Ñ Ò Ó Ô Õ Ö Ø Ù Ú Û Ü Ý Þ ß
208 209 210 211 212 213 214 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223
à á â ã ä å æ ç è é ê ë ì í î ï
224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239
ð ñ ò ó ô õ ö ø ù ú û ü ý þ ÿ
240 241 242 243 244 245 246 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Designing Fonts 19

 Other Character Sets
The following character sets are also available.

Western 1
The following characters are in the Western 1 character set:
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUÜVWXYZÅÄÖ- <
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuüvwxyzåäö,.
1234567890ÆæØøàáçëèéêíóùúÑñß&?!’@

Western 2
The Western 2 character set contains fewer characters. Generally, it will convert to a font
more quickly than the other character sets. The following characters are in the Western 2
character set:
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUÜVWXYZÅÄÖ-.
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuüvwxyzåäö,.
1234567890ÆæØø?!-,.

Western 3
The following characters are in the Western 3 character set:
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUÜVWXYZÅÄÆÖ-
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuüvwxyzåäæö.
1234567890ØøàáçëèéêíóùúÑñß&?!’@,.

Western 4
The following characters are in the Western 4 character set:
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ.,-
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz.,-
ÅÄÖÜÆOEØÉÇÑ€$§ß&?!¿¡
åàáäâãèéëêìíïîòóöôõæoeøùúüûçñ@©
1234567890.,:;-+=%\/*°ˆ?~`´'"_

Cyrillic and Hiragana fonts

Cyrillic and Hiragana (Japanese) fonts are also available.
Creating Cyrillic and Hiragana fonts requires a TrueType font with the relevant set of Unicode characters.

Cyrillic 1
The following characters are in the Cyrillic 1 character set:

Cyrillic 2
The following characters are in the Cyrillic 2 character set:

20 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Designing Fonts

Hiragana 1
The following characters are in the Hiragana 1 character set:

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Designing Fonts 21

 Design Assistants
Picture
Use a picture in the background as a guide for digitizing a character. A picture should be
positioned so that the character sits on the baseline. The left edge of the character should
be at or close to the left edge of the grid. Enlarge the picture to increase the detail shown.

Use Font Background to choose any of the TrueType® and OpenType® fonts installed on your computer
as a background for creating a font. See “Font Background” on page 45.
When resizing the background picture, use guidelines to keep characters of similar height
and width in the font in proportion.
Allow space for accents above uppercase letters in the extended and super-extended Character Sets, even
if you are creating a basic character set initially.

Snap to Grid
Use Snap to Grid to force points to snap to positions according to the font grid spacing.
Snap to Grid may be used to position points perfectly so that the same design elements
on different characters line up correctly. For instance, if you have a satin border around all
your characters, you can ensure that the curve around the ‘O’ and ‘Q’ is identical.
Use Snap to Grid when editing point of an area.
Snap to Grid is enabled when highlighted. Click to deselect.
Grid snap can be restrictive when designing SuperDesigns or unusual characters.

22 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Designing Fonts

 Guidelines
The blue lines at the top and to the left of the grid are guidelines. There are six horizontal
and six vertical guidelines. They provide additional visual reference points.

Move Guidelines
Use Move Guidelines to move the guidelines and baseline. Click Move Guidelines and
the pointer changes to the double-arrow pointer . Click and drag the guideline to move
it to the desired position. The guidelines always snap to the dots of the Font Grid.

Shortcut
■ Font Page:

The guidelines are initially docked at the top and to the left of the grid. Place the
horizontal guidelines to give positions for the cap height, x height and descender depth.
You may also wish to use a horizontal guideline to show the height of your start and end
stitches, which is particularly useful for continuous fonts. Use the vertical guidelines to
mark the right edge of characters that are the same width (for instance, 'b', 'd', 'p').
The same guideline positions are used for the whole font or SuperDesign set. The same
height and width can therefore be used for each similar character. For instance, 'a' and 'u'
would normally be the same height and width, while 'm' and 'w' would be wider.

Baseline
Most of the characters in a font should sit on the baseline. It is a special red guideline
which is fixed in position when the font is created. Quotation marks and other special
characters sit above the baseline. When setting the baseline, allow enough space below it
for descenders. For instance, the tail on the 'y' character is a descender.
Use Move Guidelines to move the Baseline.
In mySewnet™ Embroidery, characters in a word or phrase are placed according to their
distance from the baseline. Therefore, use of the baseline should be consistent in a font.
For fonts with a baseline joining point, start every character on the baseline, or at the same
height above the baseline, at the extreme left. If required, use a navigation stitch to move
to the point where the character begins.
As SuperDesigns do not use a Baseline, altering the Baseline for a SuperDesign set will have no effect.

Navigation
Use Navigation to mark out the space needed for a Space character as a Navigation
object.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Designing Fonts 23

 Shortcut
■ Font Page:

Create a Space Character for your Font

1 In the Font panel, select the very first character in your font (the Space character).
2 Click Navigation .
The start point is automatically created at the leftmost side of the baseline.
3 Click somewhere along the baseline to place the far side of the Space character.
The Navigation object appears in the FilmStrip.
4 Right-click to deselect the Navigation tool.
You can now see the nodes for the Navigation object in the work area.
5 On the FilmStrip, ensure that the green start point for the Navigation object is on the left and the red
end point is on the right.
6 Adjust the nodes of the Navigation object to create a Space character of the desired width.
The optimum width of the Space character will vary with the font. However, setting the space character at
75% of the width of the capital A is a good start.

24 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Designing Fonts

 Design Considerations
Before you start digitizing a font or SuperDesign set, you should make some decisions
about the basic style and design. Advance planning is also helpful for the following:
■ Colors
■ Tie Offs
■ Underlay Stitches
■ Compensation
■ Overlaps and Underlay Bars
■ Traveling Stitches inside a Character or SuperDesign
■ Separating Columns
■ Mitered Corners
■ Large Lettering
■ Serifs

Colors
Consistency
It is possible for each character to have a different color. However, the same colors should
be used throughout a font if it is intended to have a uniform appearance. For instance,
change the first thread color in the Letter A to the desired color, and select the desired
area and line types. These settings will be used for all other letters in the font.
Font colors can be standardized in the Universal Properties wizard. See “Universal Properties” on
page 47.

Tie Offs
Automatic tie offs are generated when creating stitch objects, unless Tie Off Before and
After Trims has been deselected in Creating Stitches Preferences in mySewnet™
Digitizing. To create additional tie offs, place your own with two to four single stitches.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Designing Fonts 25

 Underlay Stitches
Underlay, or packing, is used below pattern fills and satin areas, columns and borders to
stabilize fabric.
Areas, columns and borders in a font or SuperDesign set can have underlay automatically
generated. Select the required underlay type for the stitch type when creating the letter A
for a font. This will ensure the best result if different pattern properties are chosen in
mySewnet™ Embroidery. For instance, if the fill angle is changed, the automatic underlay
angle will also change appropriately.
For satin areas, select Zigzag or Edge Walk underlay in Satin Area properties. Generally, if
satin is wider than 2mm then you should use some underlay. Satin underlay can be a
running line just inside the satin shape (edge walk or tramline), a widely spaced zigzag of
single stitches across the satin shape, or a combination of the two.

Edge Walk Zigzag Edge Walk plus

Zigzag

Compensation
Compensation is a property of satin columns and fill areas that make the stitches at the
edges of the area slightly longer to overcome the effects of pulling.
To add compensation to a satin column, click the satin column so that its points appear
and right-click to see its properties. Enter the desired compensation value from 0 to 30
and click OK.
To add compensation to a fill area, click the fill area so that its points appear and right-click
to see its properties. Click the Options tab. Enter the desired compensation value from 0 to
10 and click OK.

26 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Designing Fonts

Overlaps and Underlay Bars
Overlaps
Use overlaps to prevent pulling from creating gaps between blocks of stitches that have
different stitch directions. Make a satin column or fill area slightly larger so that it lies over
or under an adjacent block.

There are no overlaps so the end sections on the G will pull

and leave gaps, as indicated by the arrows.

Extending the arms of the G makes an overlap

Underlay Bars
Underlay bars provide additional stitching to prevent a split at an overlap. Underlay bars
are useful for stitching characters or SuperDesigns at large sizes or when wide sections of
satin or fill are overlapped. They can also help on stretchy fabrics, such as wool knits.
Underlay bars are usually digitized as a small satin column placed where overlapping satin
columns meet. An underlay bar is stitched before either of the overlapping columns. The
Straight Column used for an underlay bar should have a stitch angle similar to the top
stitches on the overlap.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Designing Fonts 27

 On the left of the picture, column A is overlapping column B. If they were simply stitched
out like this, a split is likely to appear along the line where they meet because of the pull
caused by the stitches in column A. An underlay bar is shown on the right. Even if column
A pulls the fabric to make a split, the split will not be seen because the stitches in the
underlay bar will show through.

Traveling Stitches inside a Character or SuperDesign

Good digitizing minimizes the need for movement stitches within a design, and uses
single or running stitches under areas whenever possible. This is particularly important in
font design. You should aim to start on the left of a character and end on the right,
stitching so that any movement between sections is covered once the character is
completely stitched.
Also, consider where sections start and end. For instance, when you digitize a fill area, the
start and end point are the same. Move to the point where you want to start the next
object and digitize the fill area from there. Hide the traveling stitches by moving only
through areas that have not yet been digitized.
For some fonts, the traveling stitches may be used as part of the design of the characters.
For instance, if you have a decorative font with leafy details, the running stitch lines that
go to the leaves could be curved.

Separating Columns
Satin columns that follow each other may share a common end/start point. However, this
can make editing difficult at a later stage if you want to adjust one column without
changing its neighbors. You may prefer to have a short loop of Running Stitch or even a
couple of Single Stitches between adjacent columns.

No stitches between columns A short loop of running stitch separates

the columns

The second column is moved

without changing the first

28 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Designing Fonts

 Mitered Corners
A mitered corner using satin columns allows the stitches to flow smoothly around the
corner, instead of simply having a block of stitches in one direction and then the next
block of stitches in a different direction. Whether or not to use mitered corners is a style
choice for each font. Recommended output size is also a factor, as mitered corners are
often more desirable for large lettering.
No miter. Two separate columns are
placed next to each other with stitches
at right angles (an overlap would be
recommended).

Basic miter. Place the points with the

Shift key held down so that the stitches
flow around the corner.

Advanced miter. The stitches only start

to change angle near the corner. Acute
angles (less than 90°), such as those
found on italic characters, benefit from
advanced miters.

Large Lettering
Satin
The recommended maximum length for satin stitches in a column is 10mm, otherwise the
stitches may be loose and not lie flat. When satin is used for very large lettering, some
columns could exceed this width. Techniques to overcome this include:
■ Overlapping satin columns
Use parallel satin columns that overlap each other to make up the full width of the desired
column.
■ Use a satin pattern
Apply a pattern to the columns. This makes the stitch length short, preventing long
stitches across the span of the column. If you have used more than one pattern, do not use
Universal Properties, as the differing texture will be lost.
■ Use a fill area with Pattern 36
Fill Pattern 36 is a satin effect pattern that can be used to cover large areas. If you have
controlled the angle of the stitching on individual areas and used other fill patterns in your
font, do not use Universal Properties.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Designing Fonts 29

 Appliqué
Appliqué is an effective technique for large lettering. Use the Appliqué options in the Fill
Area and Line options with a border line but no fill, or a lightly stitched specialty fill, and
create your appliqué letters with the QuickCreate, Freehand Create, or Point Create
functions.
The letters are created to stitch out as follows:
1 A Running Stitch line shows the outline of the SuperDesign or character.
2 At the end of the outline a Stop command is inserted so the appliqué fabric can be placed over
the outline.
3 Another Running Stitch line is used to sew down the fabric that has been positioned over the
outline.
4 Another Stop command enables the appliqué fabric to be trimmed.
5 A Satin Line or other border is used to stitch down the edge of the fabric.

Outline the character with Sew down the fabric with Stitch down the edge of the
running stitch running stitch fabric with Satin Line
Alternatively, use the QuickFont Wizard in mySewnet™ Embroidery to create appliqué characters from a
TrueType® or OpenType® font. Then use mySewnet™ Font Digitizing to make adjustments and add other
design elements as desired.

Fill With a Border

A Pattern Fill area with a Satin Line border is an effective technique for large lettering. The
large lettering allows a number of repeats of the chosen fill pattern to show, while the
border adds a neat outline to each character.

Serifs
If you are digitizing a font with serifs, consider how you will digitize the serifs themselves
so that all the characters in the font look consistent.

30 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Designing Fonts

 Fill Fonts
If you are digitizing a font as a series of fill areas, serifs can simply be included as part of the
fill area shape. You may need to place more points around the serifs so that the shape is
reproduced accurately. To produce straight lines, hold down the Shift key while placing
points.

Satin Fonts
Techniques for digitizing the serifs in satin fonts include:
■ If the serif is very narrow (hair serif), simply use Double Stitch.
■ If the font is small, digitize the serif as part of the satin column at
the end of the letter arm.
■ If the font is large, digitize the serifs separately so that the satin
columns do not exceed a width of 10mm.
■ For a font of any size, you may prefer to digitize the entire end of
the arm, including the serifs, so that the stitches are at a right
angle to the letter arm. This works well for slab serifs.
In all cases, plan the object sequence so that your end points for each satin column are in
the desired position. For complex serifs, use traveling stitches and overlaps to achieve the
best result.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Designing Fonts 31

 Special Techniques and Effects
Drop Shadow with Two Colors
A drop shadow or three-dimensional effect uses a second copy of a character behind
itself. The example shown here is from the Brush Block 2C UC 20-30 font included with
mySewnet™ Embroidery.

To create a drop-shadow effect, digitize the shadow first, then the main character on top.
The distance that the shadow is offset should be consistent for each character.
Only digitize the parts of the shadow that will show, plus enough overlap to make sure the
shadow does not separate from its character.
Alternatively, create a drop-shadow effect using mySewnet™ Embroidery. For a large offset where the
shadow is close to separating from the top text, it is possible to place two copies of the same text in
mySewnet™ Embroidery, as shown here.

Techniques to emphasize the drop shadow include use of color, fill angle and running
stitch outlines.

Color
A light color at the front and a dark color at the back will give the strongest effect.

Fill Angle
If the characters are digitized with fill areas, use the stitch angles to exaggerate the effect.
For instance, put horizontal or vertical stitches at the front of the character, and then apply
an angle to the stitches at the back. Do not use Universal Properties on the font, so as to
allow control over the fill angles.

Outline with Running Stitch

After placing satin or fill areas, use running stitch to outline the shapes to enhance the 3D
appearance. Alternatively, create the characters entirely as outlines using running, double
or triple stitch.

32 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Designing Fonts

 Character Samples
There are two samples shown here, which illustrate some of the principles of digitizing
fonts.

Block Letter G
This example of a block letter G uses edge walk and zigzag underlay, overlaps and serifs.
1 This is the shape of the G, as it might appear in a background picture.
2 First, stabilize the fabric using an edge walk underlay of Running Stitch inside the character
shape.
Alternatively, you can place both types of underlay automatically, by selecting them in Satin Column
Options.
3 The character is to be stitched at a large size, so add zigzag Running Stitch inside the edge walk
line.

Picture of the G Stabilize the fabric with Use zigzag running stitch
edge walk underlay within the underlay
4 The shape of the character is then built up. It will be stitched out so that it is not wider than 10 or
12mm at any point, so use blocks of Continuous Satin . Notice how the columns are arranged at
the serifs without needing movement stitches between objects. Traveling stitches are not shown.
5 In the final result, the satin columns fully cover the underlay stitches. They are shown here in different
colors so you can see how they work together, but underlay stitches should actually be the same or a
similar color to the stitches on top so they do not show. The satin columns would normally be denser
than this to hide the underlay stitches completely.

Build up the G with satin blocks Satin columns cover the underlay
stitches
Underlay Bars could also be used where the satin columns overlap at different angles. For clarity, this has
not been shown.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Designing Fonts 33

 Script Letter B
This example of a letter B in a script style uses a number of satin columns. (The columns
are shown after placing underlay. A large shape with narrow columns such as this would
need edge walk, and perhaps some light zigzag underlay.)
1 Place a column of Continuous Satin to create the vertical stroke of the B. Finish the sequence just
inside the top loop. Place a short sequence of single stitches to move to where the next column will
start.
2 Place another short column of Continuous Satin for the top of the vertical stroke and then traveling
stitches to the top of the curl.
3 Place a column of Continuous Satin, then use a Single Stitch to travel across.

Create the vertical stroke of Create the top stroke and Create a column and travel
the B move to the curl
4 Place a column of Continuous Satin until half way down the top loop of the B. This will cover the ends
of the other columns. Place traveling stitches to the end of the lower loop.
5 Place a column of Continuous Satin back to the beginning of the lower loop, and place a short
traveling stitch across the gap.
6 Place a final column of Continuous Satin and end at the point shown by the arrow.

Create the top curl and Create the lower loop and Finish the letter
move to the lower loop travel across the gap

34 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Designing Fonts

7 The final stitchout will be like this, with the overlapping columns
hiding each other and the traveling stitches.
Underlay Bars could also be used where the satin columns overlap at
different angles. For clarity, this has not been shown.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Designing Fonts 35

 Creating and Editing Fonts 3
Open or save the font or SuperDesign set
Set the recommended size
Change the font or SuperDesign properties
Copy multiple characters, e.g. upper to lower case
Insert extra points on straight or curved lines
Use a Windows system font as a background for each character
Adjust the Font Grid & Guidelines, and place Navigation objects
Update the thumbnails when the font or set is saved
Select a Character Set
View other pages of characters within the font

Select a character to edit (digitized characters are green)

Open or save a thumbnail picture for the selected SuperDesign

Select the Nearest Point position for the current character
Adjust the size for previewing the font or SuperDesign set

Create or open fonts in the Create or Edit Font dialog box. Then select and edit characters
in the Font page of the Design window. See “Create or Edit Font” on page 38.
To use a system font or SuperDesign set, or any other valuable font or set, in mySewnet™
Font Digitizing, select ’Copy and edit an existing’ to open a copy for editing. (Only a few
system fonts and SuperDesigns are available.)
Some icons such as New, Open, Save As and Hoop are not available on the Main toolbar or File menu in the
Design window. Use the equivalent font digitizing functions in the Font page of the Control Panel.
Hoops are not available in mySewnet™ Font Digitizing. Set the minimum and maximum
size for your characters and SuperDesigns when creating the font or SuperDesign set in
the Create or Edit Font dialog, or change the maximum and minimum size using Size
Options . See “Create or Edit Font” on page 38 and “Size Options” on page 50.

New Window
Use File, New Window in the Design window to open an additional mySewnet™ Font
Digitizing window so that you can create or open a font or SuperDesign set. The Create or
Edit Font dialog box opens for you to create or select a font. See “Create or Edit Font” on
page 38.
To move between open mySewnet™ Font Digitizing windows, hover over the mySewnet™ Font Digitizing
icon on the taskbar, and select the desired window.

36 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Creating and Editing Fonts

 Shortcut
Keys: Alt, F, I

Create or Edit Font

Use Create or Edit Font to create a new font or SuperDesign set, or to open an existing
font or SuperDesign set.
You will be asked if you wish to save changes to the currently open font or SuperDesign set.

Click Create or Edit Font and the Create or Edit Font dialog box appears. See “Create or
Edit Font” on page 38.

Shortcut
■ Font Page:
The Create or Edit Font dialog box also appears when mySewnet™ Font Digitizing is opened, and when
New Window is selected.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Creating and Editing Fonts 37

 Create or Edit Font
Use the Create or Edit Font dialog to Create a new font or SuperDesign set, or to open an
existing font or SuperDesign set.

Create a new font or set

Use a font file
Open a font or set
Use a SuperDesign set
Copy and open a font or set
Select a Category and
name to open

Name the font and set

its size and type

Name the SuperDesign set

and set its recommended
size

The Create or Edit Font dialog appears when Create or Edit Font is selected, when mySewnet™ Font
Digitizing is opened, or when New Window is selected.
Set the options as desired then click OK. An existing font or SuperDesign set is opened, or
a new blank font or SuperDesign file is created and opened.

File
Font
Select this option to create or open a font, then set all the other options.

SuperDesign Set
Select this option to create or open a SuperDesign set for use in mySewnet™ Embroidery.
Notice that Joining Point is unavailable.
SuperDesigns are placed individually in mySewnet™ Embroidery, therefore joining point is irrelevant.

Create or Edit
Choose whether to open an existing font or SuperDesign set, open a copy, or create a new
font or SuperDesign set.
Choose from:
■ Create a new
■ Edit an existing
■ Copy and edit an existing
Use ’Copy and edit an existing’ to edit a copy of a system font (if available), or to create a copy of one of
your own fonts for editing.

38 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Creating and Editing Fonts

Open
Use Open to select an existing font or SuperDesign set. Select the Category and Name for
the desired font or SuperDesign set.
When using a system font or SuperDesign set (if available), select the option ’Copy and edit an existing’,
then open the a copy of the font or SuperDesign set.

New Font
All new fonts are automatically created in the MyFonts category. You can move them to another category
after creation.

Name
Enter the desired name for the font.

Joining Point
Use the joining point options to choose how the characters in your font will be joined
together.

Baseline
This is the simplest font type. Space is added between the characters in mySewnet™
Embroidery. Choose Trim Connection in mySewnet™ Embroidery to trim the thread
between the characters in lettering. See “Baseline Fonts” on page 14.

Nearest Point
Nearest point fonts use special logic in mySewnet™ Embroidery to determine the best way
to join characters together. Space is added between the characters in mySewnet™
Embroidery. Choose Running Stitch Connection between characters in mySewnet™
Embroidery to avoid the need for trimming with small characters. Each character has four
versions to give different start (on the left) and end (on the right) points. See “Nearest
Point Fonts” on page 14.

Continuous
Continuous fonts are typically used to give a flowing handwriting effect for script. When
continuous fonts are used in mySewnet™ Embroidery, no space is added between the
lowercase letters. (The Gap setting is not used.) All other characters are connected the
same way as baseline fonts. See “Continuous Fonts” on page 15.

Size
Set the recommended minimum and maximum font sizes between 3mm and 200mm. The
size range is used in mySewnet™ Embroidery.
The initial settings for fonts are minimum 12mm and maximum 25mm.

New SuperDesign
All new SuperDesign sets are automatically created in the MySuperDesigns Category. You
can move them to another Category after creation.

Name
Enter the desired name for the font or SuperDesign file.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Creating and Editing Fonts 39

 Size
Set the recommended minimum and maximum SuperDesign sizes between 5mm and
200mm. The size range is used in mySewnet™ Embroidery.
The initial settings for SuperDesigns are minimum 40mm and maximum 60mm.
A very wide range may not give good results, check your designs.

Export As EDO
Use Export as EDO to export the currently selected character or SuperDesign as a
design outline (.edo) file with a new name. It may then be loaded into mySewnet™
Digitizing or inserted into another font or SuperDesign set. The Save As dialog box
appears.

Browse to the folder where you want to save the file, enter a file name and click Save. The
file with the new name is created.
The Design Size in the exported .edo file is set to the Maximum output size that you chose when creating
the font.

Shortcut
■ Font Page:

Save
Use Save to save any changes to the currently selected font or SuperDesign set.
This saves changes to the whole font or SuperDesign set. To save an individual character or SuperDesign
use Export as EDO or Export Embroidery . To edit a copy of the font or SuperDesign set, use Create
or Edit Font to copy the font or SuperDesign set and then edit it. See “Export As EDO” on page 40,
“Export” on page 167 and “Create or Edit Font” on page 38.

40 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Creating and Editing Fonts

 Shortcuts
■ Font Page:
■ Keys: Ctrl + S

Exit
Close the current font or SuperDesign file and exit the current window.

Shortcuts
■ Control Icons:
■ Keys: Alt + F4

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Creating and Editing Fonts 41

 Editing Characters
These features relate to whole characters or SuperDesigns.

Character Set
Select the desired character set from the drop-down list. The available character sets are:
Extended, Super Extended, Western 1, 2, 3 and 4, Cyrillic 1 and 2, Hiragana 1 and Special
Characters.
The selected character in the chosen font and style will be used as the background picture
for digitizing. The picture can be moved and sized as desired.
See “Character Sets” on page 16.

Character
This shows the ASCII code of the currently selected character.

Selecting Characters and SuperDesigns for Editing

Click to select a character from the Font Table, or a SuperDesign from the SuperDesign
Table.

Use Next Page and Previous Page to view other pages of characters in a font.

Table of Font Characters

See “SuperDesign Table” on page 43 for SuperDesign sets.
The table of font characters shows all the characters that can be
created for a font for mySewnet™ Embroidery.
The table of font characters only appears if Font was selected in Create or
Edit Font. See “Create or Edit Font” on page 37.
Click a character to select it and work on it.
A warning message may appear telling you to save your work.
■ Characters highlighted in green have been digitized.
■ The selected character is highlighted in orange.
■ Nearest Point characters where some, but not all variations have been digitized are
highlighted in green and white. See “Nearest Point” on page 43.
The letter A (ASCII character 065) must be digitized first, as it is used to set the relative size of all the other
characters when they are used in mySewnet™ Embroidery.
Click Next Page and Previous Page to view all characters in the font.
Use the Character Set drop-down to select a different set of characters.
Use Font Background to choose a different font as a background for designing. See
“Font Background” on page 45.

42 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Creating and Editing Fonts

 SuperDesign Table
The Select SuperDesign table shows a grid of 9 squares for selecting a SuperDesign to
digitize or edit.

SuperDesigns are numbered from 1 to 9 in the SuperDesign table and in the SuperDesign gallery in
mySewnet™ Embroidery.
System SuperDesigns may have more than one set of nine, or a different style, but you can only edit the first
nine. SuperDesign sets you create may have a maximum of nine SuperDesigns.
Click a SuperDesign to select it.
Undigitized SuperDesigns are blank. Digitized SuperDesigns show a thumbnail of the
digitized shape on a green background.
To add or edit a SuperDesign, click the desired SuperDesign.

Nearest Point
The Nearest Point feature is only available if you are working on a Nearest Point font.
Nearest point fonts require four versions for each character. The Nearest Point icon shows
which character version you are working on. Click another Nearest Point icon to select a
different version.
The Nearest Point icons are unavailable if you are not working on a nearest point font.

Identifying Start and End Points

You can easily see the start and end points of each character by looking for the Color
Change at the start and the red end point of the last object on the FilmStrip. This is
especially useful when checking through a nearest point font to make sure that the start
and end points are in the right place for each character definition.
For hints on designing Nearest Point fonts, see “Nearest Point Fonts” on page 14.

Shortcuts
■ Font Page: , , ,
Keys: Ctrl + Shift + 1;
Ctrl + Shift + 2;

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Creating and Editing Fonts 43

 Ctrl + Shift + 3;
Ctrl + Shift + 4

Thumbnail
Thumbnails for SuperDesigns are generated automatically if ’Create / Update Thumbnails’
is selected. You can use a different thumbnail by deselecting this option and loading your
own picture as a thumbnail.
The thumbnail options are only available when editing SuperDesigns.

Create / Update Thumbnails

Select Create / Update Thumbnails to generate thumbnails automatically from
SuperDesigns.

Open Picture
Use Open Picture to open an image file to use as a thumbnail for the current
SuperDesign.
The image must be 60x60 pixels saved as a Portable Network Graphics (PNG) file with 32
bits per pixel using 8 bit alpha channel.
Create / Update Thumbnails must be deselected to prevent the image from being automatically replaced
when the SuperDesign set is saved.

Shortcut
■ Font Page:

Save Picture
Use Save Picture to save an image file used as the thumbnail for the current
SuperDesign.
You can create folders for storing your pictures. For instance, if you are working on several sets of
SuperDesigns, you could create subfolders in the My Pictures folder to keep the pictures separate for each
SuperDesign set.

Shortcut
■ Font Page:

Preview Size
Use the slider to set the font display size. Drag the slider to
set the size from the smallest recommended size for the
font or SuperDesign set, to the largest recommended size.
The Size corresponds to the height of the character A, or
first SuperDesign in a set.
Use Preview Size to preview characters or designs at the full range of recommended sizes.
When you use Export as EDO or Export Embroidery for a character or SuperDesign the height is set to the
Preview Size minimum.

44 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Creating and Editing Fonts

Font Background
Use Font Background to choose any of the
TrueType® and OpenType® fonts installed on your
computer as a background for creating a font.
The selected character in the chosen font and
style will be used as the background picture for
digitizing. The picture can be moved and sized as
desired.
Select a font, and its scale and horizontal and
vertical offset. Click OK to select the font as a
background.

Font
Click the drop-down arrow at the end of the Font box to choose from any of the TrueType®
and OpenType® fonts installed on your computer. The characters are displayed in the
selected font.

Style
Choose from Regular, Bold, Italic and Bold Italic. The characters are displayed in the
chosen style if it is available for the chosen font.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Creating and Editing Fonts 45

 Scale %
Scale allows a consistent size to be used for the background picture for every character in
the font.

Horizontal Offset
The Horizontal Offset moves the background picture of the character along the Baseline.

Vertical Offset
The Vertical Offset adjusts the vertical position of the background picture relative to the
Baseline.

Undo and Redo

There are unlimited levels of undo and redo available when you are digitizing and editing
characters and SuperDesigns. The undo and redo steps are reset when you select a
different character or SuperDesign for digitizing.

Undo
Use Undo to reverse the last action. Unlimited Undos are possible. Every time you click
on Undo, the previous action is reversed. If you are not satisfied with the result of the
Undo, click Redo.
Undo can remove a whole group of objects, for example a number of fill areas created at
one time. To remove the last created area, click Delete Object. To remove an area that was
not the last created, select it then click Delete Object.
The zoom commands cannot be reversed using Undo.

Shortcuts
■ Edit Toolbar:
■ Keys: Ctrl + Z; Alt, E, U

Redo
Use Redo to reverse the last action that was undone by Undo. If you are not satisfied
with the result of the Redo, click Undo.

Shortcuts
■ Edit Toolbar:
■ Keys: Ctrl + Y; Alt, E, E

46 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Creating and Editing Fonts

 Editing Fonts
When editing a font or SuperDesign set in mySewnet™ Font Digitizing, you can either edit
the original, or make a copy of it before editing.
Open a font or SuperDesign set for editing in the Create or Edit Font dialog. See “Create or
Edit Font” on page 38.
System fonts and SuperDesign sets should not be edited, but the Create or Edit Font
dialog will make a copy for editing.
Only a limited range of fonts and SuperDesign sets are available for editing.
It is assumed that you are already familiar with stitch types from using mySewnet™
Digitizing.

Setting Properties for all Characters in a Font

To edit a character in a font or a SuperDesign, right-click to access a dialog box to alter an
object’s properties, such as pattern or stitch length.
To set the properties for all characters in a font, set the Options in the Create page for the
letter ’A’ (or for the first design in a SuperDesign set), these will then be the default
properties for all other characters in the font, or designs in the set. Use Universal
Properties to make existing characters in a font use the same stitch properties (e.g.
angle) as the letter ’A’, or all SuperDesigns in a set use the same properties as the first
SuperDesign. You can also change the stitch type used throughout a font or SuperDesign
set with Universal Properties.
See “Universal Properties” on page 47.
This is only useful for fonts and SuperDesigns with a single setting for a particular object, for example
Universal Properties will impose the same fill pattern on all pattern fills within a font.

Show Font Grid

Use Show Font Grid to show or hide the dotted grid for designing characters.

Shortcut
■ Font Page:

Universal Properties
Use Universal Properties to edit or convert object types or thread colors across the
entire font or SuperDesign set, and to set the object properties that will be available for
editing in other mySewnet™ Embroidery Software modules.
Click Universal Properties , and the Universal Properties wizard opens at the Edit and
Convert page. See “Universal Properties — Edit and Convert” on page 48.
You cannot use Undo to reverse changes made by Universal Properties. If you are not sure how using
Universal Properties will affect your font, change a copy, not the original.

Shortcut
■ Font Page:

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Creating and Editing Fonts 47

 Universal Properties — Edit and Convert
Use Universal Properties — Edit and Convert to standardize the use of object types within
a font or SuperDesign set.
You cannot use Undo to reverse changes made by Universal Properties.
A single value will be used for all, taken from the value used in the letter A for a font, or the
first SuperDesign in a set.
Do not use Universal Properties to change the Stitch Types on a font or SuperDesign set where complex
properties were used, for example if more than one fill pattern or motif was used, or if fill areas of the same
type are stitched at different angles. If you are not sure how using Universal Properties will affect your font,
change a copy, not the original.

Select Object
Select the object type to be edited or converted.

Edit
Edit the properties for the selected object type. Click the Properties button and the Area
Properties dialog for that object type opens. For example, if you select Running Stitch, the
properties for running stitch will open. See “Fill Area and Line Properties” on page 83.
Make any desired edits, then click OK to save the changes. The stitch type that you edited
will now be marked with an asterisk, e.g. Running Stitch *.

Convert
Use Convert to change all objects of a particular stitch type in a font or SuperDesign set to
another stitch type. For example, change a Pattern Fill to another object type, e.g. a Motif
Fill.
Select the object type that you want to change in the Select Object pane, then choose the
object type that you want to convert to from the drop-down list. Click the Convert button
to make the change.
The original and destination object type are shown in the dialog, for example:

48 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Creating and Editing Fonts

Pattern Fill > Motif Fill
You can Convert any fill to any other fill, or to a Satin Area. You can also Convert any column type to any
other column type (for example, Satin Column to Feathered Satin). For Line types, you can only Convert
between Running Stitch, Satin Line, Triple Stitch and Motif Line.

Colors
To change the colors of the font or SuperDesign set, select a color block and then click
Colors to open the Color Selection dialog. Change the color and click OK to save your
changes.
If you change a color in Universal Properties, all of the characters in that font, or SuperDesigns in the set,
will then use the same colors as ’A’, or the first SuperDesign. The colors in a set will remain unchanged if no
color edits are made.

Reset
Click Reset to return to the original settings for the font or SuperDesign set.

Next
Click Next to select which object types to make editable in your font or SuperDesign set.

Universal Properties — Finalizing

Use Universal Properties — Finalizing to define the objects that can be edited in other
mySewnet™ Embroidery Software modules.

Compress Font
Select Compress Font to remove unused space in the font or SuperDesign file so it is
smaller on the hard disk.
Fonts are compressed automatically whenever they reach a certain size during creation. Use Compress
Font to optimize a final version.

Allow editable
Select the object types that can be edited in other modules.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Creating and Editing Fonts 49

 You can make all fill types, line types and column types editable. As single stitches, alignment stitches and
Stop commands affect the embroidery structure rather than the visible design, you may decide not to
make them editable.

Finish
Click Finish to confirm your changes to the font or SuperDesign set.

Size Options
Use Size Options to open the Size Options dialog box.
Use the Size Options dialog box to set the recommended minimum and maximum size for
the font or SuperDesign set. Although system SuperDesigns may have different default
sizes, the default initial size for a SuperDesign set you create will always be the
recommended minimum.
Hoops are not available in mySewnet™ Font Digitizing. Set the minimum and maximum size for your
characters and SuperDesigns when creating the font or SuperDesign set in the Create or Edit Font dialog,
or change the maximum and minimum size using Size Options .

Minimum Size
Set the minimum size for the letters in the font, or the designs in a SuperDesign set.

Maximum Size
Set the maximum size for the letters in the font, or the designs in a SuperDesign set.

Shortcut
■ Font Page:

Multiple Character Copy

Use Multiple Character Copy to duplicate a range of characters within your font. Use
this when creating a font that is upper or lower case only, or to add characters with
accents to the font.
Using Multiple Character Copy saves creating the lower case versions of each character in an upper case
only font separately, so that when the lower case keys are used on the keyboard, an uppercase character
will be placed.
Select an option from the drop-down menu:
■ Copy Upper to Lower Case
■ Copy Lower to Upper Case
■ Copy Diacritic by Character

50 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Creating and Editing Fonts

■ Copy Diacritic by Shape

Copy Upper to Lower Case

Copies all upper case characters to their lower case equivalents, including all diacritic
characters (characters with accents).

Copy Lower to Upper Case

Copies all lower case characters to their upper case equivalents, including all diacritic
characters (characters with accents).

Copy Diacritic by Character

Copy all Latin characters to their equivalent diacritic (accented) characters, and some
similar characters based on shape alone.
For example, A is copied to À, Á, Â, Ã, Ä and Å, and lower case a is copied to à, á, â, ã, ä and å.

Copy Diacritic by Shape

Copies the diacritic characters for the upper case ’A’ to others with similar diacritic shapes,
both lower and upper case.
For example, À is copied to È, Ì, Ò, Ù, à, è, ì, ò and ù.

Shortcut
■ Font Page:

Insert Points on Straight Lines

Use Insert Points on Straight Lines to add points to straight lines with few points on
them. Round (curve) points are inserted along the selected line between widely spaced
square (straight) points.
If there are insufficient points along the lines defining a character, kerning may be affected. Also, if a
curved Line Type is used in the Letter tab of mySewnet™ Embroidery, letters with insufficient points may
become distorted when reshaped.
With a character open, select the line to add points to, then click Insert Points on Straight
Lines . Round points will be added between widely spaced square points.

Shortcut
■ Font Page:

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Creating and Editing Fonts 51

 Pictures for Fonts
Picture Size and Thumbnails
The best size for a background picture for a character for mySewnet™ Font Digitizing is
800 pixels wide x 1200 pixels high. A smaller picture should be relative to this size. Scale
down a larger picture in mySewnet™ Draw & Paint to fit your work area, then save the
edited original. When a picture for a SuperDesign is saved as a thumbnail, the size is set so
that it can be reloaded in the same position.

Scanning
To use a scanned picture, use the software provided with your scanner to save the picture.
Alternatively, scan a picture into mySewnet™ Draw & Paint, make adjustments, then select
and save the desired part of the picture before using it in mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.

Load a Picture as a Background in mySewnet™ Font Digitizing

1 In mySewnet™ Font Digitizing, click the View tab, then click Edit Background to open mySewnet™
Draw & Paint.
mySewnet™ Draw & Paint opens with a work area the size of your work area in mySewnet™ Font
Digitizing.
2 Use Insert or Open to load your picture.
3 Select the part of the picture that you wish to use as a background picture in mySewnet™ Font
Digitizing.
While adjusting the picture, toggle between mySewnet™ Font Digitizing and mySewnet™ Draw & Paint.
You will not be able to edit anything in mySewnet™ Font Digitizing, but you can preview adjustments
made to the background picture in mySewnet™ Draw & Paint.
4 Save the edited picture under a different name, then return to mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.
The picture under a character or SuperDesign is not stored as part of the font or SuperDesign file.
Therefore, save your background picture in mySewnet™ Draw & Paint if you have moved and resized it. If
you wish to edit the character or SuperDesign later, the modified picture will be available for reloading.
5 For a SuperDesign, use Save Picture to save a thumbnail of the picture.

Line Properties
Use the Line properties dialog box to set the properties for the chosen line type from the
Universal Properties dialog box.

52 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Creating and Editing Fonts

To access the Line properties dialog box, click a line type in the Universal Properties dialog
box.
Use the Line Properties dialog box to change the properties for a Line:
Running Stitch Triple Stitch

Double Stitch Satin Line

Double Zigzag Motif Line

You cannot change the line type in the Line options dialog box. Use Convert to change the line type.

Fill Properties
Use the Fill properties dialog box to set the properties for the chosen fill type from the
Universal Properties dialog box.

To access the Fill properties dialog box, click a fill type in the Universal Properties dialog
box.
Use the Fill Properties dialog box to change the properties for a Fill.
Pattern Fill Spiral Fill Curved Crosshatch Fill

Motif Fill QuiltStipple Fill MultiWave Fill

Shape Fill Contour Fill Echo Fill

Radial Fill Crosshatch Fill Satin Area

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Creating and Editing Fonts 53

 Getting Started with mySewnet™ Font Digitizing
■ Adjust a Font Created in mySewnet™ QuickFont
■ Changing Fonts with Universal Properties
■ Design a Font Over Letter Graphics

Adjust a Font Created in mySewnet™ QuickFont

Adjusting a font created in mySewnet™ QuickFont is a good way to get to know
mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.
1 Open mySewnet™ Embroidery, click the Letter tab, click Font Manager , and then click the
QuickFont Wizard icon . The Select Font page will appear.
2 Click the drop-down arrow for Font and choose Cambria from the list of fonts. The previews will show
the appearance of the 'ABC', ’abc’ and '123' characters in the font.
Cambria is one of the standard Windows® fonts.
3 Ensure the Style is set to Regular, and File Type is set to ’For using in the mySewnet™ Embroidery’
System, and the character set is set to Extended.
4 Click Next and the Set Stitch Options page will appear.
5 Set the Stitch Type to Pattern Fill + Satin Border . The previews now show a pattern fill with a
border.
6 Click the Stitch Options button and the Pattern Fill dialog box will appear.
7 Ensure the Pattern is set to 3 from the Standard 1 Category, and that Density is set to 2. Click OK.
8 Click the Border Stitch Options button and the Satin Line dialog box will appear.
9 Set Width to 3.0mm and click OK.
The borders of the letters in the font are
redrawn at the new thickness.
10 Click the Thread Color icon and
the Color Selection dialog box will
appear.
11 In the Quick Colors, set the color to a
dark blue. Click OK.
The Pattern Fill in the font is now the
dark blue that you selected.
12 Click Next. The font is generated, and
the Output Options page will appear.
13 Use Next and Previous to preview the
other letters in the font.
14 Leave the Font Name unchanged.
15 Click Finish to close mySewnet™
QuickFont.
You can see this font in the MyFonts section of the Font Gallery in mySewnet™ Embroidery. The Font
Gallery automatically detects and previews any new fonts you add to MyFonts.
16 In the Windows Start menu, scroll down to the mySewnet folder and click the mySewnet™ Font
Digitizing icon to launch mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.
17 In the Create Or Edit Font dialog box, select Edit an existing.
The MyFonts Category is automatically selected.
18 In the Name drop-down menu, select the Cambria font that you just created.
19 Click OK to close the Create Or Edit Font dialog box, and open the font in mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.
The font opens at the letter ’A’.
The letter A (ASCII character 065) is digitized first because it is used to set the size of the font in mySewnet™
Embroidery. The size of all other characters is set relative to character 065.
20 In the Font panel on the right, click the buttons to view some of the other characters, but come back
to the letter A.
Note that each letter has at least two objects, a separate Pattern Fill and Satin Line object.

54 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Creating and Editing Fonts

21 In the FilmStrip, click on the Satin Line for the outer border of the A. It uses a lot of points.
When designing a font, points are needed for kerning (the spacing between the letters on a line) as well as
for the outline itself. These points are used when placing lettering in mySewnet™ Embroidery.
22 In the Font panel on the right, click Universal Properties .
The Universal Properties — Edit and Convert dialog box
opens.
This dialog box is used to make changes to the objects of a
particular type in all letters in a font. The colors and stitch
types that you selected in mySewnet™ QuickFont can be seen.
For more information on Universal Properties, see “Universal
Properties” on page 47.
23 In Select Object, click Pattern Fill to select it, then click the
Properties button.
24 In the Pattern Fill dialog box, change the Pattern for the fill
to the first pattern in Squares 2 (number 205), then click
OK.
There is now an asterisk by Pattern Fill. This indicates that its properties have been edited.
25 Click Next.
26 In the Universal Properties — Finalizing dialog box, click Finish. The letter A shows the pattern that
you selected.
27 In the Font panel on the right, click the buttons to view some of the other characters. All of them now
use the same fill pattern as the letter A. Then click to return to the letter A.
28 In the Font panel on the right, click Universal Properties and in the Universal Properties — Edit
and Convert dialog box click the dark blue thread color for the fill. The Color Selection dialog box
opens.
29 In the Quick Colors, click the orange square, then click OK.
This time Color has an asterisk by it.
30 Click Next, and then click Finish. The pattern fill for all letters is now orange.
Use Universal Properties to change the thread colors and the stitch properties for the object types for all
letters in a font.
31 With the letter A selected, click Universal Properties .
32 In the Edit and Convert dialog box, click Pattern Fill.
33 In the Convert drop-down list, select QuiltStipple Fill. Then
click Convert.
The Pattern Fill is now flagged as being converted to
QuiltStipple Fill.
34 Click Properties. The QuiltStipple Fill dialog box opens.
35 Set the Gap to 3.5mm, then click OK.
36 Click Next. The Universal Properties — Finalizing dialog box
appears.
37 In Allow Editable, Satin Line is selected (checked), but
QuiltStipple Fill is not. Check the QuiltStipple Fill checkbox.
Allow Editable makes the stitch type available for editing in mySewnet™ Embroidery, so you can change
settings such as density, pattern, and so on.
38 Click Finish. All of the letters in the font now use QuiltStipple Fill.
You could have created a new font using the new settings you chose above in
mySewnet™ QuickFont, but you cannot use a fill type other than Pattern Fill.
With mySewnet™ Font Digitizing you can customize a font created in
mySewnet™ QuickFont to use other stitch and border types.
39 In the Font panel, click Save to save the changes that you made.
40 Close mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.
41 In the Letter tab of mySewnet™ Embroidery, scroll to the MyFonts section
in the font gallery.
42 Select the Cambria font that you just made.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Creating and Editing Fonts 55

 43 In the Stitch Type drop-down list select QuiltStipple Fill. You can adjust the settings for this fill in
QuiltStipple Fill dialog box.
44 Create some lettering with your font.
45 In the Windows Start menu, scroll down to the mySewnet folder and click the mySewnet™ Font
Digitizing icon to launch mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.
46 In the Create Or Edit Font dialog box, select Copy and edit an existing.
47 In the MyFonts category, select your Cambria font in the Name drop-down menu.
48 In the New Font section, change the name to Cambria QuiltStipple. Then click OK.
In the title bar, your new font name is now used. The name there also indicates that you are viewing letter
number 65, the large A.
49 In the Font panel, click Save , then close mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.
This is a quick and easy way to backup the work on your font, before you make further changes.

Changing Fonts with Universal Properties

Universal Properties is a powerful tool for customizing fonts you created in mySewnet™
QuickFont, or drew in mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.
1 In the Windows Start menu, scroll down to the mySewnet folder and click the mySewnet™ Font
Digitizing icon to launch mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.
2 In the Create Or Edit Font dialog box, select Copy and edit an existing.
3 In the MyFonts category, select your Cambria QuiltStipple font in the Name drop-down menu.
4 In the New Font section, change the name to Cambria Echo Motif. Then click OK. The letter A of your
font is displayed in the work area.
5 In the Font panel, drag the Preview Size slider to the right. The border and fill change as the letter size
is increased.
The minimum and maximum size are those set by mySewnet™ QuickFont when you created the font. They
are the recommended size range for a mySewnet™ QuickFont fill and border font.
6 Click Size Options to open the Size Options dialog box.
See “Size Options” on page 50.
7 Set the Minimum Size to 3mm, and the Maximum Size to
12mm (they should currently be 80mm and 120mm). Click
OK.
8 The Preview Size slider now shows the range 3mm to 12mm.
You can make any size changes that you like within the 3mm to
200mm size range for all fonts in mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.
You choose whether the quality is acceptable.
9 Look at the Font panel and Quick Access toolbar. There is no Undo button on the Font panel, and the
one on the Quick Access toolbar is unavailable (grayed out).
Many functions in mySewnet™ Font Digitizing have no Undo. Take care, and make frequent backup copies.
10 Click Size Options to open the Size Options dialog box and set Minimum Size back to 80mm and
Maximum Size back to 120mm.
When you create a font, test it at various sizes and select your desired Size Options based on those tests.
11 With the letter A selected, click Universal Properties .
12 In the Edit and Convert dialog box, click QuiltStipple Fill.
13 In the Convert drop-down list, select Echo Fill. Then click Convert.
14 Click Properties to change the settings for the Echo Fill.
15 In Echo Area select External and Internal Lines and set gap to 2.0mm. Then click OK.
16 In Colors click the orange thread color for the fill. The Color Selection dialog box opens.
17 In the Quick Colors, click the yellow square, then click OK. The changed Color has an asterisk by it.
18 Click Satin Line and in the Convert drop-down menu select Motif Line. Click Convert.
19 Click Properties and in the Motif Line dialog box set Category to Hand Stitches 1, and select pattern 6.
20 Set Width for the motif to 2.0mm.
Select a small motif when creating a border for a letter.
21 Click OK to close the Motif Line dialog box, then click Next.

56 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Creating and Editing Fonts

22 In Finalizing, select (check) both Motif Line and Echo Fill to make them editable, then click Finish. Your
font has been transformed.
Note that no Undo is available for Universal Properties. Your changes are permanent.
23 In the Font panel, click Save to save the changes that you made.
24 Close mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.
25 In the Letter tab of mySewnet™ Embroidery, scroll to
the MyFonts section in the font gallery.
26 Select the Cambria Echo Motif font.
27 In the letters box enter the word "friends", then click
Apply.
The external Echo Fill lines overlap, with a striking effect. The kerning for this font is based on the position
of the points in the Motif Line, not on the echo lines outside. Some other stitch types such as Feathered
Satin also go outside the object boundary. For example, this will affect a Satin Column font created in
mySewnet™ QuickFont and converted to Feathered Satin.
28 In the Stitch Type drop-down menu note that both Echo Fill and Motif Line are editable. Adjust
their settings as desired.
29 In the Windows Start menu, scroll down to the mySewnet folder and click the mySewnet™ Font
Digitizing icon to launch mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.
30 In the Create Or Edit Font dialog box, select Copy and edit an existing.
31 Open a copy of your Cambria Echo Motif font.
32 In the FilmStrip, right-click the Echo Fill area for the A and select Properties.
33 In the Fill Area and Line dialog box, select Satin Line in the Line drop-down list.
34 Click the Line tab, then select Insert Color Change.
35 Click Line Thread Color to change the color of this line.
36 Change the color from the default blue to the yellow in Quick Colors, then click OK twice. There is now
a satin line under the motif line.
37 In the Font panel, click Save , then click Universal Properties . There is now an entry for Satin
Line in Select Object.
38 Click Next and select Satin Line to make it editable, then click Finish.
39 Select the letter B. No satin line has been added to the B.
mySewnet™ Font Digitizing does not recognize the Satin Line as being part of the Echo Fill area, so it does
not add the line to the other existing fills.
40 In the FilmStrip, right-click the Echo Fill area for the B and select Properties.
41 In the Fill Area and Line dialog box, select Satin Line in the Line drop-down list.
42 Click the Line tab, then select Insert Color Change.
43 Click Line Thread Color to change the color of this line.
44 Change the color from the default blue to the yellow in Quick Colors, then click OK twice. There is now
a satin line under the motif line for the B.
45 Click Save , click the A, then click Universal Properties .
46 In Select Object click Satin Line, then click Properties.
47 In the Satin Line dialog box, change Width to 1.5mm, then click OK.
48 Click Next, then click Finish. The satin line on the A is much narrower.
49 Click the B. The satin line on the B is also much narrower.
If the stitch type is already there, and its settings are the same as those for the A,
Universal Properties will change them all to the new settings. This is useful when
customizing a font from mySewnet™ QuickFont, but more so when you design
the letters individually in mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.
50 Try adding a Satin Line to some of the other letters, and then changing them
with Universal Properties. When you have finished, close mySewnet™ Font
Digitizing.
Try creating other fonts in mySewnet™ QuickFont, then converting them in mySewnet™ Font Digitizing. It
is easiest to obtain good results with bold fonts in Pattern Fill + Satin Border. Narrow fonts work better in
Satin, but are challenging to convert to other column types.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Creating and Editing Fonts 57

 Look carefully at how mySewnet™ QuickFont constructs the letters. This affects how they will convert to
other stitch types, and how much you can change the settings. This knowledge will be useful when you
come to draw your own font in mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.
51 Open the Letter tab of mySewnet™ Embroidery. You now probably have at least one font that you do
not wish to keep. You can delete unwanted fonts in Font Manager .
52 Alternatively, delete or copy font files in Windows® File Explorer.
53 Browse to the folder ProgramData\mySewnet\Embroidery1\Fonts\MyFonts.
There are three files for each font. The .efnt and .vsmres files describe the font, and the .png file is used to
display the font in the Font Gallery.
To backup a font, copy these three files to your backup folder.
54 If you want to delete a font, select all three files for any font you want to delete, and delete them.
When you next open mySewnet™ Embroidery, the font will no longer be present in the Font Gallery.
You can also delete fonts from within Font Manager in mySewnet™ Embroidery.

Design a Font Over Letter Graphics

Use any TrueType® or OpenType® font on your computer to design a font that you could
not make in mySewnet™ QuickFont.
1 In the Windows Start menu, scroll down to the mySewnet
folder and click the mySewnet™ Font Digitizing icon to
launch mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.
2 In the Create Or Edit Font dialog box, select Create a new.
The font will automatically be placed in the MyFonts Category.
3 In the New Font section, change the name to Triple Stitch
Calibri.
4 For Joining Point, ensure that Baseline is selected (checked).
This will create a font using separate letters rather than a
handwriting style (Continuous) or running stitch connected
(Nearest Point) font. See “Joining Point” on page 14.
5 Set Minimum Size to 7mm and Maximum Size to 15mm.
You can change this size later using Size Options .
6 Click OK. A letter A for your new font is displayed in the
work area, but it is not from the font Calibri.
When mySewnet™ Font Digitizing is opened, the letters of the
first font on your computer (often Arial) are automatically
displayed.
7 Click Font Background .
Use Font Background to choose any of the TrueType® and OpenType® fonts installed on your computer as a
background for creating a font. See “Font Background” on page 45.
8 A message is displayed, "The letter ’A’ must be created. Do you
want to continue?" Click OK to select a different background font.
The Font Background dialog box appears, with the first font on
your computer selected. See “Font Background” on page 45.
9 In the Font drop-down menu, select the font Calibri.
You will see many other fonts in the list, depending on what
programs are installed on your computer. For instance, several
decorative fonts are installed with Microsoft® Word.
Calibri is a plain unembellished font that will work well at small sizes
using a single line of stitching. Use it for a quilt label or other small
project.
10 Ensure that Style is set to Regular, that Scale is set to 100%, and that both Offset options are set to 0.
These last options affect the size of the letters, and their position relative to the baseline.
11 Click OK to select the font Calibri. The shape and size of the letter A changes in the work area.

58 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Creating and Editing Fonts

 The letter A is positioned on the orange baseline, with its left edge touching the left side of the grid. See
“Design Assistants” on page 22 for more information on the baseline, and the guidelines used when
creating a font using pictures loaded with Edit Background and mySewnet™ Draw & Paint.
12 Click the Point Create tab.
13 Deselect Fill, and in the Line drop-down menu select Triple Stitch .
In mySewnet™ QuickFont you can create fill, outline, and satin column fonts. You cannot create single line
fonts. A Triple Stitch line creates a bold effect at a small size.
14 Click Create Area or Line to select it.
15 Hold down the Shift key, and place two square points for the crossbar in the middle of the A.
16 With the Shift key still held, adjust the two points that you placed so that the line is straight.
Use the grid points as a guide when placing the square points. If desired, use Snap to Grid to force
points to snap to the font grid spacing. See “Snap to Grid” on page 22.
17 Right-click to complete the line. The line appears at the top of the FilmStrip, below the default thread
color.
For a smooth effect, follow the center of the lines making up the A character when placing points.
18 Hold down the Shift key, and place three points for the sloping sides of the A. Right-click to complete
the line.
Plan the order of the lines used to create a character, so that the line ends are hidden under other lines.
19 In the Font panel, click Save . The font is saved.
20 In the Font panel, select the letter B. The letter A is now green.
Letters that have been digitized are marked in green. See “Table of Font Characters” on page 42.
21 Ensure that Create Area or Line is still selected, and click at the top left of the lower part of the B.
22 Holding down the Shift key to place square points at either end of the long stroke for the B, and for
the other straight sections, place points for the outline of the B.
23 Right-click to finish, then click Save in the Font panel.
24 Select the letter C and place points for the C. Right-click to finish, then click Save in the Font panel.
25 Select the letter D, and place points to create the letter. Place square points for either end of the
downstroke, and for the other straight sections.
26 Right-click to finish, then click Save in the Font panel.
27 In the Letter tab of mySewnet™ Embroidery, scroll to the MyFonts section in the font gallery.
28 Select the font Triple Stitch Calibri.
29 Enter the text ABCD and DDBAC. It is likely that these letters are
too close together.
If you used the minimum of points to create the letters, the outlines
may be very smooth, but will not have enough points for successful
kerning.
30 Return to mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.
You may get a Font error message. This happens if you try to edit a
font in mySewnet™ Font Digitizing that is already open in
mySewnet™ Embroidery. Create lettering in a different font in
mySewnet™ Embroidery to unlock your font and try again, or close
both programs and then reopen.
31 In mySewnet™ Font Digitizing, click the View tab.
32 Adjust the Background slider so that you can see the embroidery lines better against the background
letter, and click 2D View to see the stitch line more clearly.
33 Return to the Point Create tab.
34 Select the sloping lines for the outside of the A.
You may need to select Edit Points in the Status Bar to view the points that make up your characters.
35 Click Insert Points on Straight Lines . Extra points are added to the sloping lines on the A.
36 Select the horizontal line across the middle of the A, then click Insert Points on Straight Lines .
Extra points are added to this line.
While the horizontal line in the A is not involved in kerning, it is used by the lettering envelopes in
mySewnet™ Embroidery. Ensure that there are no large gaps between points when creating letters.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Creating and Editing Fonts 59

 37 Click Save in the Font panel, then select the letter B.
38 Select the line for the letter B.
39 If the downstroke is not completely vertical, hold the Shift key and adjust the square points to make
the line vertical.
An angle on a stitch line is more visible in 2D View.
40 Adjust any other lines that should be vertical or horizontal.
Use Zoom to Rectangle and Zoom to Fit to view the lines more clearly, and use Insert Points to
add an extra round point near a square point to create the desired curve.
41 Click Insert Points on Straight Lines . Extra points are added to the straight lines on the B.
42 Click Save in the Font panel, then select the letter D.
43 Adjust the straight line on the D as you did for the B, then use Insert Points on Straight Lines to
add points to that line.
44 Click Save in the Font panel, and return to mySewnet™ Embroidery.
45 In the Letter tab recreate the text you created above.
The spacing around the straight lines has improved, but where the lines curve the letters are still too close
together.
46 Return to mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.
If you get a Font error message, create some lettering in a different font in mySewnet™ Embroidery to
unlock your font, or close both programs and then reopen.
47 Use Insert Points in the Home tab to add points to the curved lines for the B, then adjust the
curves so they are smooth.
In particular, ensure that the outermost part of a curve has a point on it. If there is no point, the Letter tab in
mySewnet™ Embroidery cannot detect that part of the curve.
Note that the stitch line does not always follow the points in the curve. This is because at small font
sizes the curve points are closer together than the stitch points.
48 In the Font Panel, drag the Preview Size slider to view the letter B as it will be seen at the larger sizes.
The larger the size, the more closely the stitch line follows the design line.
The default stitch length is 2mm. If this is changed to a smaller size, there may be machine problems when
stitching out. This gives a bottom limit to the size for the letters in a font.
49 Adjust the points on the curves on the letter B for viewing at all sizes.
50 Click Save in the Font panel when you have finished adjusting the letter B.
51 Select the letter C and add points to the curve, ensuring that there is a point at the leftmost part of
the C.
52 Adjust the points so that the stitch line follows the design line, and that the C looks good at all sizes in
the range. Then click Save in the Font panel.
53 Adjust the straight and curved lines in the letter D so that it looks good at all sizes, then Save it.
If needed, delete points as well as adding them, but ensure that you have enough points for good kerning.

60 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Creating and Editing Fonts

54 Select the letter E, and in the
Point Create tab select Triple
Stitch only, and create first
the central horizontal bar with
two square points, and then the
top, vertical and bottom line
with four square points.
55 Adjust the lines so that they are
vertical or horizontal, and then
select the outer line and use
Insert Points on Straight
Lines to add points for
kerning.
56 Save the letter E.
57 Create the letters F and G.
58 When creating the G, place
sufficient points on the curved
parts for good kerning as you
design the letter, then use
Insert Points on Straight Lines
to add points between the
straight parts of the line after adjustment.
59 Click Save in the Font panel, and return to mySewnet™ Embroidery.
60 Test letters A to G in the Letter tab of mySewnet™ Embroidery.
The letters may be close, but they do not overlap. Adding points has
improved the kerning.
61 Look at the Stitch Type drop-down menu in the ribbon bar. Stitch
Type is grayed out (unavailable).
This is because Triple Stitch is not editable in this font.
62 Return to mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.
If you get a Font error message, create some lettering
in a different font in mySewnet™ Embroidery to
unlock your font, or close both programs and then
reopen.
63 Select the letter A, then click Universal
Properties . The default color blue and Triple
Stitch are the only Object types available. You have
used these object types for all of the letters in the
font.
If desired, you could now change the color of all of the
letters in this font, or Convert to another line type.
64 Click Next. The Universal Properties — Finalizing
dialog box appears.
For more information on using Finalizing, see
“Universal Properties — Finalizing” on page 49.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Creating and Editing Fonts 61

 65 Select (check) Triple Stitch to make it editable.
In the Digitized Characters box, only the letters that
you have created so far are shown.
66 Click Finish to close Universal Properties.
67 Go to the Letter tab in mySewnet™ Embroidery.
68 Look at the Stitch Type drop-down menu. Triple
Stitch is now available. You can now edit the stitch
properties for this font.
69 Return to mySewnet™ Font Digitizing and create
the other letters for this font, or alternatively
choose a different font on your computer and
create letters using your own choice of color, stitch
type and size.
When creating a font, use Navigation to mark out
the space needed for a Navigation object (a Space
character). See “Navigation” on page 23.
Use Multiple Character Copy to duplicate a range of characters in a font, for example if lower and
upper case are identical, or to created accented versions of characters. See “Multiple Character Copy” on
page 50.

62 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Creating and Editing Fonts

Glossary & Troubleshooting 4
Glossary
Ascender
An ascender is the part of a lowercase letter that is the upper stroke, generally
above the x height. For instance, 'h' and 'b' have ascenders. The height of
ascenders may be different from the cap height, so it may require a guideline to
mark the height.
ASCII
ASCII, also referred to as 'ASCII code', is a standard set of numerical values that
correspond to letters, numbers and punctuation marks in a Western European
alphabet. For instance, the letter 'A' has the ASCII number 065.
mySewnet™ Font Digitizing uses ASCII numbers to decide which character to
work with. Not all fonts have 'standard' characters in them. For instance, symbol
fonts have simple pictures in place of letters. ASCII allows the same symbol to be
consistently referenced, just as with characters for writing.
ASCII is an acronym of 'American Standard Code for Information Interchange'.
Baseline
The baseline is the line on which all the characters sit so that they line up
horizontally. Do not place the baseline at the bottom of the area where
characters are digitized as you must allow for descenders on characters such as
'g', 'p', 'y', etc. Not all characters actually sit on the baseline. Quotation marks and
other special characters sit above the baseline.
Cap Height
The height of the capital (uppercase) letters in a font. It is usual to position a
guideline at the cap height so that all the uppercase letters can match the cap
height correctly.
Character
Character is a general term for any letter, number, punctuation mark or any other
symbol that appears in a font.
Database
Fonts and SuperDesign sets are stored as a database. This database contains a
design outline file for each character or shape that has been digitized. However,
the database only stores design information, so no pictures are stored as they
would be in an .edo file saved from mySewnet™ Digitizing.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Glossary & Troubleshooting 63

 Descender
A descender is a part of a letter or other character that extends below the
baseline. For instance, the tail on a 'y' is a descender. Even the small tail on a
comma is a descender. Another example of a descender is the part of the cedilla
(Ç and ç) that is below the baseline.
Font
A font is a collection of character shapes. All current versions Microsoft® Windows
use TrueType® and/or OpenType® fonts, which have a fixed order in which the
character shapes appear in the font. This is so that when you press 'h' on the
keyboard, the letter h appears on the screen.
Fonts can contain any shape, so they can represent any alphabet. Also, Symbol
fonts can contain collections of useful shapes, such as bullet points.
Gap
In mySewnet™ Embroidery there is a Gap control that is used to change the
spacing between all the letters in some text. In typographic terms, this is known
as Tracking.
Kerning
Kerning is the adjustment of spacing between certain pairs of letters to improve
the appearance of the text. For instance, when some of the lowercase letters are
placed after 'T', the appearance is improved if the lowercase letter is tucked in
under the arm of the 'T'.

In the example, gap 'a' has no kerning, whereas gap 'b' has been kerned to give a
more natural and appealing appearance to the text.
Ligature
A ligature is a combined character, such as the æ character used in
'encyclopædia'. Some typographic systems automatically make ligatures from
other characters, but this is not widely supported on Windows® at present. If you
wish to have ligatures in your font, you must digitize them as specific characters
in your font.
Markout
Markout is an outline for part or all of a design, usually using thread of a dark or
contrasting color. It may be created using running, double or triple stitch
depending on the effect desired and the sequence of the embroidery.

64 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Glossary & Troubleshooting

SuperDesign
A design element that can be selected and used on the SuperDesign tab in
mySewnet™ Embroidery.
OpenType
OpenType® is an extension of TrueType® which also incorporates Type 1 font
support. mySewnet™ Font Digitizing uses OpenType® fonts for character
selection and background pictures.
Overshoot
An overshoot is the part of a rounded or pointed character (for instance, o, O, A)
which extends slightly above the normal height for the character (x height for
lowercase, cap height for uppercase) and/or slightly below the baseline. The
overshoot compensates for the optical illusion of a square shape looking slightly
bigger than a rounded or pointed shape of the same height.
Packing Stitches
See Underlay Stitches.
Sans Serif
A font that does not have serifs is said to be 'sans serif', which is French for
'without serif'. An example of a sans serif font is Arial.
Serif
Serifs are the small extra strokes at the ends of the main strokes that form letters.
The three main types of serif are hair (very thin), slab (rectangular blocks) and
wedge (triangular).

An example of a serif font is Times New Roman, which uses both hair and wedge
serifs.
Tracking
Tracking is the technical typographic term used to describe the spacing between
all the characters in a piece of text. Typographic specialists describe tracking as
'tight' or 'loose', where tight tracking brings letters closer together and loose
tracking spreads them out.
The Gap setting on the Letters tab of the mySewnet™ Embroidery Control panel
is used to adjust tracking.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Glossary & Troubleshooting 65

 TrueType
TrueType® is a digital font technology used by Microsoft in Windows® operating
systems. TrueType® fonts contain an outline description of each character in the
font, which can be scaled to any degree without losing the shape detail.
mySewnet™ Font Digitizing uses TrueType® fonts for character selection and
background pictures.
Underlay Stitches
Underlay, or packing, is used below fill and satin areas to stabilize fabric. For
pattern fill areas, satin areas and satin columns you can automatically create
underlay using the desired Underlay setting in the properties dialog box for that
stitch type.
Satin underlay can be a running line just inside the satin shape (edge walk or
tramline), a widely spaced zigzag of single stitches across the satin shape, or a
combination of the two.
x Height
The x height is the height in a font of the lowercase 'x'. During the design phase of
a font, a guideline would be positioned to show the x height, so that all the
lowercase letters match the x height correctly.

66 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Glossary & Troubleshooting

 Troubleshooting: Error Messages
Managing Font and SuperDesign Files
"This name already exists; do you wish to overwrite it?"
This message will appear if you try to make a new font or SuperDesign set and the name
you wish to use is already in use. If you click Yes, the existing font or SuperDesign set will
be replaced by an empty file.

"Cannot create Font file."

This message may appear for the following reasons:
■ The category folder where you are trying to create the font or SuperDesign set does not
exist. For instance, the folder has been moved or deleted.
■ You do not have access rights on the computer to create a new font or SuperDesign set in
the relevant folder. This may happen if, for instance, the computer administrator installed
the mySewnet™ Embroidery Software, but you are logged in as a user that does not have
full administrative rights.

"This font is a system font and cannot be edited. Select option to copy and
edit existing and try again."
This message may appear if you try to open a system font or SuperDesign file. To open a
font or SuperDesign file, it should first be copied.
It will also appear if you try to open a font that is open and locked in mySewnet™
Embroidery. Preview text in a different font in mySewnet™ Embroidery to unlock the font,
or close both programs, then reopen.
This message may also appear if you try to open a file that has been deleted or renamed.

"Error. Font File is wrong version."

This message may appear if you try to open a font or SuperDesign file that has become
corrupted, or if you attempt to open a file with the correct file extension that is not a
proper font or SuperDesign file. A file may become corrupt if your computer shuts down
while you have the font or SuperDesign set open in mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.

"Error. Cannot open Font file."

This message appears if you try to edit a font in mySewnet™ Font Digitizing that is open
and locked in mySewnet™ Embroidery. Preview text in a different font in mySewnet™
Embroidery to unlock the font, or close both programs, then reopen.

Digitizing Characters and SuperDesigns

"The letter ’A’ must be created. Do you want to continue?"
This message will appear if you try to select any character other than A (ASCII number 65)
for digitizing when A has not yet been digitized.
It will also appear if you use Font Background to change the background font before
creating the letter A in your new font.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Glossary & Troubleshooting 67

 Troubleshooting: Other Topics
Using Pictures
"Why do I need to save an imported picture?"
When a new picture is loaded, you will probably need to move and resize it. You should
save the picture so that you can then reload the picture without having to remember the
exact changes you made.

"Why does my picture keep disappearing?"

The picture under the current character or SuperDesign is not stored as part of the font or
SuperDesign file. It is removed when you do one of the following:
■ Select a new character or SuperDesign to work with
■ Load a font
■ Create a new font
Hence, if you select a different character or SuperDesign, then go back to the one where
you loaded the picture, the picture will no longer be in the background. Reload the
previously saved picture.

"I only want to work on a small part of a picture, but I can’t make the
desired part of the picture big enough. How can I do this?"
To digitize over a small part of an existing picture, use Edit Background to load the
picture into mySewnet™ Draw & Paint, select and crop the desired area of the picture, save
the edited version in mySewnet™ Draw & Paint, then close to return to mySewnet™ Font
Digitizing and start digitizing in the Design window.

"I wish to use a TrueType character as the background picture for a

SuperDesign, but there is no way to select one when digitizing a
SuperDesign set."
This feature is only available when designing fonts. If you wish to have a TrueType®
character as the background for a SuperDesign (for instance, a character from a symbol
font), do as follows:
■ Open a font. Use Font Background to load the desired background font, then select the
desired character. Temporarily deselect Show Font Grid and take a screenshot of the letter.
Then load the screenshot into mySewnet™ Draw & Paint save it, and prepared it as a
background.
■ Open your SuperDesign set and choose the design. In the View tab, choose Edit
Background, then open a picture of the desired character from the Insert tab in
mySewnet™ Draw & Paint, Close mySewnet™ Draw & Paint to load the chosen character as
the background picture in mySewnet™ Font Digitizing. This is also useful if the desired
character does not appear in the Select Character dialog box, which may happen with
symbol fonts.

68 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Glossary & Troubleshooting

"I am saving pictures for the characters or SuperDesigns I am digitizing,
but I am worried that they are taking up a lot of space on my computer."
If you save pictures for all 224 possible characters in a font, you could use up to 10Mb of
hard disk space, using only pictures generated from TrueType® font characters. This is
acceptable, given the storage capacity of modern computers.

Editing the Design

"How do I set the size of the work area for my characters and
SuperDesigns?"
Hoops are not available in mySewnet™ Font Digitizing. Set the minimum and maximum
size for your characters and SuperDesigns when creating the font or SuperDesign set in
the Create or Edit Font dialog, or change the maximum and minimum size using Size
Options . See “Create or Edit Font” on page 38 and “Size Options” on page 50.
The default initial size for a character or SuperDesign in mySewnet™ Embroidery is always the height of the
upper case A or first SuperDesign when the minimum size is used.

Control Points, Gap and Kerning

"Some of the letters in my font overlap each other when I use it in
mySewnet™ Embroidery."
Control points are the points you place to digitize an object. For example, Single Stitches
have two control points (one at each end), and Satin Columns have as many points as you
placed when constructing the column.
The gap (or tracking) between characters is a standard distance between each character,
measured using the control points. Occasionally, characters might overlap because there
are not enough control points.
Similarly, automatic kerning is used in mySewnet™ Embroidery to improve the
appearance of text by moving certain pairs of characters closer together. There must be
enough control points to ensure that the character pairs do not overlap each other.
Such issues may be found in a very plain font using only a few satin columns or very
simple fill areas. Ensure there are plenty of control points by putting down underlay
stitches first. Alternatively, if using a specialty fill with a border, insert extra points into the
outline of your characters.
Use Insert Points on Straight Lines to add extra points automatically to a straight
border line for a fill area or column. Use Insert Points to add points to a line by hand.
See “Insert Points on Straight Lines” on page 51.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Glossary & Troubleshooting 69

 Using System Fonts and SuperDesigns
"Why can’t I see many of the system fonts and SuperDesigns in the Create
or Edit Font dialog box?"
Only a few of the system fonts and SuperDesigns are available for copying and editing in
mySewnet™ Font Digitizing. Use these to study how to create your own fonts. You may
also refine fonts that you created in mySewnet™ QuickFont.

Using Old Personal Fonts and SuperDesigns

"How can I import a font that I created in 6D™ Font Digitizing or 6D™
QuickFont?"
You cannot transfer font files that you created in 6D™ Font Digitizing or 6D™ QuickFont
directly into the mySewnet™ Embroidery Software. However, you may export .edo files of
the characters from 6D™ Font Digitizing and insert them into a new font in mySewnet™
Font Digitizing.
For fonts created in 6D™ QuickFont it is recommended to make the font again, as the
routines to create font characters have been improved.
Use the name of your old 6D™ QuickFont font when selecting the options to create the new version of the
font in mySewnet™ QuickFont. See Output Options in the mySewnet™ QuickFont Reference Guide or Help
for information on font naming.

"How can I import a SuperDesign set that I created in 6D™ Font

Digitizing?"
You cannot copy the SuperDesign files that you created in 6D™ Font Digitizing directly
into the mySewnet™ Embroidery Software. However, you may export .edo files of the
designs from 6D™ Font Digitizing and insert them into a new SuperDesign set in
mySewnet™ Font Digitizing.

70 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Glossary & Troubleshooting

 Checking a Nearest Point Font
After you have created a nearest point font, you should check through it to ensure that all
the required characters are present in four versions and have the correctly defined start
and end points.

Check that all Nearest Point characters are correctly digitized

1 Open the desired font.
2 Inspect the Character table on the Font page. All of the characters that you digitized should be a solid
green. If any are half green, half white, you have missed digitizing some of the character versions. Go
to the relevant character and digitize the missing versions.
3 In the character table on the Font page, select the character you digitized that is first in the character
set. This is so you start at the beginning and work through the characters in order. The character will
be displayed, and the Bottom Left To Bottom Right character version is selected automatically.
4 Check that the character start point is at the bottom left of the character. The first object in a
character is a Color Change , so this should be easy to identify.
5 Check on the FilmStrip that the end of the character is at the bottom right, as indicated by the red end
point.
6 If the start and end points of the character area in the wrong place, edit the character until the points
are positioned correctly.
7 In the Font page select the Top Left To Top Right icon . This version of the character will appear.
8 Check the start and end points are at the top left and top right respectively.
9 If the start and end points of the character area in the wrong place, edit the character until the points
are positioned correctly.
10 Select the Top Left To Bottom Right icon . This version of the character will appear.
11 Check the start and end points are at the top left and bottom right respectively.
12 If the start and end points of the character area in the wrong place, edit the character until the points
are positioned correctly.
13 Select the Bottom Left To Top Right icon . This version of the character will appear.
14 Check the start and end points are at the bottom left and top right respectively.
15 If the start and end points of the character are in the wrong place, edit the character until the points
are positioned correctly.
16 In the Font page select the next character you digitized, and repeat the checking process.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Glossary & Troubleshooting 71

 Creating Design Elements 5
Creating Designs
A design in mySewnet™ Digitizing is composed of areas, lines, columns and commands
(objects).
After creating any fill or satin area, or column, emboss it by placing needle points to
enhance the pattern.
Use lines as individual stitch lines or borders around an
area or appliqué.
Lines are defined by points, which can be moved to change the
shape of the line, and any area it encloses.
Choose a fill type (e.g. pattern fill, motif fill and so on),
and a line type (e.g. satin line or running stitch) for
each area, and add an appliqué fabric and placement
stitches.
Set the Fill, Line and Appliqué buttons as desired by
clicking to turn that area type on or off. Then choose
line and fill types from the drop-down menu below the
button. In the Options for Fill Area and Line, set the
properties for your line and fill. After selecting the stitch types, use one of the Create
functions to make a new stitch object.
Any line type can be converted to another line type after creation, and most area types can be directly
changed to any other area type.
Create columns by placing alternate points.
Commands are instructions such as a change of thread color, an alignment stitch, or a
stop.
Right-click to deselect a Create function when you have finished, or simply select another Create tool.
When an embroidery is created from a design, each line or area is converted to stitches,
and the stitch order is controlled by the order of the objects in the design.
You can see the order of objects in the FilmStrip in the Design window.
There are several ways to add objects to a design:
■ Use the ExpressDesign Wizard to create a whole design, with all the necessary lines, areas
and commands. Edit or add to the design as desired.
■ Use the Home and Create tabs to add new objects to a design which can be based on a
picture shown in the background, or to insert complete design elements, embroideries,
SuperDesigns or font characters.
■ Use the Edit tab, the FilmStrip and the context (right-click) menu to select objects to copy
and paste, and to reshape object outlines.

72 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Design Elements

Creating Areas and Lines
Areas and lines are created using the QuickStitch™, QuickTrace, Shape, Freehand Create
and Point Create features, or automatically with the ExpressDesign Wizard.
Draw a line with the Freehand and Point Create features, or follow a line in a picture with
QuickStitch™, QuickTrace and the ExpressDesign Wizard.
You can change an open line to a closed one, or vice versa using the Closed Border switch on the Line tab of
the Fill Area and Line Properties dialog box. This allows you to create a fill area with a closed or open
border.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Design Elements 73

 Quick Create
Use the features of the Quick Create tab (QuickStitch™, QuickTrace and Shape) to create
design areas automatically.

Creating with QuickStitch™, QuickTrace and Shape

Add Color changes Set the properties for the stitch types
Select a Shape and create it as a line or fill area Trace a picture as a line of stitches
Create a fill area or line automatically

Select stitch types and appliqué Cut a hole in a fill area

Emboss a line on a fill area or column
Draw a wave line in a MultiWave Fill area Create a Satin Area

Click in a defined color area, or on a defined color line, in the background picture to create
a QuickStitch™ or QuickTrace line or fill. The area outline is filled or the line is followed
automatically.
Use Color Tolerance to choose the color shades used when defining the area.
Select the desired QuickStitch™ or QuickTrace function, according to the type of stitches
you want over the picture area you are about to select. Then, click in the desired area of
the picture for QuickStitch™ functions or on the desired line for QuickTrace functions.

Using Color Tolerance with QuickStitch™ and QuickTrace

1 Select your stitch types, then select the desired QuickStitch™ or QuickTrace function, according to the
type of stitches you want over the picture area you are about to select.
2 Click in the desired area (for example, on the cat’s left side) of
the picture for QuickStitch™ functions or on the desired line for
QuickTrace functions.
3 If Color Tolerance is enabled, the Color Tolerance dialog box
will appear.
A red and cyan highlight shows the area of the picture that will
be filled or traced. If you have chosen to detect holes, any
holes in the area will be highlighted by green and yellow lines.
Using Color Tolerance is recommended.
4 Use the slider to adjust the Color Tolerance value until the
required part of the picture is selected.
The Color Tolerance dialog box has a slider control, which is
initially set to 0. This is the tolerance control. As the tolerance
value is increased, this increases the possible range of colors, by
similarity to the color clicked, that may be selected by the red and
cyan highlight.
For example, if you have an area of your picture that is shaded in different shades of green, you can use
color tolerance to select all the shades and make a single area.
Even when the tolerance is left at 0, the blue and white pattern gives a useful preview of the area that will
be used for the new object.
5 Select the number of points to use for the outline; High will show more detail, while Low will be
smoother.
6 Click OK to confirm the desired area is highlighted, and the line or area is created.

74 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Design Elements

 Color Tolerance Off
When Color Tolerance is not enabled, the stitch object(s) are created immediately, using
only the color area that was selected. You can use the Color Tolerance option in
Preferences to turn Color Tolerance off, but this is only advisable if your picture has
well defined flat color areas, and you have no need to select more than one color area to
create new objects.

Creating Shapes
Use Shape to place a selected shape in the work area. Then resize the shape, and set its
properties. Select a fill and line to draw a fill area surrounded by a border, or select a line
type only to draw a closed line with no fill.

Creating with Freehand Create and Point Create

The Freehand and Point Create tabs’ functions are used to make new stitch objects by
creating object outlines directly on the design. The outlines may follow a background
picture, if desired, but the Freehand and Point Create functions do not require a picture.
Most of the Freehand Create functions are used by drawing an outline, and most of the
Point Create functions are used by placing points or drawing Bezier lines to define an
outline.

Freehand Create
When using the Freehand Create functions, lines and areas are created by drawing
outlines on the design with a pen on a graphics tablet, or by dragging with the mouse.
All of the Freehand Create tools work in the same way, except for Commands and Columns.
Add Color changes, Single & Alignment stitches, and Stops Set the properties for the stitch types
Select stitch types and appliqué Draw a fill area or line Place points for a Column

Cut a hole in a fill area Draw a Satin Area

Emboss a line on a fill area or column Draw a wave line in a MultiWave Fill area

Draw a Fill Area with Freehand Create

1 Select the stitch types.
2 In the Freehand Create tab, click Create Freehand Area or Line .
3 Draw one continuous line to create a line or area.
4 Lift the pen or release the mouse button to complete the line or area.
5 Repeat to draw as many new areas or lines as desired.
6 Right-click to deselect the Freehand Create function when you have finished, or simply select another
tool.
The Freehand Create functions provide a natural drawing experience and are generally recommended.
When zoomed in, use the Scroll Bars to assist in drawing new objects.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Design Elements 75

 Point Create
With the Point Create functions, lines and areas are created by placing a series of
points that define the outline.
All of the Point Create tools work in the same way, except for Commands and Columns.
Add Color changes, Single & Alignment stitches, and Stops Set the properties for the stitch types
Select stitch types and appliqué Create a fill area or line Create a Column

Cut a hole in a fill area Create a Satin Area Use Bezier Mode
Emboss a line on a fill area or column Draw a wave line in a MultiWave Fill area

Place Points with Point Create

1 Select the stitch types.
2 In the Point Create tab, click Create Point Area or Line . The Point pointer appears.
To create an area with Bezier lines, use Bezier Mode . See “Bezier Mode” on page 223.
3 Place each point with a single click.
Hold down the Shift key to place square points for the precise positioning of corners and straight line
sections.
4 Click and drag to reposition an existing point.
5 Click Delete to remove the last placed point.
6 Right-click when the area is complete.
7 Repeat to place as many new areas or lines as desired.
8 Right-click to deselect the Point Create function when you have finished, or simply select another
tool.

Bezier Mode
Use Bezier Mode to draw shapes with finely graduated curves. Control the exact shape
of the line using the black handles to either side of the points you place.
Click to place Corner points, or click and drag to place curve points with
handles.
For information on Control Points and the other Bezier Line editing tools, see “Convert
Points and Bezier Lines” on page 344.

The Point Create functions may be easier to use for the exact positioning of corners, straight lines and
curves than the Freehand Create functions.

Area Types
Any area can have a border, or no border. The border can be closed or open, and it can use
any line type. Holes can be defined inside any fill area. Appliqué properties may be set for
any area or line. Use Break Apart on the Edit tab to change an area with a border into
separate fill area and line objects.
Any fill area can be converted into a Satin Area, however any holes in the fill area will be lost. (Any Border
lines will be retained, including the borders of the holes.)

76 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Design Elements

Pattern Fill
Pattern Fill areas contain small stitches with repeating patterns. Select from one of the
themed categories, or import a picture as a My Fill pattern. A pattern fill area can have
holes defined inside it. The stitches can be at any angle and the density can be constant,
gradient or multicolor as desired. Constant density fill areas can also have automatic
underlay, which is turned off automatically for gradient density areas.

Fill Area with Satin border and holes Pattern Fill Area with Multicolor Motif Fill Area with two motifs, 13
using Pattern Fill 109 from Hearts Gradient and 19, from Hand Stitches 2

If you change a gradient density fill back to standard, then you should also select the desired underlay.

Shape Fill
Shape Fill areas use one of 120 different shapes. Vary the stitch density, use running
stitch or motif lines for the fill and add holes.

Shape Fill Area using Shape 66 Radial Fill with origin moved to top Spiral Fill using Gradient Density
and Motif 1 from Hand Stitches 1 of heart

Motif Fill
Motif Fill areas contain repeated small stitches placed using one of the Universal or
machine motif patterns. A motif fill area can also have holes defined inside it. The motifs
can be at any angle and at different sizes, and different motifs can be used on alternating
lines.

Radial Fill
Radial Fill areas use a pattern of radiating lines from an origin point that can be moved.
Vary the stitch density and add holes.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Design Elements 77

 Spiral Fill
Spiral Fill areas use a spiral pattern from an origin point that can be moved. Use
constant or gradient density, and add holes.

QuiltStipple Fill
QuiltStipple Fill areas use stipple stitch in curved or straight lines. Vary the gap
between stitch lines, use running or triple stitch, and add holes.

QuiltStipple Fill using a curved Contour Fill, using Triple Stitch and Crosshatch Fill, using Diamond
style a 3.0mm gap style and an Angle of 75 degrees

Contour Fill
Contour Fill areas use contour stitch lines. Vary the gap between stitch lines and the
length of the stitches, use running, double or triple stitch, and add holes.

Crosshatch Fill
Crosshatch Fill areas use diamond, square and parallel crosshatch patterns, or select
the angles for the crosshatch. Set the gap, style, line angle, stitch type and stitch length for
the crosshatching, and add holes to the fill.
Crosshatch fill is often selected for lace designs, typically using a Double Zigzag stitch type.

MultiWave Fill
MultiWave Fill areas use a wave pattern defined by a line, or lines, drawn on the fill
area. Vary the density, or use a motif for the stitch lines.

Echo Fill
Echo Fill places echo lines within and/or around a shape. Choose from rounded, square
and diagonal corners, set the gap between the echo lines and the number of lines, and
select the stitch type and length.

78 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Design Elements

Curved Crosshatch Fill
Curved Crosshatch Fill areas use curving lines in the crosshatch, which can be used to
create a feeling of depth. They are used in quilting, and to create free-standing lace.

Curved Crosshatch Fill, using MultiWave Fill, using a density of 15, Echo Fill using Internal and
Square style and a Gap of 5mm a MultiWave Line, and a Hand External Lines, and rounded
Stitches 1, Pattern 1 motif corners

Satin Areas
Satin Areas contain zigzag stitches that fill the area from one
end to the other at the same density. The stitch angle changes
with the shape of the area, and can be adjusted as desired.
Choose automatic edge walk and/or zigzag underlay, and if
desired select a pattern.
Satin Areas can be converted into any type of fill area. They cannot be
created with a border, but a border can be placed around them using the
Fill Area and Line properties dialog.

Columns
Create Columns by placing points, or on the Point Create tab by drawing Bezier lines. The
Column functions are found both on the Freehand and Point Create tabs. Place alternate
points to define a column of any length.

Columns may be converted into Satin Areas using the Convert to Satin Area option, but Satin Areas
cannot be converted into any type of column.

Satin Column
Use Satin Column to create a straight or curving column of
parallel stitches. The column may be of any length. If desired, add a
pattern. Choose from over 250 patterns, similar to Pattern Fill, or
create your own My Fill patterns. The density can be constant,
gradient or multicolor as desired.
The recommended maximum length for satin stitches is around 8-10mm,
otherwise the stitches may be loose and not lie flat. To create satin wider than
this, use a pattern, overlap satin columns, or use a satin area.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Design Elements 79

 Feathered Satin
For lifelike realistic feathers or fur, use Feathered Satin , where
the start and end points of the stitches are random rather than all
parallel. Feathered satin may also be created with only one side
feathered – the side where the first (A) or second (B) point was
placed.

Feathered Both Sides Feathered Side A Feathered Side B

Richelieu Bars
Use Richelieu Bars to create a column of short sections of satin
perpendicular to the direction of the column. Choose the number of
bars, and the width of the satin.
Richelieu bars are typically used for cutwork designs.

Tapered Motifs
Use Tapered Motifs to create a line of motifs that vary in size
according to the width of the column.
Tapered motifs are often used in lace designs.

Line Types
Choose a line type before drawing the line, or change it afterwards in Fill Area and Line
properties.

Running, Double and Triple Stitches

Set Running Stitch from 0.3-12.0 mm in 0.1mm steps (standard, or cutwork needle
lines with secure points). Set Double , Double Zigzag and Triple Stitch to any
length from 1mm to 12mm.

Running Double Triple

80 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Design Elements

Double Zigzag is a special stitch type, recommended for lace. A running stitch line is retraced in a zigzag
pattern to create a mesh.

Motif Line
Motif Lines are lines of the chosen Universal or machine
motif patterns.

Satin Line
Create Satin Lines where a line or border of satin stitches of
constant width is desired. The line will be created along the center of the chosen line.

Individual satin lines and the satin borders used around fills or appliqué are identical.

Appliqué
Select Appliqué to use appliqué fabric and placement stitches with a fill area that you
create. Select an appliqué fabric in the Appliqué Selection dialog box, and choose a
placement method in the Fill Area and Line options Appliqué tab.

Commands
Commands are instructions such as the Color Change that changes the thread at the
start of a new color block. The Stop tells an embroidery machine to stop without a
color change.
Color changes, stops and alignment stitches are indicated by special blue, red and pink
markers when in 2D or Object mode.

Color Change Stop Alignment Stitch

Alignment Stitches
Use Alignment Stitches to add stitches at the beginning of an embroidery that you can
use to align the embroidery, for example if it is being stitched over a background picture.
Alignment Stitches are typically placed at the beginning of an embroidery. They will be
inserted after the currently selected object, but may be moved if desired. Alignment
Stitches are created as a cross, but may be altered after placement.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Design Elements 81

 Single Stitch
Use Single Stitch to create single stitches that will be
embroidered at whatever length they are made.
Alternatively, if you select to Break Up into Smaller Stitches
they will be broken up into stitches of Running Stitch at any
length from 1mm to 12mm.
Single stitches cannot be converted to any other line type.

Objects Created in the ExpressDesign Wizard

Lines and areas created in the ExpressDesign Wizard may be modified in the same way as
those created by any other method. When the ExpressDesign Wizard is used to create a
new design or load a picture, the design will fit the hoop or use the selected design size.
Columns are not created by the ExpressDesign Wizard. Any satin will be a Satin Area or a Satin Line.

82 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Design Elements

Fill Area and Line Properties
Use the Fill Area and Line properties dialog box to change the fill and line type for a
previously created area. Then edit the properties using the tabs in the dialog.

Choose a fill type

Choose a line type
Change the line or fill properties
Set options for your favorites
Set the appliqué method

Set underlay, angle and compensation

Select a fill category and pattern

Use a Gradient fill

Set the properties for a gradient fill

Click Apply to preview and OK

to finalize your changes

The options available in the two drop-down lists vary, depending upon the selected fill and line type.
You can change a previously created area to any other fill or line type in the drop-down lists, including No
Fill or No Border Line.
To access the Fill Area and Line properties dialog, click the Fill Area and Line button in the
Options area of one of the Create tabs. Alternatively, right-click an existing line or fill on
the FilmStrip or in the work area.
If accessed from the Options button, you cannot change the fill and/or line type.

Fill
Select the Fill type from the drop-down list:
No Fill Spiral Fill MultiWave Fill

Pattern Fill QuiltStipple Fill Echo Fill

Motif Fill Contour Fill Satin Area

Shape Fill Crosshatch Fill

Radial Fill Curved Crosshatch Fill

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Design Elements 83

 Line
Select the Line type from the drop-down list:
No Border Line Triple Stitch

Running Stitch Satin Line

Double Stitch Motif Line

Double Zigzag

Click the Line tab and select Insert Color Change for a different color for a fill area border.
See “Secondary Colors” on page 143.

Appliqué
Select the appliqué method before or
after creating an area or line. Choose
from:
• None
• Standard Appliqué
• Pre-cut Piece
• Pre-placed Piece
• Cut-out

Standard Appliqué
Stitch a running line to show where
appliqué fabric should be placed,
then stop to position the fabric. Stitch down the appliqué fabric with double stitch, then
stop so the fabric may be trimmed. Finish the edges with the selected border stitching.

Pre-cut Piece
Use a pre-cut appliqué piece; created, for example, using an automatic cutter or cutwork
needles.
Stitch a running line to show where the pre-cut appliqué piece should be placed, then
stop to position the appliqué piece. Stitch down the appliqué piece with double stitch,
then finish the edges with the selected border stitching.

Pre-placed Piece
Place the appliqué fabric before stitching.
Place the appliqué layer in position, then stitch down the appliqué fabric with double
stitch. Stop so the fabric may be trimmed. Finish the edges with the selected border
stitching.

Cut-out
Use the appliqué placement line as a guide to where the fabric should be cut; for example
for reverse appliqué.

84 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Design Elements

Stitch a double stitch line. Stop so the fabric may be cut to form a hole defined by the
stitched outline. Finish the edges with the selected border stitching.

Select Fabric
Use Select Fabric to choose a fabric for your appliqué in the Appliqué Selection dialog box.
Click Select Fabric and the Appliqué Selection dialog box appears. See “Appliqué
Selection” on page 184.

Appliqué Piece Margin

Set the margin for appliqué placement relative to the drawn border shape from -10mm to
10mm. The initial value is 1.0mm.
Use a positive value when trimming the appliqué fabric before the border is stitched, for example with
Standard Appliqué and Pre-placed Appliqué. A negative value is recommended for cut-out and reverse
appliqué.
Placement stitches are set to 2.0mm initially. To alter the stitch length for individual lines, use the Break
Apart function for the area.

Match Placement Line

Adjust the position of the first running stitch line for either Standard Appliqué or Pre-cut
Piece so that it matches the outline of the appliqué piece after the Appliqué Piece Margin
has been applied.
This may be useful for precise positioning of appliqué pieces that have been pre-cut with an automated
cutter, to ensure the placement line is visible.

Favorites
Use the Favorites tab of the Fill Area and Line properties dialog to make the chosen
settings into favorites, to change your defaults for a stitch type, or to return to the original
settings.

Save these options as my favorite

Use ’Save these options as my favorite’ to save the chosen options as the favorite for
this area or line type.
The favorite option must always be applied from the Favorites tab. It is not the same as the current settings,
used to create new areas.

Apply my favorite to these options

Use ’Apply my [stitch type] favorite to these options’ to use your favorite settings for
the area or line type instead of the settings shown.
Select multiple objects with the same fill type in the work area or FilmStrip, right-click and select Properties.
Then in the Favorites tab use ’Apply my favorite to these options.’. All of the selected objects are changed.

Set these options as the current settings

Use ’Set these options as the current settings’ to use the chosen options as the default
for new areas of this type.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Design Elements 85

 Reset these options to the system default
Use ’Reset these options to the system default’ to change the settings for the selected
area or line type to the system default.

Show a text summary for these options

Use ’Show a text summary for these options’ to display details of the currently selected
area or line settings.

Save a Fill and Line Type as a Favorite

1 To open the Fill Area and Line properties dialog, right-click an existing line or fill, or click the Fill Area
and Line Options button in the Quick Create, Freehand Create or Point Create tab.
2 For an existing fill, select a Fill type from the Fill drop-down list at the top.
The Fill and Line type menus will only be available if you opened an existing line or fill.
The settings will be saved for the fill and the line type in an object with both.
3 For an existing line, select a Line type from the Line drop-down list at the top.
4 Edit the details in tabbed pages below as desired.
For details on the options available, for Line types see “Using Lines” on page 314, for Fill types see “Using Fill
Areas” on page 232, and for Appliqué see “Appliqué Selection” on page 184.
5 Click the Favorites tab, then click ’Save these options as my favorite’ .
This will save your settings as a favorite in case you want to use these settings frequently. Click ’Show a text
summary for these options’ to view your settings.

Save a Fill and Line Type as your Current Settings

1 Right-click an existing line or fill object to open the Fill Area and Line properties dialog.
2 Make any desired adjustments to the line and fill types in the Options and Line tabs.
3 Click the Favorites tab.
4 Click "Set these options as the current settings".
In future when you use that fill type, the settigns that you chose here for the fill and line types will be used.
To use the system defaults for the fill type in future, click "Reset these options to the system default" on this
tab.

86 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Design Elements

Column Properties
Use the Column properties dialog to change the column type for a previously created
area. Then edit the properties for the selected column type using the Options tab. Use the
Favorites tab to select favorites, or to return to the original settings.

Choose a column type

Change the properties as desired

Click Apply to preview and OK

to finalize your changes

You can change a previously created column to any other column type in the drop-down list. Use Convert
to Satin Area to change to a satin area.
To access the Column properties dialog before creation, select one of the Column options
in the Options section of the Freehand Create or Point Create tab. After creating stitches,
right-click an existing selected column on the FilmStrip or in the work area.
If accessed from the Options button, you cannot change the column type.

Convert to Satin Area

Click Convert to Satin Area to change the column to a Satin Area. The Fill Area and Line
Properties dialog for Satin Area is displayed. See “Satin Area Options” on page 292.

Click Undo to change back to a column.

Favorites
Use the Favorites tab of the Column properties dialog to make the chosen settings into
favorites, or to return to the original settings.

Save these options as my favorite

Use ’Save these options as my favorite’ to save the chosen options as the favorite for
this column type.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Design Elements 87

 The favorite option must always be applied from the Favorites tab. It is not the same as the current settings,
used to create new areas.

Apply my favorite to these options

Use ’Apply my favorite to these options’ to use your favorite settings for the column
type instead of the settings shown.

Set these options as the current settings

Use ’Set these options as the current settings’ to use the chosen options as the default
for new areas of this type.

Reset these options to the system default

Use ’Reset these options to the system default’ to change the settings for the selected
column type to the system default.

Show a text summary for these options

Use ’Show a text summary for these options’ to display details of the chosen column
settings.

Object Properties
The following settings can be changed for stitch objects before or after they are created:
■ Density
■ Compensation
■ Underlay
■ Stitch Length
■ Satin Line Width
■ Fill and Satin Patterns
■ Gap and Shape
■ Start, End and Origin
■ Motif
■ Feathered Side
■ Alignment Stitch Type
The settings for new areas and lines are set by selecting a stitch type in the Options area of
the Create tab and adjusting them in the properties dialog for that stitch type.
Alternatively, select an area with the desired properties and save them as your Favorite
or Current settings.
Not all settings can be changed for all stitch types.
Options that set properties for new objects are only applied when using the Create tabs to make stitch
objects. Objects created in the ExpressDesign Wizard do not use the current settings, but may be changed
after finishing the wizard.

88 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Design Elements

Density
Density of stitching may be set from 2 to 40, except for Pattern Fills , Spiral Fills ,
Satin Column and Satin Area (2 to 80), and Richelieu Bars and Satin Line (2
to 15).

Pattern Fill Area with Multicolor Pattern Fill Area with Gradient
Gradient Density Fill

Pattern and Spiral Fill areas and Satin Columns may also have density gradients,
or variable multi-density. The higher the number, the farther apart the stitches and the
fewer stitches are produced. Pattern fills and Satin Columns may also have multicolor
gradient density.
Embroidery on thicker fabrics usually looks better with more stitch coverage, or a low density setting.
Choose a low value such as 2 or 3 for heavy knit fabrics, a higher value such as 5 or 6 for a light material like
linen or satin.

Compensation
All stitches have a tendency to pull in. The pull varies according to fabric weight and type.
Compensation is used to make a whole design or areas within it 'bolder' by increasing
their relative size. The higher the number, the bolder the areas appear. You can also alter
compensation for any individual area of satin or fill.

Satin Compensation Pattern Fill Compensation

Embroidery on thicker fabrics usually looks better with higher compensation, while on thin materials such
as satin or twill a lower value or zero setting is usually more appropriate. As you create a design, use
overlaps to prevent pulling from creating gaps between blocks of stitches that have different stitch
directions. This provides 'built-in' compensation.
Compensation may be set from 0 to 30 for satin and 0 to 20 for fill areas. The setting for any
Satin Column , Satin Area and Pattern Fill in the design is shown in the Area and
Line properties for that satin or fill.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Design Elements 89

 Compensation does not apply to feathered satin, satin line, or any fill other than pattern fill.

Underlay
Underlay is used to stabilize an area of fabric before stitching over it. Automatic underlay is
optionally available for Pattern Fill areas, Satin Areas, Satin Column, Richelieu Bars and
Satin Line. To create underlay for other object types, use running stitch or single stitches.
Embroidery designs created with the ExpressDesign Wizard have an option to create underlay for the
whole design.

Stitch Length
Stitch Length can vary according to the object type as follows:

■ Single Stitches : each stitch may be set from 1-12mm in 1mm steps, or embroidered
without breaking up into smaller stitches.
The current maximum stitch length for new Single stitches, if it is desired to break them up into smaller
stitches, is shown in the Preferences .
■ Running Stitch may be set from 0.3-12.0mm in 0.1mm steps.
Cutwork needle lines are automatically set to 0.3mm.
■ Double Stitch , Double Zigzag and Triple Stitch may be set from 1-12mm in
0.1mm steps.
■ Motif Line stitches may be set from 1-20mm in 0.1mm steps.
■ Motif Fill : the length of the running or triple stitches making the motif shapes can be
set from 1-12mm in 0.1mm steps.
■ Feathered Satin (feathered both sides or one side): the maximum length of the stitches
may be set from 2-30mm in 1mm steps.
■ Shape Fill : where Motifs are used, the length of the running or triple stitches making
the motifs can be set from 1-12mm in 0.1mm steps.
■ QuiltStipple , Contour , Crosshatch , Curved Crosshatch and Echo Fill: the
length of the running or triple stitches making the fill can be set from 1-12mm in 0.1mm
steps.
Check the current setting by clicking the Options button in one of the Create tabs.

Satin Line Width

Satin line or border width may be set from 1 to 12mm in
0.1mm steps.

Fill and Satin Patterns

Choose from over 250 system patterns or any imported My Fill
pattern for Pattern Fill areas, Satin Areas and Satin Columns.
Choose any available motif for motif fill areas, lines and tapered
motifs columns. Check the current setting by clicking the Fill
Area and Line button in the Options area of one of the Create
tabs. See “Fill and Satin Patterns” on page 367.

90 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Design Elements

Patterns in categories other than Standard are recommended for use in relatively
large fill areas, as they have repeating patterns which work well when 'tiled'
together. Pattern 36 produces a 'satin effect' fill stitch. The first four patterns in the
Gradient & Lace category (253-256) are recommended for multicolor gradient. The
other eight (257-264) are suitable for a weave pattern combined with parallel
crosshatch, as used for lace designs.
Set the angle of orientation for the stitches in Pattern, Motif and
Crosshatch and Curved Crosshatch fill areas to any degree. Check the current setting by
clicking the Fill Area and Line button in the Options area of one of the Create tabs.

Gap and Shape

The QuiltStipple , Contour , Shape , Crosshatch ,
Curved Crosshatch and Echo styles of fill have additional
properties that are unique to these fill styles. QuiltStipple fills
can have curved or straight stipple stitching, and a gap setting
controls the spacing of the lines of stipple stitch. Contour fill also
uses a gap setting that controls the spacing of the lines of
Contour stitch. Shape fills have a choice of 120 shapes, which
control the path of the stitching. Crosshatch and Curved
Crosshatch fills can use diamond, square and parallel styles.
They have a gap setting that controls the spacing between the lines in the crosshatch.
Echo fills can use internal or external lines, varying the number or spacing. They also have
a choice of three styles, with curved, square or diagonal corners.
Richelieu Bars may have a minimum gap or number of bars specified.

Start, End and Origin

Fill and satin areas have adjustable green start and red end points, which can be
moved to any point defining the shape of the area. Use this to control the connection
between an area and the objects that precede or follow it. For example, this is useful for
shortening or hiding movement stitches so the need for trimming is reduced.
Pattern, Shape, Radial and Spiral fill areas also have an orange origin . For Pattern Fill,
the origin marker also has an adjustment handle .
In a pattern fill area, the origin is the start point for the repeating pattern. In Shape, Radial and Spiral fills,
the origin is the point from which stitches radiate. For a pattern fill area, move the origin to change the
position of the pattern, and rotate the handle to change the angle. For Shape, Radial and Spiral fills, move
the origin to move the radiation point of the fill. The origin may be moved anywhere on the work area.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Design Elements 91

 Motif
Choose any available motif for Motif Fill areas and Lines .
Motifs can also be used in Shape , MultiWave and Curved
Crosshatch fills, and tapered motifs columns . The size of
motifs can be changed, and they can be stitched in either
running or triple stitch. For motif fill areas, a second motif can be
chosen for alternating lines, and the spacing, offset and angle of
lines can be changed. Check the current setting by clicking the
Fill Area and Line button in the Options area of one of the Create
tabs.

Feathered Side
Individual areas that were created as both sides feathered, Feather Side A or Feather Side B
may have their feathered edges changed. See “Feathered Satin” on page 80.

Feathered Both Sides Feathered Side A Feathered Side B

Alignment Stitch Type

Alignment stitches are added at the beginning of an
embroidery to align it, for example, with a background picture
on fabric.
Alignment stitches are initially placed as a cross . Use the
Alignment Stitches properties dialog to change the stitch type.
Select the desired stitch and right-click to choose from cross
, top left , top right , bottom left , bottom right
and point .

Global Properties
The properties of all visible objects of a chosen type can be changed with Global
Properties.
Global Properties is not used for Stops, and has no effect on Color Changes.

Shortcut
■ Keys: Alt, E, G; Right-click FilmStrip, B

92 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Design Elements

 Change Object Settings with Global Properties
1 Use the Edit tab and the Design Panel to hide any objects you do not wish to affect.
For example, hide objects by color, or use the Hide Object Types filters.
2 Right-click an object of the desired type in the FilmStrip and select Global Properties from the context
menu.
The properties dialog box for the object will appear, with the current settings taken from the selected
object.
3 Adjust the properties as desired.
4 Click OK.
All the settings in the dialog box will be applied to all visible objects of the same type.
When you click OK, the settings are applied globally even if you did not change anything. For
example, if you have a fill area that already has the desired settings, select the fill area then select
Global Properties and click OK to replicate the settings on all visible fill areas.
Global Properties is only available if a single object is selected.

Change Properties for Selected Objects

The properties of all selected objects of a chosen type can be changed at once.
You cannot change properties for multiple Stops or Color Changes at the same time.

Change the Settings for Selected Objects

1 Hold the Ctrl key and in the FilmStrip click each of the objects that you want to affect.
2 With the desired objects selected, right–click one of your chosen objects.
3 Select Properties from the context menu. The properties dialog box for the object will appear, with
the current settings taken from the selected object.
4 Adjust the properties as desired, then click OK.
All the settings in the dialog box will be applied to all selected objects of the same type.
When you click OK, the settings will be applied to all selected objects, even if you did not
change anything. For example, if you have a fill area that already has the desired settings,
select the objects you want to change, right-click the fill area with the desired settings and
select Properties from the context menu. In the Fill Area and Line properties dialog click
OK to replicate the settings on all selected fill areas.
If more than one type of object is selected, only the object selected first will have its properties changed.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Design Elements 93

 Changing Stitch Types
To change a stitch type to another stitch type, select the line or fill area, then right-click.
(Alternatively, right-click on the object in the FilmStrip of the Design window and select
Properties.) In the Fill Area and Line properties dialog select the desired Line or Fill type
from the drop-down menus at the top.
Stitch types in the following two groups may be changed to any other stitch type in either
of these groups:

Lines
Running Stitch Satin Line

Double Stitch Motif Line

Double Zigzag No Border Line

Triple Stitch

Areas
Pattern Fill QuiltStipple Fill Echo Fill

Motif Fill Contour Fill No Fill

Shape Fill Crosshatch Fill Satin Area

Radial Fill Curved Crosshatch Fill

Spiral Fill MultiWave Fill

When converting to a Satin Area, any holes in the fill area will be lost.
Objects in the following groups may be changed to any other stitch type in that group:

Columns
Satin Column Richelieu Bars

Feathered Satin Tapered Motifs

Any Column can be changed into a Satin Area using the Convert to Satin Area option, but it cannot be
changed back.
The following object types cannot be changed into another type of object:
■ Single Stitch
■ Stop Command
■ Color Change
■ Alignment Stitch

94 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Design Elements

Design Size and Creating Embroideries
The purpose of creating a design is to generate an embroidery from the finished design.
Before creating an embroidery you may wish to consider how the design size will affect
the finished embroidery.
The size of a design is mainly controlled by the hoop size used.
You can create a design for many different hoop sizes from the same design outline (.edo) file. However,
you need to consider how this will affect the size of individual parts. For example, a satin line for an
embroidery size of 150mm may look better as a running stitch line if the embroidery size is 80mm. The
recommended maximum length for satin stitches is around 8-10mm, otherwise the stitches may be loose
and not lie flat. To create a satin sections wider than this, either overlap satin sections, or use one of the fill
patterns to create smaller alternating stitches
When creating designs, remember the outside edge of some stitch types may extend
beyond the hoop. For example, satin borders have stitches generated on both sides of the
center line and feathered satin sections have stitches that go beyond the points placed to
define the feathered satin. The design size is measured according to the distance between
the outermost control points. However, the embroidery may be larger than the desired
design area or hoop size if stitches are created that extend beyond the outermost points,
as in the example. This is easy to see in 3D View, but in Object View you could create areas
that are too large without realizing.

The stitches created go outside the hoop. The points for both the satin line and
feathered satin are inside the hoop.

You will be able to save the design outline file, but if you select Export Embroidery a
message will appear: Embroidery is too large or will not fit in hoop. Click OK to continue.
Change to a larger hoop to stitch out the design, or in the Modify Block menu on the
Home tab, select Scale Fit to Hoop to automatically adjust the actual size of the design
to fit in the hoop.
Use Change Design Size to alter a design automatically to a new size, allowing for the
stitch objects used such as satin borders.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Design Elements 95

 ExpressDesign Wizard 6
Use the ExpressDesign Wizard to create new designs automatically from pictures. There
are three design types that can be created in the ExpressDesign Wizard: Express
Embroidery, Express Trace and Express Border.mySewnet™ Draw & Paint
Additionally, when started with New , the ExpressDesign Wizard can be used to load a
picture for a new design, load an existing design or start a new design without a picture.

Express Embroidery
Create a new design by converting color areas in a picture to fill and
satin areas, using running stitch or satin border outlines where
necessary.
Express Embroidery works best when using pictures that have well
defined, flat color areas and outlines.

Express Trace
Create a new design by tracing outlines in the picture. Use light or
heavy running stitch to create redwork or blackwork style designs,
create quilt stencils and so on. Use satin border of constant width for
designs that demand broader outlines.

Express Border
Create a new design by creating borders around
shapes in a picture. The border can be created as a satin
border, an outline of running, double or triple stitch, or
a border of motifs; all, optionally, with appliqué.

Load or Create a Picture

Create a new design by loading a picture, and optionally
rotating and cropping the picture. Select a hoop or design size,
then the wizard finishes. The picture is loaded as a background
into the mySewnet™ Digitizing design window.
You can also create or edit a picture in mySewnet™ Draw & Paint.

Load Existing Design

Open an existing design to preview it in the wizard, then close the wizard and load the
design in mySewnet™ Digitizing. The Design window of mySewnet™ Digitizing is shown.

Start a New Design with no Picture

Select a hoop, then close the ExpressDesign Wizard and start with an empty work area in
mySewnet™ Digitizing.

96 mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard

 New
Use New to clear the mySewnet™ Digitizing screen and start a new design. You are
prompted to save the current design if changes have been made. The ExpressDesign
Wizard will start and the Choose Design Type page will appear.

Shortcuts
■ File Menu:
■ Keys: Ctrl + N

New Window
Use File, New Window in the Design window to open an additional mySewnet™ Digitizing
window so that you can start a new design with the ExpressDesign Wizard, insert an
embroidery or design, or paste a block to start a new design.
To move between open mySewnet™ Digitizing windows, hover over the mySewnet™ Digitizing icon on the
taskbar, and select the desired window.

Shortcuts
■ File Menu:
■ Keys: Ctrl + Shift + N

Insert ExpressDesign
Use Insert ExpressDesign to create a new design in the ExpressDesign Wizard. Insert
ExpressDesign is used to add new design elements to an existing design, but can also be
used to create the first part of a new design, or used repeatedly to compose a design from
elements created in the ExpressDesign Wizard.
Use ExpressDesign into Rectangle to create a new design that is a best-fit to a rectangular
area you draw, and use ExpressDesign into Hoop to create a new design that is a best-fit to
the currently selected hoop and orientation.

ExpressDesign into Rectangle

Use the ExpressDesign into Rectangle option to create a new design in the
ExpressDesign Wizard that is a best-fit to a rectangular area you draw.
In the Insert ExpressDesign drop-down, click ExpressDesign into Rectangle and the
mouse pointer will change to the draw rectangle pointer . Click and drag on the work
area to draw a rectangle of the desired size. When you release the mouse button, the
Choose Design Type page of the ExpressDesign Wizard will appear.
If the rectangle is wrong and you wish to try again, click Cancel when the ExpressDesign Wizard appears.
Then click ExpressDesign into Rectangle again.
Choose the desired design type, then choose a picture and step through the rest of the
ExpressDesign Wizard. When you Finish, the new design will be placed where you drew
the rectangle, and will fit the rectangle proportionally, depending on the picture shape.
Use Save to keep the new design. Use Export to save in other formats, and optimize
for stitching.

mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard 97

 Shortcuts
■ Home Tab, ExpressDesign Wizard Drop-Down:
■ Keys: Alt, H, IR, IR

Insert an ExpressDesign in the Work Area

1 In the Home tab, click Insert ExpressDesign , and Into Rectangle . The mouse pointer will
change to the draw rectangle pointer .
2 Click and drag on the work area to draw a rectangle of the desired size. When you release the mouse
button, the Choose Design Type page of the ExpressDesign Wizard will appear.
If the rectangle is wrong and you wish to try again, click Cancel when the ExpressDesign Wizard appears,
then select Insert ExpressDesign again.
3 Choose the desired design type and click Next.
4 Choose a picture then step through the rest of the ExpressDesign Wizard. The pages will appear
according to the chosen design type.
The rectangle you drew is used to automatically set the size of the new design, according to the portion of
the design area you selected with the rectangle and the current hoop. Hence, the Design Size page of the
wizard will not appear.
5 At the end of the wizard click Finish. The new design will be placed where you drew the rectangle,
and will be a best fit to the rectangle depending on the picture shape.
6 Move, resize, mirror, rotate, copy and cut the new design as desired. When the new design is
positioned and sized as desired, right-click to deselect it.

ExpressDesign into Hoop

Use the ExpressDesign into Hoop option to create a new design in the ExpressDesign
Wizard that is a best-fit to the currently selected hoop and orientation.

If desired, click Change Hoop and choose a different hoop size before using ExpressDesign into Hoop.
In the Insert ExpressDesign drop-down, click ExpressDesign into Hoop and the
Choose Design Type page of the ExpressDesign Wizard will appear. Choose the desired
design type, then choose a picture and step through the rest of the ExpressDesign Wizard.
When you Finish, the new design will be placed in the center of the hoop. Use Save or
Save As to keep the new design, together with any other designs in the work area. Use
Export to save in other formats, and optimize for stitching.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab, ExpressDesign Wizard Drop-Down:
■ Keys: Alt, H, IR, IH

98 mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard

Choose Design Type

Create an embroidery
automatically

Load or create a picture

Load a design
Start with an empty work area

Express Embroidery
Create a new design by converting color areas in a picture to fill and
satin areas, using running stitch or satin border outlines where
necessary.

Express Trace
Create a new design by tracing outlines in the picture. Use light or
heavy running stitch to create redwork or blackwork style
embroidery, create quilt stencils and so on. Use satin border of
constant width for larger designs or when a bolder outline is more
pleasing.

Express Border
Create a new design by simplifying a picture into solid color areas.
Borders are created around these shapes as satin, appliqué, running
stitch, double stitch, triple stitch or motifs.

Load or Create a Background Picture

Create a new design by loading a picture, and optionally rotating
and cropping the picture. Select a hoop or design size, then the
wizard finishes. The picture is loaded as a background into
mySewnet™ Digitizing design window.
You can also create or edit a picture in mySewnet™ Draw & Paint for a
background.
This option is only available when starting the ExpressDesign Wizard with File, New , or
File, New Window .

mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard 99

 Load Existing Design
Open an existing design to preview it in the wizard, then close the
wizard and load the design in the mySewnet™ Digitizing design
window.
This option is only available when starting the ExpressDesign
Wizard with File, New , or File, New Window .

Start a New Design with no Picture

Select a hoop, then close the ExpressDesign Wizard and start with a
blank work area in mySewnet™ Digitizing.
This option is only available when starting the ExpressDesign
Wizard with File, New , or File, New Window .
Use this option if you wish to create your own picture with stitches, or load a
picture later.

100 mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard

 Choose Picture
Select a picture file on
your computer

Paste a copied picture

Import a file from a
scanner or camera

Create in Draw & Paint

Edit a picture in Draw & Paint
The picture is previewed

Use the Choose Picture page to select the picture you wish to convert to a design. Select a
picture from clipart, or one you have previously scanned or created in an image editor.
Alternatively, paste a captured picture.

Load a Picture
Click Load a Picture to open a picture from clipart, or one you have previously scanned
or created in an image editor. After selecting a picture, the preview box will show the
selected picture with its name underneath. Click Next to continue.

Choose a picture folder

Click to select a picture

Scroll to view more folders

Load the selected picture

Change the icon size

The following file formats may be loaded: Windows or OS2 Bitmap (.bmp), JPEG-JFIF
Compliant (.jpg, .jif, .jpeg), PatternCAD (.4dq), Portable Network Graphics (.png), Tagged
Image File Format uncompressed (.tiff, .tif ), Windows Meta File (.wmf ), Windows Enhanced
Meta File (.emf ) and Windows Icon (.ico).

Select a Picture file

1 Click Load a Picture and the Picture Viewer dialog box appears.
2 Double-click to expand the folders until the desired folder is highlighted.
3 Click on a picture to select it.

mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard 101

 4 Click OK to open the picture in the Choose Picture page.
5 Click Cancel to exit without selecting a picture.

Paste Picture
Use Paste Picture to load the picture in the Clipboard Block. The picture is shown in the
preview area.
Paste Picture is not available if the Clipboard Block is empty.

From Scanner or Camera

Use From Scanner or Camera to display the program that is used to acquire pictures
from a scanner, a digital camera or another suitable device. Only devices that use Windows
Image Acquisition (WIA) can be used to obtain pictures.
WIA (Windows Image Acquisition) is a standard method for transferring pictures from the device’s
scanning or downloading program to another program, in this case the mySewnet™ Digitizing module of
the mySewnet™ Embroidery Software. If the manufacturer provides the appropriate software components
needed for WIA compliance, these should have been installed when the device was installed.
Each scanner or digital camera has its own program that is used to scan or download
pictures. Refer to the manual or online help provided with the program for instructions, if
required. When the device and its software finish processing the Picture, it will be shown
in the Choose Picture page.

Create New Picture and Edit Picture

Create a new picture or edit an existing picture in mySewnet™ Draw & Paint.

Preview and Name

Under the preview pane is a box for the name of the chosen file. If the picture is a scanned
image then the box will contain the words Scanned Picture.

Back
Return to the Choose Design Type page.

Next
Go to the Rotate and Crop Picture page.

102 mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard

Rotate and Crop Picture

Zoom in and out

Adjust the crop lines as desired

Change the angle of the picture

Select the whole picture or
use the default crop settings

Correct the perspective in the picture Save the edited picture

Use the Rotate and Crop Picture page to select the section of the picture that is to be used
to create the design, and to rotate the picture to any angle from 0 to 359 degrees. The
picture is automatically cropped to remove excess background color. If required, adjust
the crop lines to select the desired part of the picture. Use Perspective Correction to adjust
for perspective or skew.
Sometimes, the automatic crop area may not appear to remove as much background color as possible.
This can happen when the background color appears to be a plain color, such as white, but actually has
minor variations that are not immediately visible. For example, this often happens with the JPEG-JFIF
Compliant (*.jpg, .jif, .jpeg) picture format.
Click and drag anywhere inside the crop box to move the crop box. Click and drag outside
the crop box to draw a new crop box.

Rotate
Rotate the picture to any angle from 0 to 359 degrees. When the picture is rotated
between the 90 degree steps, the picture is made larger and the detected background
color is added. If there is no distinctive background color, white is used.

Select All
Click the Select All button to select the whole picture. Alternatively, double-click the
picture to select the whole picture.

Reset
Click Reset to set the crop lines back to the default position for the current picture.

Perspective Correction
To remove the effects of perspective in a picture, or to correct skew, select Perspective
Correction . When using Perspective Correction, the crop handles are red.

mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard 103

 Move the red handles so that the crop lines frame the picture. Use the Zoom tools to view
the outline of the picture more clearly. Drag the Stretch Picture slider to make the
picture in the Preview wider or narrower. Use Save Picture to save your edited picture.

Zoom
Use the Zoom functions to change the view of the picture.
Use Zoom In to magnify the view. Move the pointer over the picture and the pointer
changes to the zoom in pointer . Then either click a point you want to zoom in towards,
or click and drag a rectangle around the area you want to zoom in to and release the
mouse button to zoom. When zoomed in, use the scroll bars to move around.
Use Zoom Out to shrink the view. Move the pointer over the picture and the pointer
changes to the zoom out pointer . Then click a point you want to zoom out from.
Click Zoom To Fit to fit the picture to the preview area.
Click Real Size to view the picture at its real size in pixels. This means that one pixel of
the picture uses one pixel of the screen.

Back
Return to the Choose Picture page.

Next
Go to the:
• Design Size page for an Express Embroidery, and when loading or creating a
background picture
• Outline Finder and Expander page for an Express Trace
• Monochrome Threshold page for an Express Border.

104 mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard

Outline Finder and Expander

Find the outline in the picture

Increase the thickness of the line

Preview your changes

The Outline Finder and Expander page of the ExpressDesign Wizard only appears if you
are creating an Express Trace design. If the picture consists of mainly solid color areas, use
this page to create outlines appropriate for tracing.

Find Outlines
Select this option to find the outlines in your picture and show them in the preview area.
Find Outlines looks for distinctive boundaries between color areas in the picture. Pictures that have
gradual color changes, such as photographs or previously scanned pictures saved in JPEG format, may not
have strong color boundaries that can be detected by Find Outlines.
It is usually not necessary to Find Outlines in a picture that already has black outlining.
However, if there are additional color boundaries that do not have outlining in the picture,
you may still wish to use Find Outlines.

Expand
This is only available when Find Outlines is selected. Use this option to increase the
thickness of outlines that have been found, by adding up to 5 pixels on each side of the
lines. It is initially set to 1. Lines are traced down the center by Express Trace, so setting
Expand to at least 1 will allow curves to be traced more smoothly and continuously.
If Expand is set to 0 (zero), the outlines found in the picture will be only one pixel wide. When a line changes
direction, this may cause a break in the line where pixels only meet at the corner. This may cause a line to
be traced in multiple sections, or not at all. Therefore, it is recommended to set Expand to at least 1.
If desired, use higher Expand values to merge outlines when parallel outlines are close
together. Alternatively, you may be able to exclude unwanted lines by using Monochrome
Threshold on the next page.

Zoom
Use the Zoom functions to change the view of the picture.
Use Zoom In to magnify the view. Move the pointer over the picture and the pointer
changes to the zoom in pointer . Then either click a point you want to zoom in towards,

mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard 105

 or click and drag a rectangle around the area you want to zoom in to and release the
mouse button to zoom. When zoomed in, use the scroll bars to move around.
Use Zoom Out to shrink the view. Move the pointer over the picture and the pointer
changes to the zoom out pointer . Then click a point you want to zoom out from.
Click Zoom To Fit to fit the picture to the preview area.
Click Real Size to view the picture at its real size in pixels. This means that one pixel of
the picture uses one pixel of the screen.

Preview
The preview shows the picture. If Find Outlines is selected, the preview shows the outlines
that have been found, and the effect of using Expand.

Back
Return to the Rotate and Crop Picture page.

Next
Go to the Monochrome Threshold page.

106 mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard

Monochrome Threshold

Preview monochrome version

Original picture

Adjust the color sensitivity

The Monochrome Threshold page of the ExpressDesign Wizard appears if you are creating
an Express Trace or Express Border design.
The Monochrome Threshold turns all shades or colors in the picture into either black or
white. It acts on the whole picture. The Monochrome Threshold creates defined areas that
are suitable for creating the final designs.
Interior details, within enclosed shapes in the picture, will not be preserved when creating Express Border.
Move the Monochrome Threshold slider bar to the desired setting, or enter a value directly
in the box, then click Next.
Adjust the Monochrome Threshold between 0 and 255 by typing in a number, clicking on
the left or right of the slider bar or by clicking and dragging the slider bar. To make more of
the image black, move the slider to the right or type a higher number in the box. To make
more of the image white, move the slider to the left or type a lower number in the box.

Original Picture
The thumbnail on the left shows the original picture. This allows you to see which colors in
the picture have been turned black or white.

Preview
The preview picture shows the result of applying the Monochrome Threshold.

Zoom
Use the Zoom functions to change the view of the picture.
Use Zoom In to magnify the view. Move the pointer over the picture and the pointer
changes to the zoom in pointer . Then either click a point you want to zoom in towards,
or click and drag a rectangle around the area you want to zoom in to and release the
mouse button to zoom. When zoomed in, use the scroll bars to move around.
Use Zoom Out to shrink the view. Move the pointer over the picture and the pointer
changes to the zoom out pointer . Then click a point you want to zoom out from.

mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard 107

 Click Zoom To Fit to fit the picture to the preview area.
Click Real Size to view the picture at its real size in pixels. This means that one pixel of
the picture uses one pixel of the screen.

Back
Return to the Rotate and Crop Picture page for an Express Border design, or to the Outline
Finder and Expander page for an Express Trace.

Next
Go to the Design Size page.

108 mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard

Design Size
Fit the design to the hoop
Enter a size for the design

Preview the hoop

Select a different hoop

Set the size of the design

The Design Size page only appears when creating a new design, from New or New
Window.
To specify the design size, either select Fit Design to Hoop to ensure the design fits the
desired hoop, or choose Enter Design Size to specify the width or height of the design.

Fit Design to Hoop

The current hoop name and hoop size are shown, with a thumbnail of the hoop. The
selected hoop is remembered, next time you use the ExpressDesign Wizard.
Click Change Hoop to choose a different hoop in the Hoop Selection dialog box. The new
design will be a best fit to the selected hoop and orientation.

mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard 109

 Select the hoop size Choose a machine or hoop group

Add the hoop

to My Hoops

Enter a size for a custom hoop Select the hoop orientation

Hoop Group
The drop-down list of Hoop Groups shows all the machine Hoop Groups, and the My
Hoops group, if used.

Hoop Size
The drop-down Hoop Size list shows the hoops in the chosen Hoop Group. Select the
desired hoop size and a picture of the hoop will be shown in the Preview.

Included in My Hoops
Select (check) Included in My Hoops to add the selected hoop to the My Hoops list. Use
the My Hoops list to create a list of your favorite hoops.
The selected hoops will be displayed in the My Hoops group in the order that they were selected.

Orientation
Select Natural or Rotated orientation according to the shape of the embroidery that is to
fit in the hoop. Natural orientation is similar to the way the hoop would appear when you
sit in front of your machine; note the position of the bracket.
It is recomended to use natural hoop orientation for designs with Twin Needle colors.

Enter Size
To enter a hoop size that is not listed in any of the Hoop Groups, click the Enter Hoop Size
box so that it is selected (checked). The Width and Height boxes will become available.
You can enter any size from 10mm to 4000mm. The preview shows the shape of the hoop
you enter.

110 mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard

If you position the arrow pointer over the box without clicking, the alternative units and range will be
shown.

Enter Design Size

Select the dimension you wish to set (the Width or Height of the design), usually the
longest side, then enter the size of the design.
Enter Design Size is not available if one of the Start a New Design with no Picture options was selected in
the Choose Design Type page.

Back
Return to the:
• Rotate and Crop Picture page for an Express Embroidery and when loading or creating a
background picture
• Monochrome Threshold page for an Express Trace or Express Border
• Choose Design Type page when starting a new design with no picture.
Next
Go to the:
• Choose Thread Colors Page for an Express Embroidery
• Express Trace Options or Express Border Options for those design types
Finish
For Start a New Design with No Picture, and for Load or Create a Background Picture close
the ExpressDesign Wizard and open the main screen.

mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard 111

 Express Embroidery Options
There are two wizard pages used to set additional options for creating an Express
Embroidery.

Choose Thread Colors

Zoom in and out

Return to the original color list
Set the number of colors
Select a Thread Range
Choose a thread

Remove the background color

Move colors up & down the list

Change a thread color
Delete a color
Delete all colors
Choose a color from the picture
Pick a background color from the picture
Enhance detail in the picture

The Choose Thread Colors page of the ExpressDesign Wizard only appears when you are
creating an Express Embroidery. Use the Choose Thread Colors page to match thread
colors to colors in the picture, to set the number of colors, and to choose the color order.
Select whether or not to keep the background and, if desired, pick a different background
color. Optionally, choose whether or not to expand thin lines and set the sensitivity to
small areas in the picture.

Color Selection
Number of Colors
The Number of Colors is initially set to the Recommended number of colors. The
ExpressDesign Wizard determines the optimal number of colors for converting the picture
into thread colors. When this number is changed, the list of colors and the preview are
updated.
The maximum Number of Colors is 256. For pictures with less than 256 colors, the
maximum is the total number of colors in the picture.
The total number of colors in photographs and other complex color pictures may be shown as 256+. This
may mean that there are a lot of small color areas in the picture. This can also happen with clipart in JPEG-
JFIF Compliant (.jpg, .jif, .jpeg) format, as this format introduces minor color variations that may not be
visible.

Apply
Click Apply to recalculate the threads with the new number of colors.

112 mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard

Reset
Use Reset to return the color list to the initial set of colors. The colors are also re-ordered
from light to dark. The colors in the picture will be matched to thread colors from the
thread range shown in the Change All To box. Any custom thread matches that are
required must be re-selected with Change Thread.

Change All To
Click the drop-down arrow to choose a different thread range. When a thread range is
chosen, each picture color in the list will be assigned the nearest matching thread color
from the chosen thread range.
When a new thread range is chosen, all custom thread matches set by Change Thread will be lost.

Picture and Thread Color List

The color list shows the colors that have been automatically selected. The colors are
picked to give the closest representation of the original picture with the current Number
of Colors. Each time the number of colors is changed, this list is updated.
Sometimes, when the Number of Colors is reduced to a low number, colors will be chosen that are averages
of two or more prominent colors in the picture. This can give a posterized appearance to the Reduced
Colors Preview. If this effect is not desired, increase the Number of Colors.
The list shows a sample of each color currently selected from the picture. Initially, the
colors are shown from light to dark, with each picture color automatically matched to a
thread color from the thread range shown in Change All To. The color order can be
changed. This affects the order that colors are used in the final design.
The basic color order is set by this list. However, the order for stitch types is satin, then fill, then outlines
(running stitch or satin border). Hence, if black is moved so that it is first in this list, it will still be last in the
final design if it is only used for outlining.
The same thread color may be matched to two or more colors in the picture. Each thread
color can be individually changed with Change Thread. When thread colors are changed
in the list, the Thread Color Preview is updated.
When more than one color in the picture is matched to the same thread color, the number of color changes
in the final embroidery is reduced.

Move Up and Move Down

Use Move Up and Move Down to change the order of colors in the list.

Change Thread
Click a color in the list, then click the Change Thread button. The Color Selection dialog
box will appear so that a different thread color can be chosen. Alternatively, double-click a
color in the list and the Color Selection dialog box will appear.
It is recommended only to use Change Thread after the main thread range has been selected.

Pick
Click Pick to add thread colors to the list by clicking the desired colors in the Source
Picture.

mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard 113

 When Pick is selected, the pointer changes to an eyedropper over the source picture.
Click the picture to pick up the color under the tip of the eyedropper, and the nearest
matching thread color from the selected Thread Range will be automatically selected and
added to the thread color list. The Thread Color Preview will be updated to show any other
areas that can use the selected thread color.
The thread color is picked for the clicked color according to the RGB (red, green, blue) value at the point
clicked. If there is already a thread color assigned to that exact RGB value, it will be highlighted in the list
instead of adding a thread color to the list.

Delete
Delete the picture color currently highlighted in the list. The deleted color is replaced with
the nearest remaining picture color in the list. The Thread Color Preview is re-displayed,
with the reduced set of thread colors.

Delete All
Click Delete All to remove all the thread colors from the list if you wish to use Pick to
choose colors from the Source Picture.

Background Color
The background color is automatically determined. It is the color which is used the most
along the edges of the picture. If desired, select a different background color.

Current Background Color

The large color square shows the current background color.

Pick Background Color

Click Pick Background Color to choose a different color from the Source Picture as the
background color. When Pick Background Color is selected, the pointer changes to an
eyedropper over the source picture. Click the picture to pick up the color under the tip
of the eyedropper. The sample of the current background will change. Depending on the
choice for Automatically Remove Background Color, the Thread Color Preview may show
the effect of removing the selected color.

Automatically Remove Background Color

When this is selected, the Thread Color Preview will show any areas that will be removed
as a checkerboard pattern.
When removing the background color, choose between:
• Remove main background only
Any areas of the background color that are connected to the edges of the picture will
not be used in the final design. Use this option when there are significant design
elements in the background color within the design.
• Remove all background color areas
Any areas of the background color will not be used in the final design. Use this option
when the background shows through gaps in the composition. Also choose this if you
wish to remove a background color that is not connected to the edges of the picture.

114 mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard

Removing Multiple Background Colors
Some pictures may have more than one background color, even after color reduction. To
remove additional unwanted background colors, change the thread color so that all the
background colors use the same thread color.
If the thread color used for the background color is the same as for a color area that you wish to keep,
change the background thread color to a 'false color' that is not needed for this design.

Picture Options
Click the Picture Options button to see the Picture Options dialog box, which is used to set
the Black Lines option and set the Area Sensitivity.

Black Lines
There are three options for handling black lines in your picture. Expand Pixel-Thin Lines is
chosen by default.
Select No Change if you feel that outlines in the picture do not need to be expanded or
reduced.
Select Expand Pixel-Thin Lines to make black lines thicker, to prevent broken lines where
pixels join at corners. This option is on by default, to ensure that outlines in the picture are
continuous.
Select Reduce Thick Lines if your picture has very heavy outlines, and you prefer to have
markout stitching in your picture rather than satin outlines.

Area Sensitivity
Area Sensitivity is used to determine how significant small areas of color in the picture
may be. Choose High, Medium or Low. Area Sensitivity is set to Medium each time the
ExpressDesign Wizard is used.
Use High sensitivity to increase the detail extracted from the picture. This is useful, for
example, when facial details are ignored at Medium sensitivity. Use Low sensitivity to
decrease the detail extracted from the picture. This is useful, for example, when unwanted
details are retained in the design at Medium.

Previews
Source Picture
This shows the original picture, after being rotated and cropped, in full color.

Thread Color Preview

This shows how the thread colors have been chosen to replace colors in the picture. This
gives an approximate indication of where thread blocks will be in the final design.
If variegated threads have been selected, only the first color is shown in the preview.

Zoom
Use the Zoom functions to change the view of the picture. The same area of the picture is
shown in both previews when the zoom level is changed.

mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard 115

 Use Zoom In to magnify the view. Move the pointer over the picture and the pointer
changes to the zoom in pointer . Then either click a point you want to zoom in towards,
or click and drag a rectangle around the area you want to zoom in to and release the
mouse button to zoom. When zoomed in, use the scroll bars to move around.
Use Zoom Out to shrink the view. Move the pointer over the picture and the pointer
changes to the zoom out pointer . Then click a point you want to zoom out from.
Click Zoom To Fit to fit the picture to the preview area.
Click Real Size to view the picture at its real size in pixels. This means that one pixel of
the picture uses one pixel of the screen.

Back
Return to the Design Size page.

Next
Go to the Fabric and Stitch Type Options page.

116 mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard

Fabric and Stitch Type Options

Preview the embroidery

Choose a fabric type

Add underlay to the design

Create more satin or

more fill areas
View the design information
Place on the work area
Make further edits

The Fabric and Stitch Type Options page of the ExpressDesign Wizard only appears when
you are creating an Express Embroidery. Use the Fabric and Stitch Type page to choose the
typical fabric that the design will be stitched onto, and the preference for fill areas or satin
areas.

Fabric Advisor
Fabric
Choose the fabric on which the design will be stitched. Adjustments are made in the
embroidery creation process to suit the chosen fabric, such as the type of underlay chosen
for individual areas of satin or fill.

Design Underlay
Choose Design Underlay to provide stitching below the whole embroidery, in addition to
automatic underlay in different areas.
When Design Underlay is turned off it is easier to convert pattern fill areas to lightly stitched specialty fills.

Preferred Stitch Type

This affects whether areas are likely to be created as satin or fill. If you prefer satin, move
the slider to the right. If you prefer fill, move the slider to the left. The design size also
influences whether areas are created as satin or fill, as this affects the size of individual
areas.
To see the effect of different options, click Refresh Preview to regenerate the design.

Refresh Preview
Refresh the preview with your new settings.
If a change is made to the options, you must click Refresh Preview before you can click Finish.

mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard 117

 Design Information
The design information boxes show the dimensions (Width and Height ), Stitch
Count , and number of colors for the embroidery. The design information may
change when the embroidery is exported, depending on the Optimize for Sewing
Options.

Zoom
Use the Zoom functions to change the view of the picture.
Use Zoom In to magnify the view. Move the pointer over the picture and the pointer
changes to the zoom in pointer . Then either click a point you want to zoom in towards,
or click and drag a rectangle around the area you want to zoom in to and release the
mouse button to zoom. When zoomed in, use the scroll bars to move around.
Use Zoom Out to shrink the view. Move the pointer over the picture and the pointer
changes to the zoom out pointer . Then click a point you want to zoom out from.
Click Zoom To Fit to fit the picture to the preview area.
Click Real Size to view the picture at its real size in pixels. This means that one pixel of
the picture uses one pixel of the screen.

Thread Color Preview

This shows how the thread colors have been chosen to replace colors in the picture. This
allows you to view and check the final design before closing the ExpressDesign Wizard.

Back
If desired, use the Back button to go back through the ExpressDesign Wizard and modify
settings before previewing the design again.

Finish
Accept the final design and close the ExpressDesign Wizard.
If a change is made to the options, you must click Refresh Preview before you can click Finish.

118 mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard

Express Trace Options

Preview the embroidery

Choose a stitch line type

Set the properties for the line

Select the thread color
Enhance detail in the picture

View the design information

Place on the work area
Make further edits

The Express Trace Options page of the ExpressDesign Wizard only appears if you are
creating an Express Trace design. Select whether lines in the picture will be traced with
light running stitch, heavy running stitch or constant width satin. Also select the thread
color.

Trace Method
Double Trace
Trace the picture with Double Stitch where possible, with a layer of Running Stitch where
necessary.

Quadruple Trace
Trace the picture with Triple Stitch where possible, with an additional layer of Running
Stitch where necessary.

Satin Line Trace

Trace the picture with satin line, using the same width and density for the satin line
throughout.

Stitch Options
Click the Stitch Options button to see the options for the selected QuickTrace Method.
• If Double Trace or Quadruple Trace are selected the Trace Options dialog box is
displayed.
• If Satin Line Trace is selected the Satin Line dialog box is displayed. See “Satin Line” on
page 323.

Trace Options
Use the Trace Options dialog box to set the Stitch Length of the running stitch to use for
Double Trace and Quadruple Trace, from 1 to 12mm in steps of 0.1mm. The initial setting is
2mm.

mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard 119

 Thread Color
Set the Thread Color for the stitches. Click the Color Change button to choose a
different color in the Color Selection dialog box. The thread sample is updated with the
selected color.

Picture Options
Click the Picture Options button to see the Picture Options dialog, which is used to set the
Area Sensitivity.

Area Sensitivity
Area Sensitivity is used to determine how significant small areas of color in the picture
may be. Choose High, Medium or Low. Area Sensitivity is set to Medium each time the
ExpressDesign Wizard is used.
Use High sensitivity to increase the detail extracted from the picture. This is useful, for
example, when facial details are ignored at Medium sensitivity. Use Low sensitivity to
decrease the detail extracted from the picture. This is useful, for example, when unwanted
details are retained in the design at Medium sensitivity.

Design Information
The design information boxes show the dimensions (Width and Height ), Stitch
Count , and number of colors for the embroidery. The design information may
change when the embroidery is exported, depending on the Optimize for Sewing
Options.

Zoom
Use the Zoom functions to change the view of the picture.
Use Zoom In to magnify the view. Move the pointer over the picture and the pointer
changes to the zoom in pointer . Then either click a point you want to zoom in towards,
or click and drag a rectangle around the area you want to zoom in to and release the
mouse button to zoom. When zoomed in, use the scroll bars to move around.
Use Zoom Out to shrink the view. Move the pointer over the picture and the pointer
changes to the zoom out pointer . Then click a point you want to zoom out from.
Click Zoom To Fit to fit the picture to the preview area.
Click Real Size to view the picture at its real size in pixels. This means that one pixel of
the picture uses one pixel of the screen.

Preview
The preview shows the lines in the picture that will be traced. If desired, use the Zoom
controls to change the view of the preview.

Back
If desired, use the Back button to go back through the ExpressDesign Wizard and modify
settings before previewing the design again.

120 mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard

Finish
Accept the final design and close the ExpressDesign Wizard.

mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard 121

 Express Border Options

Choose a stitch type

for the border
Set the properties for the border

Add appliqué to the design

Select the thread color

Enhance detail in the picture
View the design information
Place on the work area
Make further edits

The Express Border Options page of the ExpressDesign Wizard only appears if you are
creating an Express Border design. Use the Border Options to select the type of stitching
used for the borders, appliqué settings, and to choose the thread color.

Border Type
Select the type of border to create around areas of the picture from one of the following:

■ Satin Line : see “Satin Line” on page 323.

■ Running Stitch : see “Running Stitch” on page 315.
■ Double Stitch : see “Double Stitch” on page 317.
■ Triple Stitch : see “Triple Stitch” on page 321.
■ Motif Line : see “Motif Line” on page 324.
When Appliqué is selected, the preview shows where the appliqué fabric should be placed.

Stitch Options
After selecting the type of border, click the Stitch Options button to show the properties
for that border type. If desired, adjust the properties and click OK.

Appliqué
Select Appliqué to use appliqué within the borders of the design.
■ Click Select Fabric to change the appliqué fabric. See “Appliqué Selection” on page 184.
■ Click Appliqué Options to select the appliqué type. See “Appliqué Options” on page 124.
When Appliqué is selected, the preview shows where the appliqué fabric should be placed.

Thread Color
Set the Thread Color for the stitches. Click the Color Change button to choose a
different color in the Color Selection dialog box. The thread sample is updated with the
selected color.

122 mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard

Picture Options
Click the Picture Options button to see the Picture Options dialog, which is used to set the
Area Sensitivity.

Area Sensitivity
Area Sensitivity is used to determine how significant small areas of color in the picture
may be. Choose High, Medium or Low. Area Sensitivity is set to Medium each time the
ExpressDesign Wizard is used.
Use High sensitivity to increase the detail extracted from the picture. This is useful, for
example, when facial details are ignored at Medium sensitivity. Use Low sensitivity to
decrease the detail extracted from the picture. This is useful, for example, when unwanted
details are retained in the design at Medium sensitivity.

Design Information
The design information boxes show the dimensions (Width and Height ), Stitch
Count , and number of colors for the embroidery. The design information may
change when the embroidery is exported, depending on the Optimize for Sewing
Options.

Zoom
Use the Zoom functions to change the view of the picture.
Use Zoom In to magnify the view. Move the pointer over the picture and the pointer
changes to the zoom in pointer . Then either click a point you want to zoom in towards,
or click and drag a rectangle around the area you want to zoom in to and release the
mouse button to zoom. When zoomed in, use the scroll bars to move around.
Use Zoom Out to shrink the view. Move the pointer over the picture and the pointer
changes to the zoom out pointer . Then click a point you want to zoom out from.
Click Zoom To Fit to fit the picture to the preview area.
Click Real Size to view the picture at its real size in pixels. This means that one pixel of
the picture uses one pixel of the screen.

Preview
The preview shows where the borders will be created. It allows you to view and check the
final design before closing the ExpressDesign Wizard.

Back
If desired, use the Back button to go back through the ExpressDesign Wizard and modify
settings before previewing the design again.

Finish
Accept the final design and close the ExpressDesign Wizard.

mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard 123

 Appliqué Options
Select the appliqué method, and set the appliqué piece margin.

Appliqué Method
When appliqué is created, additional stitches are added at the beginning of the appliqué
piece for placing the appliqué fabric. Use these options to determine how these stitches
are added.
Select the appliqué method before or after creating an area or line. Choose from:
• None
• Standard Appliqué
• Pre-cut Piece
• Pre-placed Piece
• Cut-out

Standard Appliqué
Stitch a running line to show where appliqué fabric should be placed, then stop to
position the fabric. Stitch down the appliqué fabric with double stitch, then stop so the
fabric may be trimmed. Finish the edges with the selected border stitching.

Pre-cut Piece
Use a pre-cut appliqué piece; created, for example, using an automatic cutter or cutwork
needles.
Stitch a running line to show where the pre-cut appliqué piece should be placed, then
stop to position the appliqué piece. Stitch down the appliqué piece with double stitch,
then finish the edges with the selected border stitching.

Pre-placed Piece
Place the appliqué fabric before stitching.
Place the appliqué layer in position, then stitch down the appliqué fabric with double
stitch. Stop so the fabric may be trimmed. Finish the edges with the selected border
stitching.

124 mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard

Cut-out
Use the appliqué placement line as a guide to where the fabric should be cut; for example
for reverse appliqué.
Stitch a double stitch line. Stop so the fabric may be cut to form a hole defined by the
stitched outline. Finish the edges with the selected border stitching.

Appliqué Piece Margin

Set the margin for appliqué placement relative to the drawn border shape from -10mm to
10mm. The initial value is 1.0mm.
Use a positive value when trimming the appliqué fabric before the border is stitched, for example with
Standard Appliqué and Pre-placed Appliqué. A negative value is recommended for cut-out and reverse
appliqué.
Placement stitches are set to 2.0mm initially. To alter the stitch length for individual lines, use the Break
Apart function for the area.

Match Placement Line

Adjust the position of the first running stitch line for either Standard Appliqué or Pre-cut
Piece so that it matches the outline of the appliqué piece after the Appliqué Piece Margin
has been applied.
This may be useful for precise positioning of appliqué pieces that have been pre-cut with an automated
cutter, to ensure the placement line is visible.

mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard 125

 Open Existing Design
This page only appears if you choose the Load Existing Design option on the first page of
the ExpressDesign Wizard.

Select a design file on

your computer

The design is previewed

Load a Design
Click the Load a Design icon. The Open dialog box will appear. After selecting a design,
the preview box will show the selected design with its name underneath. Click Next to
continue.

Browse to a different folder

Search for a design
Change the view or icon size
Click on a design to select it

Hover to view the selected

design’s details

Click Open to load the

selected design

Preview
The preview area shows the objects in the selected design, with the name of the design
underneath.

Back
Return to the Choose Design Type page.

Finish
Close the ExpressDesign Wizard and load the chosen design on the main screen.

126 mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard

 Using the ExpressDesign Wizard
Create a Petal Design with the ExpressDesign Wizard
1 Click File, New , or File, New Window and the Choose Design Type page of the ExpressDesign
Wizard will appear.

2 Leave Create Express Embroidery selected

and click Next. The Choose Picture page will
appear.
3 Click Load a Picture and the viewer will
appear.
4 In the Picture Viewer, browse to
Documents\mySewnet\Samples\Digitizing
\Pics. The pictures in the folder will be
shown.
If you position the arrow pointer over a
thumbnail without clicking, the name of the
picture will be shown. The picture to be used is
called ’Petals.svg'. Alternatively, select an icon
display that shows the names.
5 Click the 'Petals.svg' thumbnail,
and then click OK. The picture is
loaded onto the Choose Picture
page, with its name shown
below the preview area.
6 Click Next and the Rotate and
Crop Picture page will appear.
Notice that the picture has no
background color yet. This is
because pictures in Scalable
Vector Graphics (svg) format can
have an empty background.
However, after the picture is
cropped, white is used by the
ExpressDesign Wizard to replace
empty areas.

When white thread is not desired in the background of an Express Embroidery, it may be removed on the
Choose Thread Colors page. The white background is ignored by Express Trace and Express Border.
7 No adjustment of the crop area is required, so click Next and the Design Size page will appear.

mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard 127

 8 In Design Size, select Fit Design To Hoop.
9 Click Change Hoop and the Hoop Selection dialog box appears.
10 Under Enter Size, ensure that Enter Hoop size is not selected (checked).
11 Select the Universal Hoop Group, then set Hoop Size to 240mm x 150mm - Universal Large Hoop 2.
Ensure the Orientation is Rotated, and click OK. The chosen hoop is previewed.
12 Click Next and the Choose
Thread Colors page will appear.
Notice that all 5 of the 5 possible
colors have been automatically
picked.
13 If the thread range in the
Change All To box is not set to
Robison-Anton Rayon 40, click
the drop-down arrow at the end
and select Robison-Anton Rayon
40.
14 Under Background Color, the
large white square shows that
white is the detected
background color. The white
background is not required, so
ensure Automatically Remove
Background Color is selected. A
check pattern in the Thread Color Preview shows where there will be no stitches.
15 Click Next. Stitches will be
created, then the Fabric and
Stitch Type Options page will
appear.
16 Ensure that the Fabric is set to
Woven.
Notice that the design is
previewed on the selected fabric.
This may differ from the fabric
selected in mySewnet™ Configure,
but the background color chosen
in mySewnet™ Configure is
always used.
17 Ensure the Design Underlay
option is turned off and leave
the Preferred Stitch Type slider
all the way to the left.
Some of the petals will be
changed to lightly stitched fill patterns that would reveal the underlay if it is left on.
18 Click Finish and the final design and its picture are shown on the work area.
If you have changed any of the settings, you must click Refresh Preview before using Finish.
19 Click the Edit button next to the Notes box on the Design Panel.
20 In the Notes dialog box enter 'Floral'.
21 Use the quick keyword selector to add the keywords ’Flowers and Gardens’. Then click OK.
Notes entered for the design will also be saved in the embroidery when it is exported in .vp4 format. Notes
are used to search for embroideries by key words in Windows® Explorer.
22 Click Save and browse to the folder Documents\mySewnet\My Designs.
23 Change the File name to 'PetalsBasicFill' and click Save.
This saves your project as a design file in .edo format.
Use this design to create a variety of filled petals. See:

128 mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard

■ Pattern Fill Petals: “Change a Fill Area to a Leaf Pattern” on page 235, “Create a Single Color
Gradient Fill in a Petal” on page 239 and “Use a Bee for a My Fill Pattern” on page 283.
■ Density Effect Petals: “Fill a Petal with a Multicolor Gradient Density Fill” on page 241, “Use
a Radial Fill in a Petal” on page 255 and “Fill a Petal with a Spiral Fill with Gradient Density”
on page 259.
■ Shape Fill Petals: “Use Shape Fills in Three Petals” on page 253.
■ Motif Line and Fill Petals: “Use Motif Fills in Two Petals” on page 247 and “Create a Flower
with Motif Lines” on page 327.

Create Appliqué Areas with Express Border

1 Click New or File, New
Window. The Choose Design
Type page of the ExpressDesign
Wizard will appear.
2 Click Create Express Border .
3 Click Next and the Choose
Picture page will appear.
4 Click Load a Picture . In
Documents\mySewnet
\Samples\Digitizing\Pics, click
the 'Petals.svg' thumbnail, then
click OK. The picture will be
loaded onto the Choose Picture
page.
5 Click Next and the Rotate and
Crop Picture page will appear.
6 No rotation or adjustment of
crop lines is required, so click
Next and the Monochrome
Threshold page will appear.
Only the thick outlines are dark
enough to show at the default
Monochrome Threshold. They
make three fully enclosed shapes
that will become solid shapes later
in the ExpressDesign Wizard.
Move the slider to view which
parts of the picture are selected at
different Monochrome Threshold
levels, then return the slider to its
original position.
7 Click Next and the Design Size
page will appear.
8 Select Fit Design To Hoop.
9 Click Change Hoop, and in the Hoop Selection dialog box,
select 240mm x 150mm - Universal Large Hoop 2 with
Rotated Orientation. Click OK.
10 Click Next. The picture will be processed and the Express
Border Options page will appear.
11 In Border Type, ensure that Satin Line is selected.
12 Click Stitch Options.
13 In the Satin Line dialog box set Width to 4.0mm, and ensure
that Underlay is selected (checked).
14 Click OK to close the Satin Line dialog box.

mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard 129

 15 Ensure that Appliqué is selected. The preview shows the
areas where appliqué fabric will be stitched.
16 Click Appliqué Options and the Appliqué Options dialog
box will appear.
17 Ensure that Standard Appliqué is selected.
18 Click OK.
19 Click the Thread Color icon and the Color Selection
dialog box will appear.
20 Ensure the Thread Range is set to Robison-Anton Rayon 40.
Type 2275 in the Find Thread box to select 2275 (Slate Blue).
This matches the border color that was automatically selected
for the Express Embroidery in “Create a Petal Design with the ExpressDesign Wizard” on page 127.
21 Click OK. The border lines in the
preview are updated to show
the new thread color.
22 Click Finish. The new design is
shown on the work area.
Notice that the petals in the
background picture are solid
areas of color, indicating it is an
appliqué section.
23 In the Design Panel, click the
Edit button next to the
Notes and Settings box.
24 In the Notes dialog box enter
'Floral'.
25 Use the quick keyword selector
to add the keywords ’Flowers
and Gardens’. Then click OK.
26 Click Save . Browse to the
folder Documents\mySewnet\My Designs. Change the File name to 'PetalsBasicApplique' and click
Save to save the design as an .edo file.
Use this design to create a variety of appliqué petals. See:
■ PetalsAppliqué1: “Change Satin Line to Motif Line in an Appliqué Petal” on page 330 and
“Insert QuiltStipple Fill in a Petal” on page 262.
■ PetalsAppliqué2: “Change Satin Line to Picot Motif Line” on page 330, “Insert Motif Fill in
an Appliqué Petal” on page 248 and “Create a Contour Fill Flower” on page 264.

130 mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard

 Load PetalsBasicApplique in the ExpressDesign Wizard
1 Click File, New , or File, New Window and the Choose Design Type page of the ExpressDesign
Wizard will appear.
2 Select the Load Existing Design
option.
3 Click Next and the Open Existing
Design page will appear.
4 Click Load a Design .
5 Browse to the folder
Documents\mySewnet\Samples
\Digitizing \Edo.
Alternatively, use the file you
created in “Create Appliqué Areas
with Express Border” on page 129.

6 Click OK and the designs in the

folder will be shown.

7 Click the 'PetalsBasicApplique'

thumbnail. The viewer will close
and the design will be loaded
onto the preview area.
The full name of the design is
shown below, it is called
'PetalsBasicApplique.edo'.
8 Click Finish and the design will
be loaded onto the work area.

mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard 131

 Load a Fleur de Lys as a Background Picture
1 In the Quick Access toolbar, click Change Hoop and the Hoop Selection dialog box appears.
2 Ensure that Enter Hoop Size is not selected.
3 Ensure the Hoop Group is set to Universal. Click the drop-down arrow for Hoop Size and select
100mm x 100mm - Universal Square Hoop 1. Click OK.
4 Click the View tab, and ensure that Grid size is set to 5mm.
5 Click File, Preferences , and ensure that Color Tolerance is selected (checked), and that Tie Off
Before and After Trims is selected.
6 Click File, New , or File, New Window and the Choose Design Type page of the ExpressDesign
Wizard will appear.
7 Click Load or Create a
Background Picture, then click
Next.
8 Click Load a Picture and the
viewer will appear.
9 In the Picture Viewer dialog box,
browse to
Documents\mySewnet
\Samples\Digitizing\Pics.
10 Click to select 'Fleur de lys.svg',
then click OK. The picture will be
loaded onto the Choose Picture
page, with its name shown
below the preview area.
11 Click Next and the Design Size
page will appear.
12 Click Enter Design Size.
13 Change the Size to 90mm and
click Width.
14 Click Finish. The picture will be
shown on the work area.

132 mySewnet™ Digitizing ExpressDesign Wizard

 Viewing Pictures and Designs 7
Use the View tab to set how you view the design, background picture, and hoop.

Measure an object or design Change the view mode View the Design Panel & FilmStrip

Show & fade the background picture

Show & resize grid Create or edit a background picture Choose a different hoop

View Mode
Use View Mode to switch between 3D , 2D , and Object representation of
stitches. 3D View shows how the embroidery will be stitched out with three-
dimensional shading. 2D View shows the individual stitches with no shading. Stitches
using multicolor threads are drawn using only the first color. Object View shows the
outline of the objects in the design.

3D View 2D View Object View

3D View
3D View shows how the embroidery will be stitched out with three-dimensional
shading.

Shortcuts
■ View Tab, View Mode:
■ Keys: Ctrl + T; Alt, V, 3

2D View
2D View shows individual stitches with no shading. Stitches using multicolor threads
are drawn using only the first color.

Shortcuts
■ View Tab, View Mode:
■ Keys: Alt, V, 2

mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs 133

 Object View
Object View shows the outline of the objects in the design.

Shortcuts
■ View Tab, View Mode:
■ Keys: Ctrl + R; Alt, V, O

Show Grid
Use Show Grid to turn the background grid on and off. The grid may be used to help
align stitch objects and control points.
The grid size is initially set to 10mm. Adjust its Size between 1 and 50mm, depending on
what setting is most suitable for your screen resolution and designs. Type in a figure and
press ENTER (or use the up and down arrows to change the number). Turn the background
grid on or off using Show Grid.
The grid size is measured in pixels of the background picture, so the apparent grid size will vary according
to the dimensions of the picture stored in a design.

Shortcuts
■ View Tab:
■ Keys: Alt, V, G

Background
Use the Background slider bar to show, fade or hide the background picture in the Design
window. Change the view of the background picture to make it easier to see the stitch
objects for the design.

Use Background On to show Use Fade to show the picture Use Background Off to hide the
the picture in the background. in the background with the colors picture.
faded by 50%.

Edit Background
Use Edit Background to load, create or edit a background picture in mySewnet™ Draw
& Paint. For more information see the mySewnet™ Draw & Paint Reference Guide and Help.

134 mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs

 Shortcuts
■ View Tab, Background:
■ Keys: Alt, V, E

Design Panel
Use the Design Panel to view the design information, to view and change colors, to view
and change the Notes and Settings, and to view the Clipboard and Overview window.

Check the design information

View and change the threads and effects for the design
Puffy foam effect
Secondary thread colors for fills with borders, or color gradients

Dual thread effect

Change a thread color
Show and hide secondary thread colors
Select the Notes or Settings information
Edit the Notes or Settings information
View the current window position in the work area

View the contents of the Clipboard

Color Change and Pick Color

Use Color Change and Pick Color on the Create tabs, or Insert Color Change in
the FilmStrip to select a new thread color for the stitch objects you are about to add to the
design. The first Color Change is initially set to medium blue. A Color Change command is
shown by a small blue circle with a C .
To change an existing color, double-click the desired color in the color worksheet on the
Design Panel, or select the color in the worksheet and click Change Color .
Alternatively, right-click the color in the FilmStrip and select Properties. The Color
Selection dialog box opens.
To delete a color change, select the Color Change in the FilmStrip or on the work area,
then click the Delete icon , use the Delete key, or right-click in the FilmStrip and select
Delete. The first Color Change in a design may not be deleted.
To insert a color, select the object after which the color change is desired, and click Color
Change on one of the Create tabs, or right-click in the FilmStrip and select Insert Color
Change from the context menu. Alternatively, select Pick Color and choose a color
from the background picture.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs 135

 Select a color from the Color Selection box that appears. You may choose any thread
shade from the available thread manufacturers' palettes (for instance, Sulky Rayon 40 or
Robison-Anton Cotton 50) or a thread you have added to MyThreads. Select colors by
visual selection or by typing in a shade number. Alternatively you can choose a ’Quick
Color’ Theme and then select one of the 32 Quick Colors. See “Quick Color Themes” on
page 199. Optionally, add a thread or needle effect to the selected thread. Once the
desired color is selected, click OK.
Extra design property colors for some objects can be set in the properties dialog for that
object, for example multigradient fills and the border for a fill area. They then appear as
secondary colors in the color worksheet, and can be adjusted from there. See “Secondary
Colors” on page 143.

136 mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs

 Color Selection
The Color Selection dialog box appears when you click Add Color Change , right-click a
color change marker , or right-click an object in the FilmStrip and select Insert Color
Change. Alternatively, on the Design Panel select a color in the worksheet and click Color
Change , or double-click a color in the color worksheet.
You may choose any thread shade from the available thread manufacturers' palettes (for
instance, Robison-Anton Rayon 40 or Sulky Cotton 30) or a thread you have added to
MyThreads. Select colors by visual selection or by typing in a shade number. Alternatively,
click one of the Quick Colors to select the nearest matching thread color. Once the desired
color is selected, click OK.

Open Thread Cache

Show chosen thread ranges Puffy Foam height
Select a thread range Twin needle gap
Search for a thread number & second color
Choose a Quick Color Theme
Click a Quick Color to select Second thread
a matching thread color color
Wing needle
Click a thread color
to select a thread Felting needle
View the thread information Cutwork needle
angle

When you select a new thread color, the color worksheet will show the change and the
work area will show the block of stitches in the new color.
To keep the full color information including thread shade numbers, export your
embroideries as file type .vp4.

Using the Color Selection Dialog

1 On the Design Panel, select a thread color and click Color Change . Alternatively, on one of the
Create tabs, click Color Change or pick a Quick Color. Alternatively, click Pick Color , and the
pointer changes to an eyedropper . Click the desired color area in the picture, and the Color
Selection dialog box opens with the selected color displayed.
The Color Selection dialog box also appears when you double-click a color in the color worksheet, when
you right-click with a color change marker selected, or when you right-click a color in the FilmStrip and
select Properties.
2 If required, change the thread range. Select the desired thread range from all thread ranges or only
MyThreadRanges. The available shades for the thread range will be shown in the list.
The Abbreviation shows the reference used for the thread range when threads from that range are added
to MyThreads.
You can use the Manage button to add new threads and Thread Ranges in mySewnet™ Thread Cache. The
Color Selection dialog box will close. See the mySewnet™ Thread Cache Reference Guide for more
information.
3 Click a color in the list to select a thread shade visually. Use the scroll bar to browse through the list of
threads.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs 137

 4 If you know the shade number, click in the Find Thread box then type the required shade number.
5 Alternatively, choose a Quick Color Theme then click the desired Quick Color. The nearest shade that
is available from the current thread range will be selected. This is also a quick way to jump to threads
of that color (for example, click light yellow in the Standard Theme to jump to light yellow thread
shades).
6 If desired, add a thread or needle effect. Then click OK to confirm the color selection. The dialog box
closes, and your changes are displayed in the work area.

Effects
Use the Effects area of the Color Selection dialog box to show the results of using thread
effects or special needles.
Puffy Foam Show the effect of stitching over embroidery foam

Dual Thread Show the effect of using two threads in one needle

Twin Needle Show the effect of using a twin needle

Wing Needle Show the effect of using a wing needle for hemstitch or
heirloom designs
Felting Needle Show the effect of using a felting needle with a roving fiber

Cutwork Needle Select a cutwork needle in one of four angles

Only one thread effect can be used on any thread.

Choose an effect. If you choose Puffy Foam, set the foam height. If you choose Twin
Needle, set the Twin Needle size. Click the color icon for the Second Color if you wish to
use a different thread color. For Dual Thread, it is recommended to change the Second
Color. For Twin Needle, this choice depends on the desired result. For Felting Needle select
a color for the roving fiber for felting. For Cutwork Needle, choose the angle for your
needles.

Puffy Foam
Use Puffy Foam to show the three-dimensional effect of stitching over embroidery foam.
Click the drop-down arrow and select the height of the puffy foam, between 2.0mm and
6.0mm. The height is initially set to 3.0mm.

Dual Thread
Use Dual Thread to show the effects of stitching out two threads
through the same needle. This is particularly suited to blending
threads for special effects, such as mixing a rayon thread with a
metallic thread, as in the center of the star.

138 mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs

Twin Needle
Use Twin Needle to show the effect of stitching out the color
block with a twin needle. This creates a horizontal offset between
the original thread color in the left-hand needle, and a second
thread color in the right-hand needle.
There are several ways that the Twin Needle effect can be used,
including:
• Use with running stitch to create a ribbon effect, typically
using the same thread color in both needles
• Use with a low density fill area to blend two different thread
colors and also have a lightly shadowed effect
• Use with a dense fill area to create a shadow effect
It is recommended to use natural hoop orientation for designs with Twin
Needle colors.

Twin Needle Size

This is only available if the Twin Needle effect is selected for the
current color block. Click the drop-down arrow and select the
size of the gap between the twin needles. This is initially set to 3.0mm.
Preview the effect of changing the twin needle size to help decide which needles to buy.
Ensure that the desired size is recommended for embroidery on your machine.

Second Color
The second color is initially set to the same color as the original color block. Click the color
change button to choose a different thread for the second color. The Color Selection
dialog box appears. Select the desired thread and click OK. The thread sample will change,
and the thread range and thread number are shown.

Wing Needle
Use Wing Needle to show the effect of stitching out the
color block with a wing needle and the chosen thread.
The wing needle creates holes in the fabric, for hemstitch and
other heirloom techniques.
To see the holes more than the stitch, use a fine thread such as Poly 60
weight. To see the actual stitching, Rayon 40 weight is ideal.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs 139

 Felting Needle
Use Felting Needle to show the effect of embellishing
the selected color block using a felting needle and a
contrasting roving fiber.
Choose a color for the roving fiber for the felting in the Color
Selection dialog box. In projects without a roving fiber,
choose a felting needle color similar to the back of the
fabric.
If a system font or SuperDesign with Felting Needles is inserted, or if you
select Felting Needle in mySewnet™ Digitizing, the stitching will be
adjusted using the settings in Preferences. By default, stitching using the Felting Needle color effect is
broken up into very short stitches of 0.4mm. In other modules the effect is purely visual; for example, to see
how felting will look in a pre-made design.
When Exporting an embroidery with a Felting Needle effect, the option "Flip design for felting or reverse
embroidery" is initially selected in the Export dialog box. See “Export” on page 167.

Cutwork Needle
Use Cutwork Needle to show the line that would be used by cutwork needles to
automatically cut holes in your fabric areas, or create appliqué areas. Use cutwork needle
lines for reverse appliqué embroideries and free-standing lace, or simply to cut out a
shape or design.
Choose the cutting angle for the cutwork needle.
(When creating cutwork needle lines in mySewnet™
Digitizing or mySewnet™ Stitch Editor, or converting
running lines to cutwork needle lines in any mySewnet™
module, you may use two needles, or for more precise work use four needles.)

Colors Dialog
The Colors dialog box is used to choose or change
a color for a thread or fabric, or modify any color in
a Quick Colors Custom theme.
When the Colors dialog box appears, it shows the
Standard color selection. If desired, click one of
the Standard colors. A highlight shows the
selected color. The New/Current box shows the
difference between the newly chosen color and
the color currently used.

140 mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs

Click the Custom tab to be able to select any of
the 16 million RGB colors.
Click in the blended color palette to choose a
basic color, then use the slider at the side to
choose the desired brightness level. The HSL and
RGB values are updated as you change the color
and the color is previewed in the New/Current
box.
You can also directly enter Hue, Sat(uration),
Lum(inance) (HSL) and/or Red, Green, Blue (RGB)
values. Alternatively, use the up/down buttons on
each of the HSL and RGB value boxes to make fine
adjustments to the color.

Color Models
Hue, Saturation, Luminance (HSL) Color Model
Hue is the color (red, yellow, green, or blue) for the selected color, expressed as a value
between 0 and 239. Saturation (Sat) is the strength or purity of color in a specified hue.
This is related to the amount of gray in it and is measured from 0 (completely gray) up to a
maximum of 240 (no gray). The higher the saturation, the purer or more vivid the color.
Luminosity (Lum) is the intensity of lightness or darkness in a color, specified by a value
between 0 (black) and 240 (white). If Saturation is 0, the Luminosity setting specifies a
shade of gray.

Red, Green, Blue (RGB) Color Model

The RGB model, one of the Additive Color models, is used on computer monitors. It has
three primary colors — red, green, and blue — that it creates by emitting light. These
three colors are combined in various proportions to produce all the colors displayed on
your screen. They are referred to as additive because they combine to produce white.
Primary colors are measured as a value from 0-255. The colors produced by combining the
three primaries are a result of the amount of each of those shades present. For example,
pure red has a red value of 255, a green value of 0, and a blue value of 0. Yellow has a red
value of 255, a green value of 255, and a blue value of 0. If Red, Green and Blue are set to
zero, the color is black; if all three are 255, they produce white.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs 141

 Show and Hide Objects
Use the color worksheet in the Design Panel, and the Hide Object Types filter buttons in
the Edit tab to show and hide the desired blocks of colors and object types in the design.
You can also use the Draw Range slider bars on the Edit tab and the FilmStrip to change
the view of the design.
Use any combination of color block display, object filters, draw range and FilmStrip
options to hide objects. Hiding objects leaves the visible objects available for other
functions without affecting the hidden objects. Use this to help when you need to select a
particular set of objects that might be difficult to isolate directly with the Select functions.
For example, you may wish to change the pattern in all fill areas of one type using Global
Properties, or select a number of objects to copy them.

Color Worksheet
The thread colors are shown
in the color worksheet on Use the color worksheet to
the Design Panel, in the display or hide a color
order in which they are Click a color block to select it
used. Thread effect symbol
Pause over a thread color
The objects using a to see its name
particular thread color are
called a color block. The Secondary thread color
color worksheet can be used
to change thread colors and Show or hide secondary colors
to hide and show the Change the selected color
objects in any of the color
blocks. Displaying the objects according to their color is an easy method of showing
sections of a design. The functions for viewing objects by color are on the Edit tab.
When you pause the arrow pointer over a thread color in the worksheet, the corresponding objects in the
embroidery are highlighted. Also, a popup description of the thread color appears.
If you have set a Draw Range, then only the objects in the color blocks that are visible
within the range will be displayed. Similarly, any objects hidden by object filters are
hidden even if the color is visible.
The first color in the design is at the top of the list, followed by all the thread color blocks.
The check boxes show which color blocks are hidden. The numbers show the order in
which the colors are used, and the samples show solid blocks of each thread color in 3D.
Click a thread sample to access the Color Selection dialog box for selecting a different
thread color, or adding a thread effect. Click a check box to show or hide a color block,
together with any secondary colors, for example the other colors in a multigradient

142 mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs

object. When a color is hidden, its check box in the Color Worksheet is not selected, as
shown here:

Hidden Visible

The number of color blocks shown in the color worksheet varies with the size of the
window. If there are many colors, use the scroll bar to see the desired section of the list.

Secondary Colors
Extra design property colors for some objects are set in the properties dialog for that
object, for example multigradient fills and the border for a fill area. They then appear as
secondary colors in the color worksheet, and can be adjusted from there.

Pattern Fill with a border The FilmStrip and Set a separate border color in the
worksheet show both Line tab of the Properties dialog
colors

A multicolor gradient fill or satin column will show a hatched pattern in the FilmStrip. To
view these colors in the worksheet, ensure that Design Property Colors below the
color worksheet in the Design Panel on the right of the Design window is selected.

Multigradient Pattern Fill The FilmStrip and Set the colors for the multigradient
with a border worksheet show all fill in the Properties dialog
colors

mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs 143

 Display Range
The Display Range functions on the Edit tab are used to hide and show the objects in the
design by color block sequence.
The Display Range functions are: Draw Previous Color Block , Draw Next Color Block ,
Display All Objects , the Draw Range, Only Selected , Only from Start and Only To
End .

Draw Previous Color Block

Use Draw Previous Color Block to step through the color blocks in reverse order.

Shortcuts
■ Edit Tab:
■ Keys: Alt, E, P

Draw Next Color Block

Use Draw Next Color Block to step through the color blocks one at a time.

Shortcuts
■ Edit Tab:
■ Keys: Alt, E, N

Display All Objects

Use Display All Objects to display all objects and commands in the design.

Shortcuts
■ Edit Tab:
■ Keys: Alt, E, A; Right-click FilmStrip, A

Draw Range
The Draw Range is set with the Start and End slider bars,
which determine the range of visible objects. Each step when
you click a + or - button is one distinct object or command,
similar to stepping through objects with the arrow keys.
Use the Draw Range to isolate objects that you want to select with Select All Visible. Also,
for complex designs, use the Draw Range to make objects easier to select when changing
their properties. For instance, you could isolate a fill area so that it is easier to click, and
then right-click to change its pattern in the Fill Properties.
Changes in the Draw Range are matched by the range of visible objects in the FilmStrip.
Similarly, using Display Only Selected, Display Only From Start and Display Only To End on
the FilmStrip context menu will automatically change the slider bar positions. The Draw
Range sliders also help to show which part of the design is visible when the FilmStrip is
used to hide objects.
Display All Objects on the FilmStrip context menu and Display All Objects both reset
the Draw Range to show all objects.

144 mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs

 Also, turn off colors and object types with the color worksheet and object filters to hide or
show almost any set of objects in combination with the Draw Range. For instance, you can
hide any alignment stitches that you place, so that you never adjust part of the design by
accident.
The upper slider bar sets the first object at the Start of the visible objects. The lower slider
bar sets the End object. Use the Draw Range to set the Start or End object in any of the
following ways:
1 Click and drag the slider box along the slider bar.

2 Click the plus or minus at the ends of the slider bar to progress by
one object at a time. Click and hold to progress more rapidly.

3 Click in the space on the slider bar on either side of the slider box to
move in that direction and jump through the objects rapidly. You
can also click and hold, but the slider box will stop when it reaches
the arrow pointer.
In all cases, the work area will show the range of objects as the Start or End object
changes.
When you set a Draw Range, only the objects in the color blocks that are visible within the range will be
displayed.

Only Selected
Use Only Selected to show only the currently selected object. Use this if you wish to
isolate a single object. For example, once the object is isolated, you can easily select it with
Select All Visible to move, resize, flip and rotate the object.

Shortcuts
■ Edit Tab:
■ Keys: Alt, E, Y; Right-click FilmStrip, S

Only From Start

Use Only from Start to show only the currently visible objects from the start to the
selected object. That is, hide all objects after the selected object.

Shortcuts
■ Edit Tab:
■ Keys: Alt, E, S; Right-click FilmStrip, F

Only To End
Use Only To End to show only the currently visible objects from the selected object to
the end of the design. That is, hide all objects before the selected object.

Shortcuts
■ Edit Tab:
■ Keys: Alt, E, E; Right-click FilmStrip, E

mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs 145

 Hide Object Types
The Hide Object Types (filter) buttons are used to
hide and show the objects in the design according
to the type of object and/or by color block
sequence. When a filter is used to hide objects, the
objects are hidden in the work area and the
FilmStrip.
The filters are: Lines , Fills , Satin Areas , Columns , Single Stitches , Stops
and Colors , Groups and Appliqués .
If there are no objects of the relevant type in the design, or they are all already hidden by other means, the
filter button cannot be clicked down.

Lines
Use the Lines filter to hide and show Running, Double and Triple Stitches, Motif Lines
and Tapered Motifs.

Shortcuts
■ Edit Tab, Hide Object Types:
■ Keys: Alt, E, HL

Fills
Use the Fills filter to hide and show all Fill Area types, including any border lines around
fill areas.

Shortcuts
■ Edit Tab, Hide Object Types:
■ Keys: Alt, E, HF

Satin Areas
Use the Satin Areas filter to hide and show Satin Areas.

Shortcuts
■ Edit Tab, Hide Object Types:
■ Keys: Alt, E, HA

Columns
Use the Columns filter to hide and show Satin Column, Richelieu Bars, Feather Satin
and Satin Lines.
The Columns filter will hide any fill areas with a satin border.

Shortcuts
■ Edit Tab, Hide Object Types:
■ Keys: Alt, E, HC

146 mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs

 Single Stitches
Use the Single Stitches filter to hide and show Single and Alignment Stitches in the
design. Single Stitches are generally used for traveling stitches within the design, and for
underlay. They often do not affect the appearance of a design, so you may find it useful to
hide them.

Shortcuts
■ Edit Tab, Hide Object Types:
■ Keys: Alt, E, HS

Stops and Colors

Use the Stops and Colors filter to hide and show Color Changes and Stops.

Shortcuts
■ Edit Tab, Hide Object Types:
■ Keys: Alt, E, HP

Groups
Use the Groups filter to hide and show Groups.

Shortcuts
■ Edit Tab, Hide Object Types:
■ Keys: Alt, E, HG

Appliqués
Use the Appliqués filter to hide and show Appliqué areas.

Shortcuts
■ Edit Tab, Hide Object Types:
■ Keys: Alt, E, HQ

mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs 147

 FilmStrip
Use the FilmStrip to view the numbered sequence of objects, select an object, change the
sequence of objects, select objects to display, delete objects, insert Color Changes and
Stops, view the properties of the selected object and change the properties of objects
globally or in a selection.

The first object is a color or group

View the object color in Line between chains of linked objects

the Thread Color Bar

Both fill and border colors are shown

No line between linked objects

Multicolor gradient fill area

Scroll up and down the FilmStrip

Objects are shown by their

shape or a marker
View the name of the object type

Display the contents of Groups

Use the Layout Order buttons
to move objects in the FilmStrip Select the last visible object

When you pause the arrow pointer over an object or group in the FilmStrip, the corresponding object
outline(s) are highlighted in the work area.

FilmStrip Items
Starting at the top, the FilmStrip shows the numbered sequence of objects in the design.
When all objects are visible, the first object at the top of the list is a Color, or a Group
starting with a Color, then any other objects that make up the design.
The last object in the design is at the bottom of the list, together with the Layout Order
and display functions. The currently selected object is also highlighted in the FilmStrip,
and objects can be selected directly in the FilmStrip.
When objects are hidden, using the color worksheet, object filters, slider bars or FilmStrip
options, they are also hidden in the FilmStrip.
Each item in the FilmStrip shows four pieces of information: the number, color, object and
object type.
For Pattern Fill, the fill number is also shown.

148 mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs

Thread Color Bar
The color bar shows the color of each object, together with an icon representing any
thread effect, even when the Color Changes are hidden.
A fill area with a differently colored border will show two colors. A multicolor gradient fill or satin column
will show a hatched pattern. To view these colors in the worksheet, ensure that Design Property Colors
below the color worksheet in the Design Panel on the right of the Design window is selected.

Object
Each object is represented graphically. Markers are shown for
Colors and Stops. A Color Change also shows a thread sample.
Alignment stitches show the type of stitch. All other object types
show the shape of the objects as black outlines.

Object Type
The name of the object type is shown.

Scroll Bar
Use the scroll bar to move rapidly up and down the FilmStrip.

Showing Groups in the FilmStrip

Groups are shown in the FilmStrip with an orange header. The
Group header is a solid orange block when selected, and an orange
outline when not selected. The objects within the group have a
pale gray background in the FilmStrip, as opposed to the white
background for objects that are not part of a group. When the
header for a group is selected, all other items in the group are also
selected, and are highlighted.

Use Reveal Groups to view the objects within groups in the Filmstrip.

Select Objects in the FilmStrip

Until an object is deliberately selected, the last visible object is selected automatically in
the work area. To select the desired object, click it in the FilmStrip. It is also selected on the
work area. If necessary, use the scroll bar on the side of the FilmStrip so that you can see
the desired object in the FilmStrip. Also, when you click an object on the work area, the
object is highlighted in the FilmStrip.
If you have zoomed in, the selected object may not be shown on the visible part of the design. To see the
object, either Zoom To Fit or use the scroll bars on the edges of the work area.
Only visible objects may be selected. If the view is changed so that the selected object is no longer visible,
the last visible object is selected automatically.
To select a sequence of objects, click the first object and hold the Shift key. Then select the
last object in the sequence.
To make a custom selection of objects, click the first object, then hold the Ctrl key and click
each of the other desired objects in turn. You can also add objects to a sequence in this
way.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs 149

 Change the Sequence of Objects
Single objects or a selection of objects may be moved up and down the FilmStrip with
click and drag. This changes the order of the objects, and hence changes the order in
which the stitches are created for the final embroidery.
To move an object, click and drag the desired object up or down the FilmStrip. A bar
moves up and down the list to show the new list position. Release to drop the object at
the desired point. Movement stitches are automatically inserted or removed as needed.
To move a selection of objects up or down the FilmStrip, hold the Ctrl key and click one of
your selected objects. A bar will show where the objects can be inserted in the FilmStrip.
Move the bar up or down the FilmStrip to the desired insertion point. To insert the objects,
release the mouse button.
If objects are dragged or inserted between two items in a group they will become part of that group, except
if they are inserted immediately after the group header. To insert at the beginning of the group, drag into
the middle, then move up.
If desired, use the color worksheet and Hide Object Types buttons to hide other objects.
This can make it quicker to move the desired object.
Hidden objects will not be moved.
To move to a part of the list that is not visible, move the pointer above the top or below
the bottom of the list and the list will scroll automatically. To scroll faster, move the pointer
further above or below the list. Move the pointer back into the list to stop scrolling.
Moving the pointer onto the scroll bar has no effect when dragging an object up or down the FilmStrip.
Moving an object up and down the FilmStrip does not change the position of the object
on the work area. However, it may change the appearance of the design according to
whether or not it changes the overlap with adjacent objects.
The first visible object may not be moved in the FilmStrip. Also, objects may not be moved above the first
visible object in the FilmStrip. This ensures that, when it is visible, the initial color change in the design
cannot be moved and nothing can be moved before it.

Layout Order
The Layout Order buttons are used to move objects within the FilmStrip.
You can also select multiple objects in the work area with Select Last Visible. See “Select Last Visible” on
page 349.

Move Forwards
Move Forwards brings the object one step down the FilmStrip.

Shortcuts
■ FilmStrip:
■ Keys: Ctrl + [; Right-click FilmStrip, L, F

Move Backwards
Move Backwards brings the object one step up the FilmStrip.

150 mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs

 Shortcuts
■ FilmStrip:
■ Keys: Ctrl + ]; Right-click FilmStrip, L, B

Move to Front
Move to Front places the object at the bottom of the FilmStrip or Group.

Shortcuts
■ FilmStrip:
■ Keys: Ctrl + Shift + [; Right-click FilmStrip, L, N

Move to Back
Move to Back places the object at the top of the FilmStrip or Group.

Shortcuts
■ FilmStrip:
■ Keys: Ctrl +Shift + ]; Right-click FilmStrip, L, C

FilmStrip Options
Right-click on an individual item in the FilmStrip to see a menu of options relating to the
currently selected object.
Alternatively, use the Edit tab.

Display Only Selected

Use Display Only Selected to show only the currently selected object or group of
objects. (It will show all objects between any that are selected.) Use this if you wish to
isolate a single object. For example, once the object is isolated, you can easily select it with
Select All Visible to move, resize, flip and rotate the object.

Display Only From Start

Use Display Only from Start to show only the currently visible objects from the start to
the selected object. That is, hide all objects after the selected object.

Display Only To End

Use Only To End to show only the currently visible objects from the selected object to
the end of the design. That is, hide all objects before the selected object.

Display All Objects

Display all objects and commands in the design.

Use Reveal Groups to switch between viewing the objects within Groups in the
FilmStrip, and seeing only the Group heading rows in the FilmStrip. See “Reveal Groups” on
page 338.

Cut
Cut the selected object(s) and place on the clipboard.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs 151

 Copy
Copy the selected object(s) to the clipboard.

Paste
Paste the object(s) on the clipboard back into the design.

Duplicate
Make a copy of the selected object(s) which is automatically pasted into the work area.

Delete
Delete the selected object(s) from the design.

Insert Color Change

Insert a Color Change after the currently selected object. The Color Selection dialog box
appears so you can choose the new color.
mySewnet™ Digitizing remembers the last thread color added to the design. This thread color will be
initially selected in the Color Selection dialog box.

Insert Stop
Insert a Stop command after the currently selected object.

Group
Group the selected objects together.

Ungroup
Split the currently selected group into the objects which make it up.

Select Similar from Visible

Select all visible objects with similar properties.

Select Similar from Group

Select all objects with similar properties that are in the same Group.

Properties
Show the properties dialog box for the selected object. This is the same as using right-click
on the work area.

Global Properties
Show the properties dialog box for the selected object. When the settings in the dialog
box are confirmed with the OK button, all visible objects of the same type will also have
their properties changed to match the settings.

Layout Order
Use Move Forwards and Move Backwards to move an object one step up or down the
FilmStrip, and use Move to Front and Move To Back to move an object to the bottom or
top of the FilmStrip or Group.

152 mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs

 FilmStrip Options for Multiple Selected Objects
Select several objects of the same type in the Filmstrip and right-click on one of them to
see a menu of options relating to multiple selected objects. The options displayed are:
Display Only Selected, Display Only From Start, Display Only To End, Display All Objects,
Cut, Copy, Paste, Duplicate, Delete, Group, Ungroup, Properties and Layout Order.

Display Functions
Use the Display functions to display the objects selected in the FilmStrip. You can then
further refine your selection.

Use Reveal Groups to switch between viewing the objects within Groups in the FilmStrip, and seeing
only the Group heading rows in the FilmStrip. See “Reveal Groups” on page 338.

Properties
Show the properties dialog box for the selected object type. From here you can change all
objects of the currently selected type in your selection. To select an object type, click the
FilmStrip and check your selection in the Status bar.
All objects of the selected type will be modified, including any previously customized.

Layout Order
Use Move Forwards and Move Backwards to move the selected objects one step up or
down the FilmStrip, and use Move to Front and Move To Back to move the selected objects
to the bottom or top of the FilmStrip or Group.

Get Length
Use Get Length to measure the distance between any two points on the work area.
Click the Get Length icon and the mouse pointer changes to the Measure pointer .
Then click and drag a line across the design. The length of the line is displayed.
For example, use this to obtain the width of a picture or design, or the distance between
two sections.
The length is shown in millimeters or inches, according to the setting for Show Measurements in
mySewnet™ Configure. The alternative units are shown in parentheses.

Shortcuts
■ View Tab:
■ Keys: Alt, V, L

mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs 153

 Measure a Distance with Get Length
1 In the View tab, click the Get Length icon. The pointer changes to
the measure pointer .
2 Click and drag across the part of the design you want to measure. A line
will show the length you are measuring, and a tooltip displays the
distance.
If desired, make a note of the number.
3 Repeat the click and drag to measure any other distances, as required.
4 Right-click to deselect the function.

154 mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs

 Design Player
Use Design Player to play through the stitches in the design as if they were being
stitched from an exported embroidery. All parts of the embroidery that are within the
hoop area are shown, whether or not they are selected.
The current Optimize for Sewing settings from mySewnet™ Configure are used.

Control play with

the slider Jump to first stitch
Rewind
Start or pause play Jump to last stitch
Play at double the
Design Information current speed
Share the animation online

The Design Player will not open if part of the design is outside the hoop.

Share
Use Share to save a still picture or video of your design. See “Share Picture” on
page 158 and “Share Video” on page 159.

Shortcuts
■ Quick Access Toolbar or Home Tab:
■ Keys: Ctrl + J; Alt, 0; Alt, H, J

Using the Design Player

1 Click File, New , or File, New Window and the Choose Design Type page of the ExpressDesign
Wizard will appear.
2 Select the Load Existing Design option, then click Next and the Open Existing Design page will
appear.
3 Click Load a Design , and in the Open dialog box browse to the folder
Documents\mySewnet\Samples\Digitizing\Edo, select the design ’Bicycle.edo’, and click Open.
4 Click Finish to load the design onto the work area.
5 Click Design Player .
The Design Player dialog opens.
6 Use the Play button at the bottom left to start playing through the stitches in the design.
7 Use the controls to play forwards or backwards through the embroidery at different speeds, jump to
the start or end of the stitches, and stop at any time.
Press Ctrl and use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs 155

 Life View
Use Life View to show how an embroidery exported from the project will look. Use Life
View at any time when you want to see the design with no objects selected in 3D with
real-world perspective, and when you want to see the effects of glow in the dark and solar
reactive threads. Zoom in to see detail, and move and rotate the embroidery in a three-
dimensional view.

Change the 3D viewing angle

Move around the window
Zoom in and out
Light and dark effects
Reset
Animate the preview
Share your animation online
Design Information

Life View will not open if part of the embroidery is outside the hoop.

Shortcuts
■ Quick Access Toolbar or Home Tab:
■ Keys: Ctrl + L; Alt 9; Alt, H, L

Position
Use the position slider to move to another part of the Life View window.
Click and drag the cross marker in the center of the box to view the desired part of the
embroidery, using the zoom slider to control the magnification.

Rotation
Use the rotation slider to view the stitching in the embroidery in 3D.
Click and drag the cross marker in the center of the box to change the angle at which the
embroidery is viewed, and allow you to visualize the project in varying real-world views.
Alternatively, click and drag directly in the embroidery preview area to change the angle of view.
Use the zoom and position sliders to select the part of the embroidery to view.

156 mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs

Zoom
Use the zoom slider to change the magnification of the embroidery.
Drag the slider bar to the right to magnify the view of the embroidery, and to the left to
shrink the view of the embroidery. The box below the zoom bar displays the current
magnification.
Click the marker in the center of the zoom bar (100%) to view the embroidery at a
magnification as close as possible to the Real Size setting you chose in mySewnet™
Configure.
When zoomed in, use the position slider to move around the embroidery.

Design Information
Life View shows the dimensions (Width and Height ), the number of stitches and
the number of colors in the embroidery.

Glow in the Dark

Use Glow in the Dark to view the effect of using glow in the
dark threads. The preview will darken to simulate the lights
dimming, and the glow in the dark threads will be shown in their
luminescent colors.

Glow in the Dark is only available if glow in the dark thread colors are
used in the design.

Solar Reactive
Use Solar Reactive to view the effect of using photochromic threads. The preview
simulates the sun shining on the design, and the photochromic threads change shade to
show the colors they become in sunlight.

Photochromic threads change color in sunlight.

Solar Reactive is only available if photochromic thread colors are used in the design.

Play Demo
Use Play Demo to animate the preview and show the embroidery at different angles
automatically. Click to start and stop the animation.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs 157

 Play My Demo
Use Play My Demo to animate the preview using your own demo.
Use the menu options to add the current position as a point in the
demo, or reset to create a new demo.
The My Demo animation will be used for Life View in all modules. It is stored in the
AnimationPath.txt file in the folder:
\User\AppData\Local\mySewnet\Embroidery1\LifeView
Copy this file to another location as a backup before creating additional My Demo animation paths for
Life View.

Reset
Use Reset to set Rotation, Position and Zoom back to the default settings.

Share
Use Share to save a still picture or video of your design. See “Share Picture” on
page 158 and “Share Video” on page 159.

Share Picture
Save a picture of your design. Select a size for the picture,
then save the picture to your computer.

Size
Select a size for your picture. Choose from Standard, 2x, 3x,
and 4x. Standard size is the size of the picture in Design
Player or Life View.

Save
Click Save to save the picture to your computer. The Save As dialog appears for you to
save the picture, with the default file name being the same as the design. Change the
name as desired.

The following file formats may be saved: JPEG Low Quality (.jpg), JPEG High Quality (.jpg),
Tagged Image File Format uncompressed (.tif ) and Portable Network Graphics (.png).

158 mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs

Share Video
Save a video of your design.
Name the video and select its size, quality and speed. Then save it to your computer. A
progress bar is displayed while the video is created.
The higher the image quality, the slower the speed of upload and download.

Video Title and Created By

The video title and the name of the creator are used on the opening frames of the video.
Enter the name of the video, and the name of the creator.

Size
The size of the moving image in pixels. The higher numbers create a higher quality video.
Choose from 1080p (HD), 720p (HD), 480p and 360p. The initial setting is 480p.

Quality
The bit rate, or speed of data transfer. Choose between Low, Medium and High. The initial
setting is Medium.

Speed
Set the speed of the Design Player for the video. Choose from Standard, 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x,
32x, 64x, and 128x. The initial speed is 16x.
This option is only available for videos created from Design Player.

Video Information
The Total Duration of the video in minutes and seconds, and the estimated file size in MB
are displayed. The duration and size vary according to the Size, Quality and Speed of the
video.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs 159

 File Name
Select a folder and name for the video file. Click Select to browse to a different folder on
your computer.

Start and Cancel

Click Start to create your video, using the settings that you chose above. A progress bar
shows during the creation of the video, with an estimate of the creation time. Click Cancel
to stop the video creation.
All other functions in the dialog box are unavailable (grayed out) during video creation.

Zoom Commands
A number of functions are available to make it easier to navigate around designs. These
include the Zoom functions and the Overview Window. By default, each design is shown
at a size so that the hoop fills the window, the same as if you click Zoom To Fit after
zooming in or out.

Click and drag to zoom in on an area Click to zoom out instantly

Click to zoom in instantly
Zoom to Fit 100% zoom
Select or input percentage zoom Drag to zoom in and out

Shortcuts

Zoom Out Keys: Ctrl + -

Zoom To Rectangle Keys: Ctrl + 0
Zoom In Keys: Ctrl + =
Zoom To Fit Keys: Ctrl + 9
You can also navigate around a design by selecting the colors to see and changing the range of stitches
that are displayed.

Zoom To Rectangle
Use Zoom To Rectangle to enlarge the view of an area of the design.
Click the Zoom To Rectangle icon to the right of the status bar, and the mouse pointer
changes to the zoom in pointer . Then either click a point on the design you want to
zoom in towards, or click and drag a rectangle around the area you want to enlarge and
release the mouse button to zoom.
Zoom To Rectangle is automatically deselected after you have used it.

Shortcuts
■ Status Bar:
■ Keys: Ctrl + 0
If you have a wheel mouse, hold the Ctrl key and move the wheel to zoom.

160 mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs

 Pan Mode
Use the Pan feature to move around the screen easily. The Pan feature works when you are
Zoomed In on part of the screen, making the scroll bars visible at the right and bottom of
the work area.
Hold the Space key down until the pan cursor appears, then click and drag.
The pan occurs in real time, that is you see the work area move as you drag across the
screen.
Alternatively, use the Overview Window to move around the screen when Zoomed In.

Pan Around the Work Area

1 Click Zoom To Rectangle and the arrow pointer changes to the zoom in pointer .
2 Click and drag to draw a box, then release to zoom in. Scroll bars appear to allow you to move around
the screen at this higher zoom level.
3 Hold the Space key down, then start to click and drag. The pan cursor appears.
4 Click and drag until the pointer is in the desired part of the screen. (If you have a wheel mouse, you
can click the wheel to pan around the screen.)
5 Lift the pen or release the mouse button.

Zoom To Fit
Use Zoom To Fit to view the whole work area. Click the Zoom To Fit icon and the
view will zoom in or out to show the work area in the window.

Shortcuts
■ Status Bar:
■ Keys: Ctrl + 9

Zoom by Percentage
Use the drop-down list in the Status Bar to set percentage levels to zoom in from 10% up
to 800%. Alternatively, enter a number in the percentage text box.
Select 100% to display the design at a magnification as close as possible to the Real Size setting you chose
in mySewnet™ Configure.

Zoom Bar
Use the Zoom Bar to zoom in or out from the center of the picture or design.

The Zoom Bar is on the right side of the Status Bar.

Use the slider to zoom in or out of the picture or design, or click on the Zoom Out or
Zoom In icons.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Viewing Pictures and Designs 161

 Creating & Managing Designs 8
A new design can be started with File, New , or File, New Window . This will start the
ExpressDesign Wizard. Use the ExpressDesign Wizard to create a new design
automatically, load a picture for a new design, load an existing design or start a new
design with no picture.
In the Design window, you can use the File menu to Open a design or Open Recent, or
Load a Design with Drag and Drop.
Use the Insert functions to insert new or existing designs , embroideries ,
SuperDesigns or text into an existing design.

To open an embroidery as a new design, use File, New , or File, New Window , to start a design with
no picture, and then use Insert Embroidery to convert an embroidery to a design.
When starting from a blank design, you may choose a hoop, and start creating your design
with the Freehand, Point, Shape, Command and Column features. However, it is more
common to follow a picture when creating a design. Open an existing drawing or picture
in the ExpressDesign Wizard, or use Edit Background to edit and load a background
picture with mySewnet™ Draw & Paint.
After creating or editing your picture as desired, it is recommended to save it. Then either
send the picture to the ExpressDesign Wizard, or start creating your design with
QuickStitch™, Freehand and Point Create features.
Save finished designs with Save or Save As , then export the final embroidery with
Export .

162 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating & Managing Designs

 Open Designs
Open
Use Open to load an existing design outline file (extension .edo). mySewnet™
Digitizing displays the Open dialog box so you can choose a design to open.

Browse to a different folder

Search for a design
Change the view or icon size
Click on a design to select it
Hover to view the selected
design’s details
Previewed design

Click Open to load the

selected design

Open Recent with File, Recent or Load a Design with Drag and Drop from Windows® Explorer.
The following options allow you to specify which file to open:

File Name
Type or select the filename you want to open. This box lists files with the .edo extension.

Files of Type
This is set to EDO Files (*.edo) and may not be changed, so that only design outline files
can be opened.

Look In
Select the drive or folder containing the file that you want to open.

More Options
Switch from list or details view to icons with thumbnail images of the design
outline files. For example, Extra Large icons .

Preview Pane
Preview the design outline file before opening .

Shortcuts
■ File Menu:
■ Keys: Ctrl + O

Insert
Use Insert to insert existing outline designs (.edo or .can files) into the current design.
The Open dialog is displayed so that you can choose a design to insert.
The design is inserted after the selected object or the last visible object in the design on
the work area. The inserted design is automatically selected so that it can be moved,

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating & Managing Designs 163

 resized, mirrored, rotated, copied or cut. Designs are inserted at the size they were created,
or automatically made small enough to fit the current hoop.
Use Insert to load a .can design outline file (from 5D™ or 4D™ Design Creator). Thumbnail image previews
are not available for .can files. If the .can file contains a picture, the picture will not be loaded.

Browse to a different folder

Search for a design
Change the view or icon size
Click on a design to preview it

Previewed design

Hover to view the selected design’s details Click Open to load the selected design

Shortcuts
■ Quick Access Toolbar; File Menu; Home Tab, Insert:
■ Keys: Ctrl + I; Alt, 1; Alt, H, IN

Load a Design
1 In the File menu, click New .
2 In the Quick Access toolbar, click Insert .
Alternatively, click Insert in the Home tab.
3 In the Open dialog box, browse to the folder Documents\mySewnet\Samples\Digitizing \Edo.
If desired, click Change Your View to view icons of the designs.
4 Scroll down to show the thumbnail of the sleigh.

5 Click the picture of the sleigh and the design will be selected.
6 Click Open to load the design onto the screen.
You can use Insert to transfer design elements between design files. Simply delete all the objects from a
design except the desired design element (for instance, in a floral design delete everything except one
flower that you want to use somewhere else). Save the isolated design element as a new outline design file
(.edo).

164 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating & Managing Designs

 Open the design where you want to insert the isolated design element, then browse and insert it with
Insert. If you do this several times then you will gradually build up your own library of design elements.

Load a Design with Drag and Drop

To drag and drop a design outline (.edo) file onto the screen, use Windows® Explorer.

Drag a Design to the Work Area

1 In Windows®, open an Explorer window. If required, resize the Explorer window so you can see both
Explorer and mySewnet™ Digitizing.
In Windows® 10 & 11 click File Explorer on the Status Bar.
2 Browse through the drives and folders of your computer to find the
Documents\mySewnet\Samples\Digitizing\Edo folder.
3 Click on the desired design name or icon to highlight it.
4 Use the mouse to drag and drop the design onto the mySewnet™ Digitizing screen. The design will be
displayed on the screen.
5 Close Explorer.

Recent
Open previously used design outline (.edo) files via the file names in the Recent section of
the File menu. Select the name of the desired design file.
Recently used designs may only be chosen from the File menu in the Design window. There is no recent files
list for pictures.

Shortcut
File Menu: Recent

Copy Embroidery
Use Copy Embroidery to make a copy of the design as an embroidery and place it on
the clipboard, where it can be pasted into another mySewnet™ Embroidery Software
module. The whole design is copied as an embroidery, regardless of whether only part or
all of it is selected.
Use Copy to copy the selected objects. See “Copy” on page 359.
Copying to the clipboard replaces the contents previously stored there.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab, Copy:
■ Keys: Ctrl + Shift + C; Alt, H, CO, CE

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating & Managing Designs 165

 Save Designs
Save
Use Save to save the design file under its current name and folder. When you save a
design for the first time, mySewnet™ Digitizing displays the Save As dialog box so you can
name the design file. To change the name and folder of an existing design file, use Save As.

Shortcuts
■ Quick Access Toolbar; File Menu:
■ Keys: Ctrl + S; Alt, 2

Save As
Use Save As to save and name the design file. mySewnet™ Digitizing displays the Save
As dialog box so you can name your design. To save a design with its existing file name
and folder, use the Save command.

Shortcuts
■ Quick Access Toolbar; File Menu:
■ Keys: Ctrl + Shift + S; Alt, 3

166 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating & Managing Designs

 Export
Use Export to save the design outline file in the current window as a flattened .vp4 file,
or in an alternative embroidery format. The embroidery must fit in the currently selected
hoop. Use the Design Player to see how the embroidery will be exported according to the
current Optimize for Sewing options.

The preferred file format for exporting embroideries is Husqvarna Viking / Pfaff .vp4, as
this will preserve background and appliqué information, thread color information and
notes.
You can also export embroideries as Brother/Baby Lock/Bernina PEC (.pec), Brother/Baby
Lock/Bernina PES (.pes), Compucon/Singer PSW (.xxx), Husqvarna (.hus ,.shv), Husqvarna
Viking /Pfaff (vp4, .vp3 and .vip), Janome (.jef and .sew), Melco Expanded (.exp), Pfaff (.pcs),
Tajima (.dst) or Toyota (.10o).
The initial name will be the current file name with "Exported" added. The text "Exported" may be changed
in mySewnet™ Configure.

Shortcuts
■ Quick Access Toolbar; File Menu:
■ Keys: Ctrl + E; Alt, 4

Optimize for Sewing Options

All of these options are initially selected when saving as a .vp4 file, or in any other format.
You can customize the initial Optimize for Sewing Options in mySewnet™ Configure.
Combine: Merge the embroideries into a single embroidery during Export.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating & Managing Designs 167

 Combine is not enabled if there is only one design, and for embroidery formats that are automatically
combined.
Remove Overlap: Prevent areas of stitches building up where embroideries overlap.
Remove Overlap is not available when Combine is not enabled.
Only deselect this option if, for example, your embroideries are low density and you wish to have a blend
effect where they overlap.
ColorSort: Reduce the number of thread colors during Export.
Optimize Stitch Length: Automatically remove small and insignificant stitches. See
“Stitch Length Optimizer Options” on page 171.
Cutwork Needle lines in the Inspira Cutwork Needle "thread range" and Felting Needle colors in the Inspira
Felting Needle "thread range" are unaffected by Optimize Stitch Length.

Decoration
Create Center or Line placement stitches for Decorations added in mySewnet™
Embroidery, or remove all decorations and their associated placement stitches.
Center or Line placement stitches are created automatically for decorations according to
the options set in mySewnet™ Configure, which may be altered when you export the
embroidery. Alternatively, create templates for cutters.
Center placement stitches are recommended when most decorations are individual and
symmetrical. Line placement stitches are recommended when most decorations are
individual and asymmetrical (such as bugle beads) or lines of closely spaced beads or
sequins.
Create Center placement stitches: Create a small cross shape in stitches to show where
the decoration is to be placed.
Create Line placement stitches: Create a single stitch that runs along the length of the
decoration.
Remove all decorations and placement stitches: Remove all decorations and placement
stitches from the exported version. This may be desired to create an embroidery with a
complementary crystal transfer template (made using the Export Decoration Template
dialog box in mySewnet™ Embroidery).

Hoop Orientation
Set the hoop orientation.
Rotate to fit natural hoop position: Rotate the embroidery if needed to fit with the
default hoop orientation for the machine. This option is only available if the hoop on the
main screen is in the rotated orientation. It is useful if you prefer to create a "landscape"
shaped project in the rotated orientation.
Flip design for felting or reverse embroidery: Flip the embroidery for being stitched in
reverse. If an embroidery contains a Felting Needle color effect this option is selected
initially. See “Felting Needle” on page 140.

168 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating & Managing Designs

 Splitting options
Click the button to open the splitting options dialog box. See “Splitting for Multipart
Hoops” on page 169.
Splitting for Multipart Hoops is available if .vp4, .vp3, .pes or .jef is chosen.

Additional Sections
Additional dialog sections are available, depending on the chosen file format.
■ If .pes is chosen, you can select your machine type, file version, hoop size and rotation.
■ If .jef is chosen, you can select your machine type, hoop size and rotation.

OK
View the Save, or Saving As dialog, depending on the selected file format.

Export an Embroidery
1 Create an embroidery design.
2 Save the design. See “Save As” on page 166.
3 Click Export . The Export dialog box appears.
4 Select an embroidery format from the drop-down list.
5 Select your optimization options.
6 If you are using a multipart hoop, set Intelligent or Straight Line split.
7 Click OK.
8 The Save As dialog will appear. Save the embroidery as desired.
When exporting an embroidery, the message 'Design is too large or will not fit in hoop.' may appear. This
means that some part of your embroidery is not entirely within the hoop. Move the design so that it fits
inside the hoop. If desired, use the arrow keys to nudge the embroidery in small steps.

Splitting for Multipart Hoops

This dialog is available if .vp4, .vp3, .pes or .jef is selected as the file format.

Embroideries for Multipart hoops are split automatically, according to your Export
settings. Use an Intelligent or Straight Line Split.
Note: There is no need to ensure embroideries are in one stitch area of the hoop; just place
your embroideries in the most pleasing arrangement.

Split Method
You can use one of two split methods:
■ Intelligent Split automatically calculates a split line that is routed through gaps or across
movement stitches, cuts the minimum number of stitches, and minimizes cuts through
solid sections of embroidery. Where possible, use Intelligent Split.
■ Straight Line Split cuts the embroidery straight across the center line of the overlap zone.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating & Managing Designs 169

 Intelligent with Tolerance
Intelligent Split calculates a split line that cuts the minimum number of stitches, and
minimizes cuts through solid sections of embroidery. For example, a large embroidery is
split at a narrow section, and an embroidery that fits in one stitch area of the hoop is left in
one piece even if it is part of a larger design.
Tolerance ensures that the Intelligent Split line stays a short distance from the edges of
the overlap. This allows for play in the hoop when going from one hoop area to another,
such as when aligning a hoop that has been turned to stitch out the other side of an
embroidery.
You can set Tolerance from 0 to 3mm, in steps of 1mm. The initial setting is 1mm.
To use Intelligent Split with Tolerance, select the "Intelligent with Tolerance" checkbox, then enter a number
in the Tolerance number box, or use the arrows to increase or decrease the Tolerance.

Straight with Compensation

Straight Line Split cuts straight across the center of the overlap zone. Straight Line Split
will only split an individual embroidery if, before it is combined with everything else, it
does not fit entirely into one stitch area of the hoop.
Lettering is split straight down the middle, as with any other type of embroidery. This may cut through
characters rather than gaps and spaces. In such cases, it is recommended to use Intelligent Split instead.
Compensation adds overlapping stitches along the edges where the embroidery is split.
This compensates for pull on the fabric.
None Use None if you can split an embroidery without cutting through any of the design
elements. Compensation is initially set to None.
Low Use Low when cutting through a lightly stitched embroidery or when the split lines go
through only a few stitch areas.
High Use High when the embroidery is dense, when the split lines make long splits through
stitch areas, or when stitching onto materials such as knitted or stretchy fabric.

Alignment Stitch for Turnable Hoops

Select this option to add an alignment cross at the end of each embroidery section when
using the HUSQVARNA VIKING® Designer Majestic™, PFAFF® creative Grand Dream™,
Universal Multipart hoop, or Brother Jumbo Frame. A hoop movement to the alignment
cross is added at the beginning of the next section. The next embroidery section can then
be correctly aligned, or alignment can be confirmed.

170 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating & Managing Designs

 Stitch Length Optimizer Options
Use the Stitch Length Optimizer Options dialog box to automatically remove small and
insignificant stitches. You can adjust the stitch removal sensitivity, or the minimum
significant stitch length.

Stitch Length Sensitivity

Adjust the sensitivity of the optimization. Low is set as the default.
■ Choose from Low, Medium or High.

Minimum Significant Stitch Length

Select the shortest stitch length that you consider to be significant. Stitches below this
length are removed during the optimization process. The default stitch length is 0.8 mm.
Cutwork Needle lines are unaffected by the Minimum Significant Stitch Length.
■ Choose from 0.6 mm, 0.8 mm or 1.0 mm.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating & Managing Designs 171

 Export Appliqué Pieces
Use Export Appliqué Pieces to save or print appliqué outlines ready for cutting.

Export an SVG, DXF or FCM file

for use in a fabric cutter

Use 2 or 4 cutwork needles

Add secure points for fabric stability

Export a .vp3 or .vp4 stitch file

Print as an outline template for cutting out

Print onto printable fabric or an iron-on transfer

Save as a PNGfile for use with a graphics package

There are five appliqué piece export methods:

■ Export for Cutter: Save as SVG, DXF or FCM files for use in fabric cutters
■ Export for Cutwork Needles: Save as VP4 or VP3 stitch files that can be used with
INSPIRA™ Cutwork Needles
■ Print Templates: Print as an outline template to stick or pin to fabric and then cut out
■ Print Appliqué Pictures: Print directly onto printable fabric or an iron-on transfer; this
also prints the image of the appliqué piece
■ Export for Custom Layout: Save as PNG files with the fabric image placed as the fill for
each shape. This is designed for use with fully customized layouts.

Export for Cutter

Export the appliqué piece as an SVG, DXF or FCM image file for use in a fabric cutter.
Set the units of measurement (millimeters or inches), and select a file type. Click Export to
save the file.
The maximum size for the Brother ScanNCut FCM format is 12" x 12" (305mm x 305mm).

172 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating & Managing Designs

 Recommended file formats for cutters:

Cutter Software Export Format

Cricut Explore® Cricut Design Space 3.1512 SVG (points)
KNK Zing Air® Make the Cut! 4.6.1 (Zing Plugin 2.1.0) SVG (points)
Silhouette Cameo® Silhouette Studio 3.6.57 ss DXF (millimeters)
(Use "As Is" import settings)
Brother ScanNCut® (2) Direct to USB stick or machine FCM
Sizzix Eclips2 eCal2 2.203 SVG (points)

Export for Cutwork Needles

Export the appliqué piece for cutting with INSPIRA™ Cutwork Needles. Select 2 or 4
needles, choose whether to use secure points for fabric stability and their length, and use
a .vp3 or .vp4 stitch file.

Print Templates
Print the appliqué piece as an outline template to stick or pin to fabric and then cut out.
Select a printer and paper size in the Print Setup dialog box. See “Print Setup” on
page 376.

Print Appliqué Pictures

Print directly onto printable fabric or an iron-on transfer; this also prints the image of the
appliqué piece.
Flip the picture for an iron-on transfer, and select a printer and paper size in the Print
Setup dialog box. See “Print Setup” on page 376.

Export for Custom Layout

Save as PNG files with the fabric image placed as the fill for each appliqué piece shape.
This is designed for use with fully customized layouts, for example if you wish to arrange or
adjust the appliqué shapes in a graphics package.

Shortcuts
■ File Menu:
■ Keys: Ctrl + Shift + E

Sending Embroideries
Send designs to your mySewnet™ enabled embroidery machine via mySewnet™ from
within the mySewnet™ Embroidery Software, or directly from your mySewnet™ account.
Use mySewnet™ Connect to change your mySewnet™ settings, and to send embroideries
directly to some HUSQVARNA VIKING® or PFAFF® machines using Direct USB Connection.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating & Managing Designs 173

 Send
Use the Send dialog to send the selected embroidery to the mySewnet™ Cloud, or to your
machine.

Send the design to the mySewnet™ Cloud

Send directly to a mySewnet™ device

Select the machine or computer for sending to

Send to a machine using a Direct USB cable

Start the mySewnet™ Connect utility

Change the design name before sending

Send to mySewnet™ Cloud

Send the selected embroidery design to the mySewnet™ Cloud.

Send Express to mySewnet™ Device

Send the selected embroidery design direct to the mySewnet™ enabled machine or
computer.
Select the computer or machine from the list below.

Direct USB Cable

Send or Send Express to a machine with a direct USB connection.

Filename
You can change the name of the design before sending it.

Sending via mySewnet™

Sending from a Machine to mySewnet™ Embroidery
You can send an embroidery from a mySewnet™ enabled embroidery machine to
mySewnet™ Embroidery on your computer. Adjust the embroidery, then return it to your
machine for stitching.
To be able to send from your machine to mySewnet™ Embroidery, and to send to your
machine with Send Express to mySewnet™ Device:
■ mySewnet™ Connect must be running on the computer

174 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating & Managing Designs

■ You must use a mySewnet™ enabled embroidery machine with the most recent updates
installed
■ The computer and embroidery machine must be signed in to the same mySewnet™
account.
An embroidery moved from a machine to mySewnet™ Embroidery will include no special features from the
embroidery machine, for example changing the words for lettering. This is also true of designs sent in the
other direction.

Send from an Embroidery Machine

1 Go to the embroidery machine.
2 Tap the Cloud button at the top and ensure that you are signed in to mySewnet™.
3 Select embroidery mode, and then load an embroidery.
4 In the machine screen, choose the send to software option.
5 Select the computer to send to, then send the embroidery.
The embroidery will open in a new mySewnet™ Embroidery window.
6 When you have adjusted the embroidery, save the changes to your computer.
You can name your computer in the mySewnet tab of mySewnet™ Configure.
You can then use Send Express to mySewnet™ Device to return the edited embroidery to
your machine for stitching out.
When you send from your embroidery machine to mySewnet™ Embroidery, the embroidery may be sent to
a window beneath the active maximized window. The mySewnet™ button in the taskbar flashes to
indicate that a design has been sent.

Using Send Express to mySewnet™ Device

1 In the File menu, select Send.
2 In the Send dialog box, select your machine name from the list.
A message tells you that the design was sent.
3 On the machine, tap to accept the design from your computer.
4 Stitch out the design.
You can use Send to mySewnet™ in the Explorer Plugin to send embroideries to mySewnet™. See the
mySewnet™ Configure Reference Guide and Help.

Sending to a Machine via Direct USB Connection

Use mySewnet™ Connect to send embroideries directly to your embroidery machine
screen, or to the embroideries folder on your embroidery machine with Direct USB
Connection.
■ mySewnet™ Connect must be open to transfer files directly to and from the embroidery
machine when it is connected to your computer.
■ Use the file manager on your embroidery machine to browse your computer and copy
embroideries to any folder on your machine.
When Direct USB Connection is established, the machine name will be shown in the Machine menu.

Using mySewnet™ Connect with Direct USB Connection

Before using Direct USB Connection, ensure that your drivers are up to date at
mysewnet.com
1 First, check your Direct USB connection.
Switch off your embroidery machine.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating & Managing Designs 175

 2 Open mySewnet™ Configure , and if the mySewnet™ Connect icon cannot be seen in the system
tray, click Start mySewnet™ Connect on the Utilities tab.
The mySewnet™ Connect icon can be seen in the system tray, however it is flagged as inactive .
3 Switch on your embroidery machine, and wait for it to initialize. The mySewnet™ Connect icon is now
flagged as active .
You can now send embroideries to your embroidery machine’s screen or designs folder.
Communication will also be shown as established if a connection exists with mySewnet™.
4 Open mySewnet™ Embroidery, then use Insert to load an embroidery design.
5 In the File menu click Send.
6 In the Send dialog box, select Send Express to USB connected machine, then click Send. The
embroidery appears on the embroidery machine screen.
You can now stitch it on your embroidery machine.
7 In the Send dialog box, select Send to USB connected machine. Then click Send to send the
embroidery to the MyFiles or Personal Files folder on your embroidery machine.
You can also send embroideries to your directly connected machine via the mySewnet™ Embroidery
Software Explorer Plugin. See the mySewnet™ Configure Reference Guide and Help.
8 Right-click the mySewnet™ Connect system tray icon. A context menu appears.
9 Ensure that Start Automatically is selected, to start mySewnet™ Connect whenever your computer is
started.
10 Click About mySewnet™ Connect to view the version number.
You will need this version number if you contact technical support at any time.

mySewnet™ Connect
Use the mySewnet™ Connect module in the mySewnet™ Embroidery Software to access
your mySewnet™ settings in mySewnet™ Configure, and to send embroideries directly to
some HUSQVARNA VIKING® or PFAFF® machines using Direct USB Connection.
To change your mySewnet™ settings, see the mySewnet™ Configure Reference Guide and Help.
Use the mySewnet™ Connect menu to check the status of your mySewnet™ or Direct USB
Connection.

The System Tray Icon

When mySewnet™ Connect is running, it appears as an icon in the system tray at the
bottom right of your computer screen. The icon will show whether or not communication
is established with your machine as follows:

Communication established No communication

■ Click or right-click the icon to see the mySewnet™ Connect Menu.
Communication is shown as established when a connection exists with either mySewnet™ or with your
embroidery machine via Direct USB Connection.

Starting mySewnet™ Connect

mySewnet™ Connect is set to start automatically when you restart your computer. If it is
not open, use the following steps.
1 Open mySewnet™ Configure .
2 On the Utilities tab, click Start mySewnet™ Connect . The mySewnet™ Connect icon can now
be seen in the system tray.
3 To close mySewnet™ Connect, click the icon in the system tray and in the mySewnet™ Connect menu
click Exit.

176 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating & Managing Designs

 mySewnet™ Connect Menu
Click the mySewnet™ Connect icon in the system tray to see a menu of options.

The menu tells you whether you are signed in to mySewnet™, and if Direct USB
connection is active.
For mySewnet™ the current status in mySewnet™ Configure is listed, for Direct USB your machine name or
Not Connected are present. If you have more than one machine, the first found is used.
■ Select About mySewnet™ Connect to see the version number and copyright.
■ Select Start Automatically to select or deselect the automatic start when Windows® starts.
■ Select mySewnet™ Options to view the mySewnet tab in mySewnet™ Configure.
■ Select Direct USB Settings to view the shared drives list.
■ Select Help to display help pages about mySewnet™ Connect.
■ Select Exit to close mySewnet™ Connect and remove it from the system tray.
Shared Drive Selection
Click the icon in the system tray, and select Direct USB Settings in the popup menu that
appears.

The Shared drives list shows all the drives on the computer. Drives that are selected with
check marks can be browsed from your embroidery machine. All available drives are
selected when mySewnet™ Connect is installed. If you add new drives after installing
mySewnet™ Connect, such as a USB stick, you will need to click the drive so it is checked.
Click the check boxes to uncheck drives that you do not want to browse from your
embroidery machine.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating & Managing Designs 177

 The mySewnet™ Cloud Sync Tool
Use the mySewnet™ Cloud Sync Tool to manage the content of your mySewnet™
compatible embroidery machine from your PC.
The mySewnet™ Cloud Sync Tool is available from: www.mysewnet.com
Select your machine brand, Register or Sign In, and in the Home page select mySewnet™
Cloud to download and install the Sync Tool.

The System Tray Icon

When the mySewnet™ Cloud Sync Tool is running, there is an icon on the bottom right of
your computer screen. The icon will show whether or not the Sync Tool is running:

Sync Tool Active Sync Tool Inactive

■ Left-click the icon to view your mySewnet™ folder and the mySewnet™ website.
■ Right-click the icon to see the mySewnet™ Cloud Sync Tool menu.
For more information, click Getting Started in the mySewnet™ Cloud Sync Tool menu.

178 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating & Managing Designs

 Using Commands 9
Commands are instructions such as the Color Change (marker ) that changes the
thread at the start of a new color block. The Stop (marker ) tells an embroidery
machine to stop without a color change. Use Alignment Stitches (marker ) to add
stitches at the beginning of an embroidery to align the embroidery, for example to a
background picture.

Color Change and Pick Color

Use Color Change , Add Color Change , Pick Color , or the Quick Colors palette
to select a new thread color for the stitch objects you are about to add to the design. The
first Color Change is initially set to medium blue. A Color Change command is shown by a
small blue circle with a C .
To change an existing color, double-click the desired color in the color worksheet on the
Design Panel, or select the color in the worksheet and click Color change .
Alternatively, right-click the color in the FilmStrip and select Properties. The Color
Selection dialog box opens.
To delete a color change, select the Color Change in the FilmStrip or on the work area,
then click the Delete icon , use the Delete key, or right-click in the FilmStrip and select
Delete. The first Color Change in a design may not be deleted.
To insert a color, select the object after which the color change is desired, and click Add
Color Change , click in the Quick Colors, or right-click in the FilmStrip and select Insert
Color Change from the context menu. Alternatively, click one of the Quick Colors to select
a new color.
Select a color from the Color Selection box that appears. You may choose any thread
shade from the available thread manufacturers' palettes (for instance, Sulky Rayon 40 or
Robison-Anton Cotton 50) or a thread you have added to MyThreads. Select colors by
visual selection or by typing in a shade number. Alternatively you can choose a ’Quick
Color’ Theme and then select one of the 32 Quick Colors. See “Quick Color Themes” on
page 199. Optionally, add a thread or needle effect to the selected thread. Once the
desired color is selected, click OK.

Shortcuts
■ Quick Create Tab; Freehand Create Tab; Point Create Tab, Command: & ; Edit
Tab:
■ Keys: Alt, Q, C, C; Alt, Q, C, P; Alt, R, C, C; Alt, R, C, P; Alt, P, C, C; Alt, P, C, P; Right-click
FilmStrip, H

Color Selection
The Color Selection dialog box appears when you click Add Color Change , right-click a
color change marker , or right-click an object in the FilmStrip and select Insert Color

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Commands 179

 Change. Alternatively, on the Design Panel select a color in the worksheet and click Color
Change , or double-click a color in the color worksheet.

Open Thread Cache

Show chosen thread ranges Puffy Foam height
Select a thread range Twin needle gap
Search for a thread number & second color
Choose a Quick Color Theme
Click a Quick Color to select Second thread
a matching thread color color
Wing needle
Click a thread color
to select a thread Felting needle
View the thread information Cutwork needle
angle

You may choose any thread shade from the available thread manufacturers' palettes (for
instance, Robison-Anton Rayon 40 or Sulky Cotton 30) or a thread you have added to
MyThreads. Select colors by visual selection or by typing in a shade number. Alternatively,
click one of the Quick Colors to select the nearest matching thread color. Once the desired
color is selected, click OK. See “Color Selection” on page 137.
When you select a new thread color, the color worksheet will show the change and the
work area will show the block of stitches in the new color.
To keep the full color information including thread shade numbers, export your
embroideries as file type .vp4.
Use the Manage button to open mySewnet™ Thread Cache to manage your threads.

Design Property Colors

Use Design Property Colors to show or hide thread colors in the Color Select area that
are part of an object’s property, for example an alternative border color or color gradients.

Color Change Properties

The Color Change command is shown by a small blue circle with a C .
To delete an existing color, select it in the FilmStrip, or click a nearby object and use the
left and right arrow keys to move to the Color Change, then click Delete. To change a color,
click the color block in the color worksheet on the Design Panel, or right-click the color
change in the FilmStrip and select Properties.
For full details, see “Color Change and Pick Color” on page 179.

180 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Commands

 Stop
Use Stop to create a Stop command that is used to tell the embroidery machine to
stop without a color change, and use the Stop properties dialog box to add a message to
the Stop command. The Stop command is shown by a small red circle with an S .
A common use for the Stop command is to pause the machine while a piece of appliqué fabric is placed in
the hoop, then again after it is tacked down with running or double stitch so the excess material can be
trimmed before satin borders are used to cover the edge of the fabric.
To delete a Stop, select the Stop command, then click the Delete icon , use the Delete
key or right-click in the FilmStrip and select Delete.
To select a Stop, click near it and use the left and right arrow keys to select it, or select it directly in the
FilmStrip. It will be highlighted in the FilmStrip.
To view Stop commands with their messages, use the Design Player, or view them in the printed worksheet.

Shortcuts
■ Freehand Create Tab; Point Create Tab, Command:
■ Keys: Alt, R, P; Alt, P, P; Right-click FilmStrip, O

Insert a Stop Command

1 Open a design, then click the Freehand Create or Point Create tab.
2 Move to the position in the FilmStrip where you want to place the
Stop command.
3 Click Stop . A Stop command is inserted at the selected
position. It is shown by a small red circle with an S .
4 Right-click on the Stop command in the work area, and the Stop
properties dialog box opens.
Alternatively, right-click the Stop command in the FilmStrip and
select Properties.
5 Use the Quick Text drop-down menu to insert a stitchout hint, or
enter a message. See “Stop Properties” on page 181.
6 Click OK to save the text.

Stop Properties
Add a stitchout hint to a Stop Command in the Stop
properties dialog box.
Select a Quick Text comment from the drop-down menu, or
enter text in the Comment text field. Click OK to save the
text. Up to 200 characters may be entered.
To view Stop commands with their messages, use the Design Player, or
view them in the printed worksheet.

Quick Text
Select one of the following texts:
■ Place the appliqué fabric now
■ Cut around the appliqué
■ Place the appliqué shape onto the placement line
■ Cut the hole in your fabric
■ Place the puffy foam on the fabric now

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Commands 181

 ■ Remove any excess puffy foam
■ Check alignment now.

Single Stitch
Use Single Stitch to create a Single Stitch or series of Single Stitches, according to the
length set in Preferences or the properties box. The length may vary. A Single Stitch may
be broken up into stitches from 1mm to 12mm in 1mm steps.
Typically it would be set to a relatively long length of around 10mm in order to produce an effect from a
long stitch.
Single stitches are represented by a line in the currently selected color. Depending on the
default Stitch Length set in Preferences , more than one stitch may be generated
between two points when a stitch is placed.
Single Stitches are useful as short traveling stitches, and to achieve various hand stitching effects.

Shortcuts
■ Freehand Create Tab; Point Create Tab, Command:
■ Keys: Alt, R, N; Alt, P, N

Single Stitch Properties

Set the Length of single stitches from 1 to 12mm in steps
of 1mm. The initial setting is shown in Creating Stitches
Preferences .

Break up into smaller stitches

Break up stitches longer than the selected length into
stitches of this length.

Alignment Stitches
Use Alignment Stitches to add stitches at the beginning of an
embroidery that you can use to align the embroidery, for
example with a background picture on fabric.
An Alignment Stitch is shown by a small purple circle. In Object View, an
A can be seen.
Five types of alignment stitch are available: Cross, Top Left
Corner, Top Right Corner, Bottom Left Corner and Bottom Right
Corner. When first placed, a Cross is used.

Alignment Stitch
Use Alignment Stitch to insert a cross-shaped alignment
stitch.
Click to place alignment stitches, which are shown as crosses in the current color. Each
cross is 10mm wide. Two or three alignment crosses should be sufficient in most
circumstances.

182 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Commands

 Use the Alignment Stitches dialog to select a corner alignment stitch. These alignment
stitches are corner shaped, so they can be used even if your design goes up to the edge of
the chosen hoop. Choose from: Top Left Corner , Top Right Corner , Bottom Left
Corner , Bottom Right Corner or Point .

Shortcuts
■ Freehand Create Tab; Point Create Tab, Command:
■ Keys: Alt, R, G; Alt, P, G

Place an Alignment Stitch

1 In the Freehand Create, or Point Create, tab select Alignment Stitch .
2 Click the point on the picture where you want to add an alignment stitch.
A cross-shaped stitch and a pink marker, or an Alignment Stitch marker in Object View, are added at
the point where you click.
3 Click Undo to remove any unwanted alignment stitches.
4 To open the Alignment Stitches dialog, select an alignment stitch in the FilmStrip, right-click it and
select Properties, or select and right-click an alignment stitch in the work area. Here you can select
another alignment stitch type.
5 Click OK to close the dialog.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Commands 183

 Appliqué and Colors 10
Appliqué
Add appliqué when creating an area or line, with the ability to choose your preferred
fabric or picture and an appliqué placement method.
Select Appliqué when creating an area or line, choose an appliqué fabric or picture in
the Appliqué Selection dialog box, and choose a placement method in the Appliqué tab
of the Fill Area and Line options. See “Appliqué” on page 84.
Click Select Appliqué Fabric in the Appliqué drop-down menu to choose an appliqué
fabric in the Appliqué Selection dialog box. See “Appliqué Selection” on page 184.

Shortcuts
■ Quick Create Tab, Fill Area and Line; Freehand Create Tab, Fill Area and Line; Point Create
Tab, Fill Area and Line:
■ Keys: Alt, Q, A; Alt, R, A; Alt, P, A

Appliqué Selection
Use the Appliqué Selection dialog box to select a fabric or picture to use for appliqué. Click
OK to use the selected appliqué fabric.
Preview the appliqué fabric
Select a Quick Color & texture

Choose an appliqué type

Choose a system fabric

or add a new one

Print a sheet of appliqué fabric

Load an individual picture
for printed appliqué

Reuse a recent fabric

Appliqué Type
Choose an appliqué type (or simply select one of the recently used swatches). Select from:
■ Quick
Select a color and texture for your fabric. See “Quick Appliqué Options” on page 185.

184 mySewnet™ Digitizing Appliqué and Colors

■ Fabric
Select a background fabric, or add a new background fabric from a picture. Set the angle
for the fabric. See “Fabric Options” on page 185.
■ Picture
Create in individual non-tiling appliqué from a picture. For instance, use a photo for a
printed appliqué memory piece. See “Picture Options” on page 186.
■ Cut-out
Create an appliqué placement line as a guide to where the fabric should be cut to form a
hole; for example, for reverse appliqué.

Quick Appliqué Options

The Quick Appliqué Options are available when Quick is selected in
Appliqué Type.
Select a color and texture for your fabric.

Color
Click the color sample to change the color in the Colors dialog
box. See “Colors Dialog Box” on page 201.

Quick Colors
Click one of the Quick Colors to select a color for the fabric. Use the drop-down menu to
choose a different Quick Colors theme, or to create your own theme. See “Quick Color
Themes” on page 199.

Texture
Select the texture to use for the fabric. Click on the down arrow and choose the desired
fabric type.

Fabric Options
The Fabric Options are available when Fabric is selected in
Appliqué Type.

Load Previously Saved Fabric

Use Load Previously Saved Fabric to load a sample fabric, or a fabric from My Fabrics,
in the Picture Viewer. See “Background Picture Viewer” on page 186.

Add New Background Fabric

Use Add New Background Fabric to create a new fabric background in the
Background Wizard. See “Background Wizard” on page 187.

Angle
Use Angle to change the angle at which the pattern will be displayed.
You may also change the angle and position of the fabric pattern directly by selecting the appliqué piece in
the work area.
Enter an Angle from 0 to 359 degrees. The initial setting is 0. Alter the Angle by entering a
number in the box, or use the up and down arrows to change the number. Changes in
Angle are visible in the preview pane.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Appliqué and Colors 185

 Print Sheet
Print a sheet of appliqué fabric from the selected Quick Appliqué or Fabric pattern. Flip the
picture for an iron-on transfer, and select a printer and paper size in the Print Setup dialog
box. See “Print Setup” on page 376.

Picture Options
The Picture Options are available when Picture is selected in Appliqué Type.
Click Select Picture to create a picture background in the Load Picture Wizard. See “Load
Picture Wizard” on page 193.

Fabric Preview
The chosen fabric is previewed on the right.

Recent Swatches
Select a recently used fabric to use again.
■ Keys: Alt, Q, A, F; Alt, R, A, F; Alt, P, A, F

Background Picture Viewer

Use the Picture Viewer to select a fabric from the system fabrics, or from the My Fabrics
folder with fabric backgrounds you have added.

Choose a fabric folder

Scroll to view more folders

Click to select a fabric

Scroll to view more fabrics

Load the selected fabric

Change the icon size

To open the Picture Viewer, in the Appliqué Selection dialog box select Fabric, then click Load Previously
Saved Fabric .
Open a folder, and scroll down and click a fabric to select it. Click OK to load the fabric in
the Appliqué Selection dialog box.
To create a new fabric in the Background Wizard, in the Appliqué Selection dialog box select Fabric, then
click Add New Background Fabric . See “Background Wizard” on page 187.

186 mySewnet™ Digitizing Appliqué and Colors

Background Wizard
Use the Background Wizard to create a new appliqué fabric from a picture.

Choose Picture
Use the Choose Picture page of the Background Wizard to select a picture for the new
appliqué fabric.

Select a picture file on

your computer

Paste a copied picture

Import a file from a scanner

or camera

Create or edit a picture in

mySewnet Draw & Paint

The picture is previewed

From Scanner or Camera will not be available if you do not have a WIA compliant scanner or digital
camera attached to your computer.

Load a Picture
Click Load a Picture to open a picture from clipart, or one you have previously saved,
scanned or created in an image editor. Click to select a picture, then click OK to continue.
Hover the pointer over a picture to see a tooltip showing its name. The name may also be displayed below
the picture, depending on the chosen icon size.

Choose a picture folder

Click to select a picture

Scroll to view more pictures

Scroll to view more folders
Load the selected picture

Change the icon size

The following file formats may be loaded: Windows or OS2 Bitmap (.bmp), JPEG-JFIF
Compliant (.jpg, .jif, .jpeg), Portable Network Graphics (.png), Tagged Image File Format

mySewnet™ Digitizing Appliqué and Colors 187

 uncompressed (.tiff, .tif ), Windows Meta File (.wmf ), Windows Enhanced Meta File (.emf )
and Windows Icon (.ico).

Load a Picture for a Background

1 Click Load a Picture and the Picture Viewer dialog box appears.
2 Double-click to expand the folders until the desired folder is highlighted.
3 If desired, change the icon size to see more or fewer pictures.
4 Click on a picture to select it.
5 Click OK to open the picture in the Choose Picture page, with its name underneath.
6 Click Cancel to exit without selecting a picture.

Paste Picture
Use Paste Picture to load the picture in the Clipboard Block.
Paste Picture is not available if the Clipboard block is empty.

From Scanner or Camera

Use From Scanner or Camera to display the program that is used to acquire pictures
from a scanner, a digital camera or another suitable device. Only devices that use Windows
Image Acquisition (WIA) can be used to obtain pictures.
WIA (Windows Image Acquisition) is a standard method for transferring pictures from the device’s
scanning or downloading program to another program, in this case the mySewnet™ Digitizing module of
the mySewnet™ Embroidery Software. If the manufacturer provides the appropriate software components
needed for WIA compliance, these should have been installed when the device was installed.
Each scanner or digital camera has its own program that is used to scan or download
pictures. Refer to the manual or online help provided with the program for instructions, if
required. When the device and its software finish processing the Picture, it will be shown
in the Choose Picture page.

Preview and Name

Under the preview pane is a box for the name of the chosen file. If the picture is a scanned
image then the box will contain the words Scanned Picture.

188 mySewnet™ Digitizing Appliqué and Colors

 Rotate and Crop Picture
Use the Rotate and Crop Picture page to select the section of the picture that is to be used
to create the background, and rotate the picture. If required, adjust the crop lines to select
the desired part of the picture.
■ To adjust the crop area, position the mouse over the crop boundary until a double-headed
arrow appears, then click and drag to move the boundary line.
■ To move the crop area, position the mouse inside the crop boundary until a four-headed
arrow appears, then click and drag to move the whole rectangle.
■ To redraw the crop area, click and drag outside the crop boundary to draw a new
rectangle, which can then be adjusted as required.
Initially, about half the area of the picture is selected from the middle of the picture, as
shown by the dashed box in the picture on the left. The preview on the right shows four
copies of the selected fabric area tiled together.

Show divider lines for tiled area

Zoom in and out

Drag crop lines to select area

Drag inside area to move it

Click outside area to redraw it

Select the whole picture

Change the angle of the picture
Use the default crop settings

Correct the perspective in the picture Save the picture

The tiled preview will change dynamically as you change the crop area.
To see where the four sections of the background are joined,
select the Show Divider option. Dashed lines show where
the tiled sections will be joined. This is useful for patterned
fabric, to ensure the pattern repeats as desired.
When the desired area is selected, click Next.

Rotate
Rotate the picture from 0 to 359 degrees. Adjust the
picture angle as desired. This is often necessary with
scanned pictures.
Enter the desired Rotation angle or use the up/down arrows to change the angle. The
preview will show the effect.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Appliqué and Colors 189

 When the picture is rotated between the 90 degree steps, the picture is made larger and
white background is added.

Select All and Automatic

Use Select All to select the whole of the picture. Use Automatic to set the crop lines back
to the default position for the current picture.

Perspective Correction
To remove the effects of perspective in a picture, or to correct skew, select Perspective
Correction . When using Perspective Correction, the crop handles are red.

Drag the red handles

to select an area

Enable perspective correction

Adjust the proportions of the picture Save the edited picture

Move the red handles so that the crop lines frame the picture. Use the Zoom tools to view
the outline of the picture more clearly. Drag the Stretch Picture slider to make the
picture in the Preview wider or narrower. Use Save Picture to save your edited picture.

Zoom
Use the Zoom functions to change the view of the picture.
The fabric preview on the right is not affected by zoom.
Use Zoom In to magnify the view. Move the pointer over the picture and the pointer
changes to the zoom in pointer . Then either click a point you want to zoom in towards,
or click and drag a rectangle around the area you want to zoom in to and release the
mouse button to zoom. When zoomed in, use the scroll bars to move around.
Use Zoom Out to shrink the view. Move the pointer over the picture and the pointer
changes to the zoom out pointer . Then click a point you want to zoom out from.
Click Zoom To Fit to fit the picture to the preview area.
Click Real Size to view the picture at its real size in pixels. This means that one pixel of
the picture uses one pixel of the screen.

190 mySewnet™ Digitizing Appliqué and Colors

Set Size
Use Set Size to enter a real measurement of the fabric so that it will be displayed at real
size when it is used as the appliqué fabric.

Input the length of the line

Drag the arrows to place the line

The cropped section of fabric is shown in the preview. Click and drag the arrows at either
end of the yellow line to place a line across the picture. This should match a measurement
you have made across the same area of the real fabric.
Then enter the length of the line in the ’Length of displayed line’ text box, or use the up/
down arrows.
The length can be from 1mm to 300mm. However, the fabric tile must not be larger than
300mm x 300mm, so if the line does not span the whole picture it must be shorter than
300mm.
If the length would make the fabric tile larger than 300mm in either dimension, a message will appear.
Repeat the process so that the tile is smaller.
Click OK and the measurement you entered will be shown next to the picture. Check that
the line and the length matches the measurement you made of the real fabric. If desired,
click and drag the arrows to place a new line and re-enter the line length.
When the line is measured correctly, click Next.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Appliqué and Colors 191

 Set Background Name
Use Set Background Name to save the finished appliqué fabric in a category and give it a
name. The categories are the folder names you will see when browsing for existing
backgrounds.

Enter a background name

Select an existing category

Create a new category

Background Name
If you started with an existing picture, the picture name will be shown by default as the
name for the new background. If you scanned a new picture, it will not have a name so
you will need to enter a name.

Fabric Category
The default category is My Fabrics. To choose a different category, browse among the
folders in Fabrics.
Select from existing categories, or click Make New Category to provide the name of a new
category.

Make New Category

To make a new category, click Make New Category, and enter a new folder name. Click OK
to create the category.
The new category will be created as a subfolder for the currently selected type.
When make a new category, it will be available as a Fabric Category next time you use the
Background Wizard.

Finish
Click Finish to save the new background with the specified name in the specified Fabric
Category and close the Background Wizard. The selected or new background will be
displayed in the work area.

192 mySewnet™ Digitizing Appliqué and Colors

Load Picture Wizard
Use the Load Picture Wizard to use a picture as an individual non-tiled appliqué
background, for example for a printed appliqué memory piece.

Choose Picture

Use the Choose Picture page to select the picture you wish to use as a background.

Load a Picture
Click Load a Picture to open a picture from your My Pictures folder. Alternatively,
browse to a folder elsewhere on your computer.
Hover the pointer over a picture to see a tooltip showing its name. The name may also be displayed below
the picture, depending on the chosen icon size.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Appliqué and Colors 193

 The following file formats may be loaded: Windows or OS2 Bitmap (.bmp), JPEG-JFIF
Compliant (.jpg, .jif, .jpeg), PatternCAD (.4dq), Portable Network Graphics (.png), Tagged
Image File Format uncompressed (.tiff., tif ), Windows Meta File (.wmf ), Windows Enhanced
Meta File (.emf ) and Windows Icon (.ico).

Load a Picture with the Viewer

1 Click Load a Picture and the Picture Viewer dialog box appears.
2 Double-click to expand the folders until the desired folder is highlighted.
3 If desired, change the icon size to see more or fewer pictures.
4 Click on a picture to select it.
5 Click OK to open the picture with its name underneath.
6 Click Cancel to exit without selecting a picture.

Paste Picture
Click Paste Picture to load the picture in the Clipboard Block. The picture is shown in
the preview area.
Paste Picture is not available if the Clipboard Block is empty.

From Scanner or Camera

Use From Scanner or Camera to display the program that is used to acquire pictures
from a scanner, a digital camera or another suitable device. Only devices that use Windows
Image Acquisition (WIA) can be used to obtain pictures.
WIA is a standard method for transferring pictures from the device’s scanning or downloading program to
another program. If the manufacturer provides the appropriate software components needed for WIA
compliance, these should have been installed when the device was installed.
Each scanner or digital camera has its own program that is used to scan or download
pictures. Refer to the manual or online help provided with the program for instructions, if
required. When the device and its software finish processing the picture, it will be shown
in the Choose Picture page.

Create New Picture and Edit Picture

Create a new picture or edit an existing picture in mySewnet™ Draw & Paint.

Preview and Name

Under the preview pane is a box for the name of the chosen file. If the picture is a scanned
image then the box will contain the words Scanned Picture.

Next
Go to the Rotate and Crop Picture page.

194 mySewnet™ Digitizing Appliqué and Colors

Rotate and Crop Picture

Use the Rotate and Crop Picture page to select the section of the picture that is to be used
to create the appliqué background. If required, rotate the picture, and click and drag the
boundary line of the crop area to select the desired part of the picture.
Click and drag anywhere inside the crop box to move the crop box.
If you need to expand a crop box again, make sure it is not touching the edge of the frame, as this will stop
it expanding.
When the desired area is selected, click Finish.

Rotate
Rotate the picture from 0 to 359 degrees. Adjust the picture angle as desired. This is
often necessary with scanned pictures.
Enter the desired Rotation angle or use the up/down arrows to change the angle. The
preview will show the effect.
When the picture is rotated between the 90 degree steps, the picture is made larger and
white background is added.

Crop
Select the section of the picture that is to be used to create the appliqué background. If
required, rotate the picture, and click and drag the handles on the boundary line of the
crop area to select the desired part of the picture.
Click and drag anywhere inside the crop box to move the crop box.
If you need to expand a crop box again, make sure it is not touching the edge of the frame, as this will stop
it expanding.
When the desired area is selected, click Finish.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Appliqué and Colors 195

 Select All and Automatic
Use Select All to select the whole of the picture. Use Automatic to set the crop lines back
to the default position for the current picture.

Perspective Correction
To remove the effects of perspective in a picture, or to correct skew, select Perspective
Correction . When using Perspective Correction, the crop handles are red.
Move the red handles so that the crop lines frame the picture. Use the Zoom tools to view
the outline of the picture more clearly. Drag the Stretch Picture slider to make the
picture in the Preview wider or narrower. Use Save Picture to save your edited picture.

Zoom
Use the Zoom functions to change the view of the picture.
Use Zoom In to magnify the view. Move the pointer over the picture and the pointer
changes to the zoom in pointer . Then either click a point you want to zoom in towards,
or click and drag a rectangle around the area you want to zoom in to and release the
mouse button to zoom. When zoomed in, use the scroll bars to move around.
Use Zoom Out to shrink the view. Move the pointer over the picture and the pointer
changes to the zoom out pointer . Then click a point you want to zoom out from.
Click Zoom To Fit to fit the picture to the preview area.
Click Real Size to view the picture at its real size in pixels. This means that one pixel of
the picture uses one pixel of the screen.

Back
Return to the Choose Picture page.

Finish
Use the selected image for the appliqué.

196 mySewnet™ Digitizing Appliqué and Colors

Appliqué Method
Use the Appliqué tab of the Fill Area and Line properties dialog box to select an Appliqué
Method for appliqué placement, and set the Appliqué Piece Margin. See “Fill Area and Line
Properties” on page 83.

Appliqué Placement
When appliqué is created, additional
stitches are added at the beginning
of the appliqué piece for placing the
appliqué fabric. Use these options to
determine how these stitches are
added. The border used to finish the
appliqué is the chosen line type in
the Line tab of the Fill Area and Line
properties dialog box.

Appliqué Method
Select the appliqué method before or after creating an area or line. Choose from:
• None
• Standard Appliqué
• Pre-cut Piece
• Pre-placed Piece
• Cut-out

Standard Appliqué
Stitch a running line to show where appliqué fabric should be placed, then stop to
position the fabric. Stitch down the appliqué fabric with double stitch, then stop so the
fabric may be trimmed. Finish the edges with the selected border stitching.

Pre-cut Piece
Use a pre-cut appliqué piece; created, for example, using an automatic cutter or cutwork
needles.
Stitch a running line to show where the pre-cut appliqué piece should be placed, then
stop to position the appliqué piece. Stitch down the appliqué piece with double stitch,
then finish the edges with the selected border stitching.

Pre-placed Piece
Place the appliqué fabric before stitching.
Place the appliqué layer in position, then stitch down the appliqué fabric with double
stitch. Stop so the fabric may be trimmed. Finish the edges with the selected border
stitching.

Cut-out
Use the appliqué placement line as a guide to where the fabric should be cut; for example
for reverse appliqué.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Appliqué and Colors 197

 Stitch a double stitch line. Stop so the fabric may be cut to form a hole defined by the
stitched outline. Finish the edges with the selected border stitching.

Select Fabric
Use Select Fabric to choose a fabric for your appliqué in the Appliqué Selection dialog box.
Click Select Fabric and the Appliqué Selection dialog box appears. See “Appliqué
Selection” on page 184.

Appliqué Piece Margin

Set the margin for appliqué placement relative to the drawn border shape from -10mm to
10mm. The initial value is 1.0mm.
Use a positive value when trimming the appliqué fabric before the border is stitched, for example with
Standard Appliqué and Pre-placed Appliqué. A negative value is recommended for cut-out and reverse
appliqué.
Placement stitches are set to 2.0mm initially. To alter the stitch length for individual lines, use the Break
Apart function for the area.

Match Placement Line

Adjust the position of the first running stitch line for either Standard Appliqué or Pre-cut
Piece so that it matches the outline of the appliqué piece after the Appliqué Piece Margin
has been applied.
This may be useful for precise positioning of appliqué pieces that have been pre-cut with an automated
cutter, to ensure the placement line is visible.

Export Appliqué
Use Export Appliqué Pieces in the File menu to save or print appliqué outlines ready
for cutting.
There are five export methods: save as SVG, DXF or FCM files for use in fabric cutters, save
as VP4 or VP3 stitch files for use with Inspira Cutting Needles, print as an outline template
to cut around, print directly onto printable fabric or an iron-on transfer (this prints the
image of the appliqué piece), or save as SVG files with the fabric image placed as the fill for
each shape (for use with fully customized layouts).
See “Export Appliqué Pieces” on page 172 for more information.

198 mySewnet™ Digitizing Appliqué and Colors

 Quick Color Themes
Use Quick Color Themes for quick selection of thread colors using a related set of colors.
Create your own Quick Color Themes, which are available for selecting thread colors in
mySewnet™ Digitizing, and in the Color Selection dialog box in other modules. Also use
Quick Color Themes to set fabric colors in the Appliqué Selection dialog box.

Select a Theme
Create a new custom Theme Delete a custom Theme

Give your Theme a name

Choose a color block to edit

Edit the selected color
Copy a color to the sample box Apply your changes
Paste the sample box color Color sample box
Replace all colors with the
sample box color

Select a Quick Color

1 Open a dialog box with the Quick Colors area.
2 Click the drop-down menu below, or to the right of the Quick Colors to choose a Quick Color Theme.
In this menu you can also select Edit Themes to create a new theme, or edit a Custom theme.
3 Click the desired Quick Color. The nearest shade that is available from the current thread range will be
selected.
This is also a quick way to jump to threads of that color (for example, click light yellow in the Standard
Theme to jump to light yellow thread shades).

Add a Quick Color Theme

You can add or customize your own Quick Colors themes in the Color Selection or
Appliqué Selection dialog box in most mySewnet™ Embroidery Software modules.
1 Open a dialog box with the Quick Colors area such as the Color Selection dialog box.
2 Click the drop-down menu to the right of the Quick Colors and select Edit Themes. The Edit Quick
Color Themes dialog box opens.
Note that if one of the system Themes is selected, the editing options will be unavailable (grayed out).
3 Select a Theme from the drop-down menu at the top.
Your new Theme will be based on the colors in this theme.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Appliqué and Colors 199

 4 Click the Add New button. A new theme ’Untitled’ appears.
5 Give your new theme a name, then click Apply.
You can now select your new theme from the drop-down list at
the top.
6 Select a color in the palette.
7 Click the Edit Color button. The Colors dialog box appears. See
“Colors Dialog Box” on page 201.
8 Choose a new color from the Standard or Custom tab, then click
OK. Your chosen color will replace the original color.
9 To copy a color, select a color in the palette, then click Copy
Color. Your selected color will appear in the Color Box.
10 To paste the color in the Color Box, select a color in the palette,
then click Paste Color. The color in the palette will be replaced.
11 To replace all colors in the palette, click Paste To All.
12 Click Apply to save the changes to your new Quick Color
Theme.
13 Click Close to finish editing your new Theme.
To make further edits to your theme, select Edit Themes in the Quick Colors Theme menu.

Edit Quick Color Themes

Theme
Select a Theme from the drop-down list.
Any new Theme will be based on the colors in this theme.

Add New
Click Add New to create a new theme.

Delete Theme
Click Delete Theme to remove a custom Theme.
You cannot delete system Themes.

Name
Enter the desired theme name.

Theme Colors
Click a color in the grid and a box will appear around the selected
color.

Edit Color
Click Edit Color to change the currently selected color in the Colors
Dialog Box. Alternatively, double-click a color to change it in the Colors Dialog Box.

Apply
Click Apply to save the changes you have made.

Copy Color
Click Copy Color to place the color in the color sample box, to the right of the button.
Use the color sample box to copy a color from one theme to another.

200 mySewnet™ Digitizing Appliqué and Colors

 Paste Color
Click Paste Color to replace the color in the currently selected grid position with the color
in the sample box.

Paste To All
Click Paste To All to place the color in the sample box in all the grid positions. This is useful
when starting a new Theme if you wish to vary the Theme around a single initial color.

Close
Click Close to finish editing the new theme. The new them is added to the end of the
Theme list.
You will be asked if you want to save any changes you have made, if you have not clicked Apply.

Change a Quick Color Theme

Select an existing Quick Color Theme you wish to change from the Theme drop-down list,
then click Edit Theme.
The predefined Quick Color Themes may not be edited. However, you may use any predefined theme as the
basis for a new theme.
The options are the same as when you Add a Quick Color Theme. See “Edit Quick Color
Themes” on page 200.

Delete a Quick Color Theme

1 In the Edit Quick Color Themes dialog box, use the Theme drop-down list to select the Theme you
wish to remove.
2 Click Delete Theme. A message will appear to remind you that this action may not be reversed.
3 Click Yes and the theme will be deleted.
The predefined Quick Color Themes may not be deleted.

Colors Dialog Box

The Colors dialog box is used to choose or change
a color for a thread, or modify any color in a Quick
Colors Custom theme.
When the Colors dialog box appears, it shows the
Standard color selection. If desired, click one of
the Standard colors. A highlight shows the
selected color. The New/Current box shows the
difference between the newly chosen color and
the color currently used.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Appliqué and Colors 201

 Click the Custom tab to be able to select any of
the 16 million RGB colors.
Click in the blended color palette to choose a
basic color, then use the slider at the side to
choose the desired brightness level. The HSL and
RGB values are updated as you change the color
and the color is previewed in the New/Current
box.
You can also directly enter Hue, Sat(uration),
Lum(inance) (HSL) and/or Red, Green, Blue (RGB)
values. Alternatively, use the up/down buttons on
each of the HSL and RGB value boxes to make fine
adjustments to the color.

Color Models
Hue, Saturation, Luminance (HSL) Color Model
Hue is the color (red, yellow, green, or blue) for the selected color, expressed as a value
between 0 and 239. Saturation (Sat) is the strength or purity of color in a specified hue.
This is related to the amount of gray in it and is measured from 0 (completely gray) up to a
maximum of 240 (no gray). The higher the saturation, the purer or more vivid the color.
Luminosity (Lum) is the intensity of lightness or darkness in a color, specified by a value
between 0 (black) and 240 (white). If Saturation is 0, the Luminosity setting specifies a
shade of gray.

Red, Green, Blue (RGB) Color Model

The RGB model, one of the Additive Color models, is used on computer monitors. It has
three primary colors — red, green, and blue — that it creates by emitting light. These
three colors are combined in various proportions to produce all the colors displayed on
your screen. They are referred to as additive because they combine to produce white.
Primary colors are measured as a value from 0-255. The colors produced by combining the
three primaries are a result of the amount of each of those shades present. For example,
pure red has a red value of 255, a green value of 0, and a blue value of 0. Yellow has a red
value of 255, a green value of 255, and a blue value of 0. If Red, Green and Blue are set to
zero, the color is black; if all three are 255, they produce white.

202 mySewnet™ Digitizing Appliqué and Colors

 Creating Fills and Lines 11
Create Fills and Lines with the QuickStitch™, Freehand Create, Point Create and Shape
functions. Set stitch options before creation, or edit them afterwards.
To edit a line or fill, right-click it in the FilmStrip or on the work area and change its properties in the Fill
Area and Line Properties dialog. See “Fill Area and Line Properties” on page 83.

Creating with Quick Create

The Quick Create functions QuickStitch™ and QuickTrace are used to create new stitch
objects (lines, fills or holes) by using color areas in the background picture.
Select the desired QuickStitch™ or QuickTrace function, then click your chosen part of the
picture. Adjust Color Tolerance (if enabled), then click OK to create the object.

Using QuickStitch™ and QuickTrace

1 Select the desired QuickStitch™ or QuickTrace function in the Quick Create tab, according to the type
of object you want.
2 Then, click in the desired area of the picture for QuickStitch™ functions or on the desired line for
QuickTrace functions.
3 If Color Tolerance is enabled, the color area will be highlighted. Adjust tolerance, if desired.
4 Click OK to create the object(s).
If Color Tolerance is not enabled, the object(s) will be created immediately.

Color Tolerance
Color Tolerance is available for all the QuickStitch™ and QuickTrace functions. It allows
parts of a picture to be selected for filling or tracing according to how similar they are in
color to the chosen color. Also, use Color Tolerance to preview the shape of the new stitch
object, and to select the relative number of points in the line or border.

Turn Color Tolerance on and off with the Color Tolerance option in Preferences .

Select an Area with Color Tolerance

1 Set stitch options, then select the desired QuickStitch™ or QuickTrace function in the Quick Create
tab.
2 Click on the color area or outline you wish to fill, border or
trace. The Color Tolerance dialog box will appear. The
tolerance value is always zero when the dialog box appears.
3 Set the number of points used in the outline for the object.
High creates a more detailed, but less smooth, outline than
Medium or Low.
4 Move the slider bar to the required Color Tolerance value.
There are four ways to move the slider:
i) Click either side of it to move the slider by 20% in the
relevant direction
ii) Click and drag the slider to any value
iii) Press the left and right arrow keys to change the Color Tolerance value in 1% steps
iv) Enter a Color Tolerance value directly in the number box

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines 203

 5 A red and cyan highlight on the design area shows the
area that will be filled or traced. If you have chosen to
detect holes, any holes in the area will be highlighted by
green and yellow lines. Adjust the Color Tolerance value
until the required part of the picture is selected.
6 Click OK when you have selected the desired part of the
picture. The fill or trace will be generated as usual.
7 Alternatively, if you want to start from a different point
(e.g. a different band of color) click Cancel and nothing
will happen. Then click the picture at the new point and
set the Color Tolerance as required.

QuickStitch™ and Color Tolerance

Color Tolerance helps you to create new objects with QuickStitch™ across and/or around
shaded or variegated areas of color, reducing or eliminating the need for placing areas by
hand. Color Tolerance can be used with the following QuickStitch™ functions:
QuickStitch™ QuickStitch™ Satin

QuickStitch™ + AutoHole QuickStitch™ Multiple Satin

QuickStitch™ Hole

QuickTrace and Color Tolerance

Preview the outline that will be traced with Color Tolerance. This means you can see if
there are any breaks in the outline, possibly caused by slight variations in shade in the
outline which you can overcome by increasing the Color Tolerance. Color Tolerance can be
used with the following QuickTrace functions:
Double Trace Satin Line Trace

Quadruple Trace Motif Line Trace

Creating with Freehand and Point Create

Use the Freehand and Point Create functions to create new lines, fill areas or holes (stitch
objects) by creating outlines directly on the design.
The outlines may follow a background picture, if desired, but the Freehand and Point Create functions do
not require a picture.
If the curve produced does not match the background picture as closely as desired, you can move, delete
and insert points using the tools in the Home tab.
These functions are used either by drawing an outline as if using a tablet (the Freehand
Create functions) or by placing and adjusting points to define an outline (the Point Create
Bezier Line or Point Line functions).
Ties and movement stitches are added automatically between objects, when the option is selected in
Preferences .

204 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines

After a line or fill area has been created, right-click the area to change its properties in Fill Area and Line
properties.
Alternatively, make a selection of fill areas visible and change them all with Global Properties, or hold the
Ctrl key and click the desired fill areas in the FilmStrip, then right-click one of them and select Properties to
change the properties for the selected objects.

Freehand Create
When using the Freehand Create, or tablet drawing functions, the stitch objects are
created by drawing outlines on the design.
Outlines can be drawn by using a pen on a graphics tablet or by using click and drag with a mouse.
Freehand Create (tablet) mode provides a more natural drawing experience and is
generally recommended.
Freehand Create (Tablet) functions:
Create Freehand Area or Line Freehand Emboss Line

Freehand Hole Freehand MultiWave Line

Freehand Satin Area

Select the desired line or fill and border type, then draw each individual object by drawing
a continuous line. When the pen is lifted, or the mouse button is released, the object is
completed. The next line drawn creates another new object. This continues until the
function is deselected.

Point Create
When the Point Create functions are selected, stitch objects are created by placing a series
of points that define the outline, or by drawing Bezier lines.
Placing points and Bezier lines allows precise positioning of curves, corners and straight
line sections.
Point Create functions:
Create Point Area or Line (Point and Bezier Point Emboss Line (Point mode only)
mode)
Point Hole (Point and Bezier mode) Point MultiWave Line (Point mode only)

Point Satin Area (Point mode only)

Select the desired fill and/or border type, then each point is placed by a single click (or
click and drag for Bezier lines). The outline is completed with a right-click. Right-click again
to deselect the function.
Hold down Shift to place square (angular) points, instead of round (curved) points.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines 205

 Creating Shapes
Use Shape to place a selected shape in the work area and adjust its size and properties.
Draw a ring, a square, a frame or other shape using Shape.

Shape
Use Shape to draw a fill area with or without a border, or a line on the work area. Then
adjust its size and properties. Select a fill and line to draw a fill area surrounded by a
border, or select a line type only to draw a closed line with no fill.
Draw a ring, a square, a frame or other shape using Shape.

Shortcuts
■ Quick Create Tab:
■ Keys: Alt, Q, S

Draw a Filled Shape with a Border

1 In the Quick Create tab, ensure that Fill and Line are selected.
2 Select a fill and border type, setting the Options for Fill Area and Line as desired.
3 Add a color change, or adjust the color in the worksheet. This sets the color for the fill.
4 Click Fill Area and Line, and in the Line tab select (check) Insert Color Change. Then click Line Thread
Color and set the color for the border.
5 Select the type of shape you wish to draw from the drop-down list.
6 Click the Shape icon . The shape is placed in the center of the work area
as a selected block.
The dimensions of the box surrounding the shape are shown in the status bar.
7 Click and drag the shape to the preferred position, and resize it as desired
using the square corner handles.
Hold down Ctrl as you click and drag to resize proportionally. Hold down Shift
to resize from the center.
8 Right-click the shape and select Properties to change the stitch type and
settings for the line and fill.
Note that the second color in the worksheet (the secondary color without a number by it) is the color for
the border. You can also see it in the FilmStrip.
9 If desired, draw another shape or click Undo and draw the shape again.

Draw an Unfilled Shape

1 Click the Fill button to deselect it, and ensure that Line type only is selected.
2 Choose stitch type for the line.
3 Add a color change, or adjust the color in the worksheet. This sets the color for the line.
A border without a fill uses the primary color.
4 Select the type of shape you wish to draw from the drop-down list.
5 Click the Shape . The shape is placed in the center of the work area as a
selected block.
The dimensions of the box surrounding the shape are shown in the status bar.
6 Click and drag the shape to the preferred position, and resize it as desired
using the square corner handles.
Hold down Ctrl as you click and drag to resize proportionally. Hold down Shift
to resize from the center.
7 Right-click the shape and select Properties to change the stitch type and
settings for the line.
8 If desired, draw another shape or click Undo and draw the shape again.

206 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines

 Quick Create from Background
Use Quick Create from Background to create a design using the current background
picture. If the picture is a vector drawing in .ecq format, it can be loaded directly as an .edo
design file, using Bezier lines. Other picture formats can be used to create an Express
Embroidery, Express Trace or Express Border design.

Quick Create from Background will remove all existing objects from the work area when used.

Shortcuts
■ Quick Create Tab:
■ Keys: Alt, Q, B

Create a Design from a Vector Graphic File

1 In the Quick Access toolbar, click Change Hoop and in the Hoop Selection dialog box select
100mm x 100mm - Universal Square Hoop 1. Click OK.
2 Click File, New , or File, New Window and the Choose Design Type page of the ExpressDesign
Wizard will appear.
3 Click Create New Picture , then click Next. This opens mySewnet™ Draw & Paint.
Vector images in .ecq format can be loaded with Load a Picture . Other vector formats such as .svg
cannot be loaded, but may be opened in mySewnet™ Draw & Paint and used in .ecq format.
4 In the Quick Access toolbar, click Insert Picture and the Insert dialog will appear.
5 In the Insert dialog box, browse to Documents\mySewnet \Samples\Digitizing\Pics.
6 Click to select 'Fleur de lys.svg', then click OK. The picture is very large.
7 Click Select All , then click Transform , to open the Transform dialog box.
8 Ensure that Proportional is selected (checked).
9 Set the Horizontal size to make the design fit just inside the work area, then click OK.
The image size will be automatically adjusted to fit the size of your selected hoop.
10 Close mySewnet™ Draw & Paint and your picture is loaded into the Choose Picture page or the
wizard.
11 Click Next twice and the Design Size page will appear.
12 Click Enter Design Size.
13 Change the Size to 95mm and click Width.
14 Click Finish. The picture will be shown on the work area.
Ignore any warning message that tells you that all existing objects in the work area will be removed.
15 Click the Quick Create tab.
16 Click Quick Create from Background .
17 In the Quick Create from Background dialog you are asked if you want to Retain all individual objects,
Remove overlap, or Send entire image to Express Design.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines 207

 Click Retain all individual objects or Remove overlap, to load the picture into the Design window as
an .edo (design) file.
The design created uses Bezier curves. You can see the objects in the FilmStrip.

If you choose Send entire image to Express Design, the Choose Design Type page of the ExpressDesign
Wizard will appear. See “ExpressDesign Assistant” on page 81.

Quick Create from Background Dialog

If Quick Create from Background is used with a vector drawing in .ecq format, a dialog
asks if it all objects should be retained, if overlap between objects should be removed, or if
the image should be send to the ExpressDesign Wizard.
If there are no vector (Draw) objects in the .ecq file, or a raster image such as a .png file is loaded, the top
two options are dimmed (unavailable).

If the objects are retained, or overlap is removed, the image it is loaded directly into the
Design window as an .edo (design) file.

Retain all individual objects from Draw

The drawing is treated as a complete design, and is loaded as an .edo (design) file into the
mySewnet™ Digitizing window.
Lines are converted to running (0.5 or 1mm), triple (2mm), or satin (3mm or above) depending on their
width. Filled areas are converted to Pattern Fill.

208 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines

Remove overlap of objects from Draw
Any overlap in the image is removed, and an .edo (design) file is created from this version
of the image.

Send entire image to Express Design

The layers in the drawing are flattened and the Choose Design Type page of the
ExpressDesign Wizard appears. See “Choose Design Type” on page 87.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines 209

 QuickStitch™ Functions
Use the QuickStitch™ functions QuickStitch™ , QuickStitch™ + AutoHole and
QuickStitch™ Hole to automatically fill clicked on color areas of the picture with fill
areas of small stitches surrounded by a border, a line, or holes in fill areas. QuickStitch™ can
create lines and fill areas with or without automatic holes.
Set stitch options before creation, or after a fill area has been created, you can right-click it in the FilmStrip
or work area to change its properties in Fill Area and Line properties.
Using the Edit tab tools, you can make a number of fill areas of the same type (e.g. Pattern Fill) visible and
change them all with Global Properties. Alternatively, hold the Ctrl key and click the desired fill areas in the
FilmStrip, then right-click one of them and select Properties; the properties for all selected areas will be
changed.

Create a QuickStitch™ Area

1 Set stitch options, then click the QuickStitch™ icon or the QuickStitch™ + AutoHole icon.
2 Click in the color area you wish to fill with stitches.
3 If Color Tolerance is enabled then the Color Tolerance dialog box will appear. Adjust the Color
Tolerance as required. The area selected by the Color Tolerance value will be previewed. If you
selected a function with AutoHole, any holes in the area will be shown. Click OK to confirm.
4 Stitches representing the border and fill pattern set in the Options for Fill Area and Line appear in the
area. For QuickStitch™ + AutoHole, any holes detected will be cut out.
5 Repeat to place as many fill areas as desired.
6 Right-click to deselect the function, or simply select another Create tool.
7 To edit the fill or the border, click the fill area to select it, then right-click it and change the properties
in the Fill Area and Line Properties dialog. Click OK to save the changes.
See “Fill Area and Line Properties” on page 83.

QuickStitch™
Use QuickStitch™ to click in a color area to create a fill area
with or without a border, or a line automatically. If required,
use Color Tolerance to select a larger area according to the
similarity of adjacent colors.

éShortcuts
■ Quick Create Tab, Fill Area and Line:
■ Keys: Alt, Q, Q

Create a QuickStitch™ Fill Area

1 Select your fill and border type.
2 Click the QuickStitch™ icon .
3 Click in the color area you wish to fill with stitches.
4 If Color Tolerance is enabled then the Color Tolerance dialog box will appear. Adjust the Color
Tolerance as required. The area selected by the Color Tolerance value will be previewed. Click OK to
confirm.
5 Stitches representing the border and fill pattern set in the Options for Fill Area and Line appear in the
area.
6 Repeat to place as many fill areas as desired.
7 Right-click to deselect, or simply select another Create tool.

210 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines

8 To edit the fill or the border, click the fill area to select it, then right-click it and change the properties
in the Fill Area and Line Properties dialog. Click OK to save the changes.
See “Fill Area and Line Properties” on page 83.

Create a QuickStitch™ Line

1 Select your line type, ensuring that Fill is not selected.
2 Click the QuickStitch™ icon .
3 Click in the color around which you wish to create a border.
4 If Color Tolerance is enabled then the Color Tolerance dialog box will appear. Adjust the Color
Tolerance as required. The area selected by the Color Tolerance value will be previewed. Click OK to
confirm.
5 A border will appear around the area.
6 Repeat to place as many borders as desired.
7 Right-click to deselect, or simply select another Create tool.
8 To edit the border, click it to select it, then right-click and change the properties in the Fill Area and
Line Properties dialog. Click OK to save the changes.
See “Fill Area and Line Properties” on page 83.

QuickStitch™ + AutoHole
Use QuickStitch™ + AutoHole to fill an area with small
stitches in alternating patterns automatically, while also cutting
out 'holes' in the area, by clicking in a color area of the picture. If
required, use Color Tolerance to select a larger area according
to the similarity of adjacent colors.

Shortcuts
■ Quick Create Tab, Fill Area and Line:
■ Keys: Alt, Q, H

Create a QuickStitch™ Area with a Hole Automatically

1 Select your fill and border type.
2 Click the QuickStitch™ + AutoHole icon.
3 Click in the color area you wish to fill with stitches.
4 If Color Tolerance is enabled then the Color Tolerance dialog box will appear. Adjust the Color
Tolerance as required. The area selected by the Color Tolerance value will be previewed, and any
holes in the area will be shown. Click OK to confirm.
5 Stitches representing the border and fill pattern set in the Options for Fill Area and Line appear in the
area, and any holes detected will be cut out.
6 Repeat to place as many fill areas as desired.
7 Right-click to deselect, or simply select another Create tool.
8 To edit the fill or the border, click the fill area to select it, then right-click it and change the properties
in the Fill Area and Line Properties dialog. Click OK to save the changes.
See “Fill Area and Line Properties” on page 83.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines 211

 QuickStitch™ Hole
Use QuickStitch™ Hole to cut out holes within the currently
selected fill area automatically, by clicking in the required color
areas of the picture. If required, use Color Tolerance to select a
larger area according to the similarity of adjacent colors.
This is useful to cut out holes in an existing fill area with a background
picture.
Also use QuickStitch™ Hole to create specific holes that were
not previously removed. For example, some holes you wanted
may have been included in the fill area because of the Color
Tolerance setting.

Shortcuts
■ Quick Create Tab, Enhance:
■ Keys: Alt, Q, U

Create a Hole in a Fill Area Automatically

1 Click in the fill area in which you want to create a hole.
2 Click QuickStitch™ Hole .
3 Click in a defined color area within the fill area to cut out a hole.
4 Repeat to create more holes, as desired.
5 Right-click to deselect, or simply select another Create tool.

212 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines

 QuickTrace
Use the QuickTrace functions Double Trace , Quadruple Trace , Satin Line
Trace , or Motif Line Trace to place double or quadruple lines of stitches, satin
borders or motif lines by clicking lines in the picture. The traced design is created as a
group.
All connected lines will be traced.

Double Trace Quadruple Trace

Satin Line Trace Motif Line Trace

You can set stitch options before creation, or after.
Double Trace and Quadruple Trace use the stitch length setting for Running Stitch in Fill Area and Line
properties, as does Running Stitch used in Satin Line Trace. The Running Stitch sections for Motif Line trace
use a fixed length of 1.5mm. The Satin Line and Motif Line for tracing use the settings in Fill Area and Line.
To change stitch settings after the stitches have been created, right-click an object to change the
properties in the Fill Area and Line dialog box.
To change multiple objects, click a single object in the Group for the traced design, then right-click and
choose Select Similar from Group . Right-click the object again, and select Properties to choose settings
for all objects of that type, e.g. Running Stitch, in the design. See “Select Similar from Group” on page 354.
Alternatively, change all visible objects of one type with Global Properties, or hold the Ctrl key and click the
desired objects in the FilmStrip, then right-click one of them and select Properties to change the properties
for the selected objects.

Using QuickTrace
1 Zoom In so that you can clearly see the line where you wish to create the QuickTrace. This will help
with thin outlines that are difficult to select.
2 Set stitch options, then in the Trace drop-down menu on the Quick Create tab, select Double
Trace , Quadruple Trace , Satin Line Trace , or Motif Line Trace .
3 Click the outline you wish to trace.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines 213

 4 If Color Tolerance is enabled then the Color Tolerance dialog box will appear. Adjust the Color
Tolerance as required. The area selected by the Color Tolerance value will be previewed. Click OK to
confirm.
5 The stitch lines or satin border will be created as a Group, and the function is automatically
deselected. For satin border, a running stitch is used underneath the border to stabilize and connect
border sections.
6 Repeat as desired.
7 To edit the border, click an object in the group to select it, then right-click and choose Select Similar
from Group . Right-click again and change the properties in the Fill Area and Line Properties dialog.
Click OK to save the changes. All stitch lines of the selected type will use the new settings.
See “Fill Area and Line Properties” on page 83.

Double Trace
Create two layers of stitches following the selected line
automatically, by clicking on it. Double Trace produces a layer of
double stitch, with some running stitch where needed. The
trace begins and ends at the closest point on the selected
outline to the previous object, and is created as a Group. If
required, use Color Tolerance to select a larger area according to
the similarity of adjacent colors. Stitch length may be from 1.0 to
12mm. Set it beforehand, or if desired, alter it afterwards in the
properties dialog.
Double Trace uses the stitch length setting for Running Stitch in Fill Area and Line
properties.
For complex outlines, a group of double and running stitch lines is created to make up the trace. To alter
the length of all the stitches, click a single object in the Group for the traced design, then right-click and
choose Select Similar from Group . Right-click the object again, and select Properties to choose settings
for all objects of that type, e.g. Running Stitch, in the design. Alternatively, in the Edit tab either hide all
objects before and after the trace, then use Global Properties to adjust the stitch lengths, or hold the Ctrl
key and select the desired stitches then right-click one and select Properties to adjust the stitch lengths for
the selected lines.
Repeat to trace more lines, and right-click to deselect.

Shortcuts
■ Quick Create Tab:
■ Keys: Alt, Q, T, D

Quadruple Trace
Create four layers of stitches following the selected line
automatically, by clicking on it. Quadruple Trace produces a
layer of running and a layer of triple stitches. The trace begins
and ends at the closest point on the selected outline to the
previous object, and is created as a Group. If required, use Color
Tolerance to select a larger area according to the similarity of
adjacent colors. Stitch length may be from 1.0 to 12mm. Set it
beforehand, or if desired, alter it afterwards in the properties
dialog.

214 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines

 Quadruple Trace uses the stitch length setting for Running Stitch in Fill Area and Line
properties.
For complex outlines, a group of running and triple stitch lines is created to make up the trace. To alter the
length of all the stitches, click a single object in the Group for the traced design, then right-click and choose
Select Similar from Group . Right-click the object again, and select Properties to choose settings for all
objects of that type, e.g. Running Stitch, in the design. Alternatively, in the Edit tab either hide all objects
before and after the trace, then use Global Properties to adjust the stitch lengths, or hold the Ctrl key and
select the desired stitches then right-click one and select Properties to adjust the stitch lengths for the
selected lines.
Repeat to trace more lines, and right-click to deselect.

Shortcuts
■ Quick Create Tab:
■ Keys: Alt, Q, T, Q

Satin Line Trace

Create a satin border that follows the selected line
automatically, by clicking on it. If required, use Color Tolerance
to select a larger area according to the similarity of adjacent
colors. The border width can be from 1 to 12mm. Set it
beforehand, or if desired, alter it afterwards in the properties
dialog. The Satin Line Trace is created as a Group.
The Satin Line uses the settings for Satin Line in Fill Area and
Line properties, and the Running Stitch uses the stitch
length setting there for Running Stitch.
For complex outlines, a group of satin borders is created to make up the trace. To alter properties of all the
borders, click a single object in the Group for the traced design, then right-click and choose Select Similar
from Group . Right-click the object again, and select Properties to choose settings for all objects of that
type, e.g. Running Stitch, in the design. Alternatively, in the Edit tab either hide all objects before and after
the satin trace, then use Global Properties to adjust width, density and underlay, or hold the Ctrl key and
select the desired satin borders then right-click one and select Properties to adjust width, density and
underlay for the selected lines.
Repeat to trace more lines, and right-click to deselect.

Shortcuts
■ Quick Create Tab:
■ Keys: Alt, Q, T, S

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines 215

 Motif Line Trace
Create a motif line that follows the selected line automatically,
by clicking on it. If required, use Color Tolerance to select a
larger area according to the similarity of adjacent colors. The
Motif Line Trace is created as a Group.
The Motif Line uses the settings for Motif Line in Fill Area and
Line properties. The Running Stitch sections for Motif Line
trace use a fixed length of 1.5mm.
For complex outlines, a group of motif lines is created to make up the trace.
Set options beforehand, or to alter properties of all the borders click a single object in the Group for the
traced design, then right-click and choose Select Similar from Group . Right-click the object again, and
select Properties to choose settings for all objects of that type, e.g. Running Stitch, in the design.
Alternatively, in the Edit tab either hide all objects before and after the trace, then use Global Properties to
adjust motif options, or hold the Ctrl key and select the desired motif lines then right-click one and select
Properties to adjust motif options for the selected lines.
Repeat to trace more lines, and right-click to deselect.

Shortcuts
■ Quick Create Tab:
■ Keys: Alt, Q, T, M

216 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines

 Freehand and Point Create Functions
Use the Freehand Create tablet drawing functions Create Freehand Area or Line ,
Freehand Hole , Freehand Emboss Line , Freehand MultiWave Line and Freehand
Satin Area , to create stitch objects by drawing outlines on the design.
See “Freehand Create” on page 205.
Use the Point Create point placing and Bezier line functions Create Point Area or Line ,
and Point Hole , and the point placing functions Point Satin Area , Point MultiWave
Line and Point Emboss Line to create stitch objects by placing a series of points or
Bezier lines that define the outline.
See “Point Create” on page 205.

Create Freehand Area or Line

Use Create Freehand Area or Line to draw a line to define
the edge of an area filled with small stitches in repeating
patterns with or without a border, or an unenclosed line.

Shortcuts
■ Freehand Create Tab, Fill Area and Line:
■ Keys: Alt, R, R

Create a Line or Fill Area with Create Freehand Area or Line

1 In the Freehand Create tab select your line and/or fill type.
2 Click the Create Freehand Area or Line icon .
3 Draw a line along or around the desired area.
4 When the line is complete, lift the pen from the tablet (or release the mouse button). If a fill was
selected, the area is closed with a straight line back to the start point, and filled with stitches using the
chose border and fill type.
You can change the border and fill in Fill Area and Line Properties.
When creating a fill area it is recommended to draw back to the start point. However, you can also adjust
the shape on the work area, if the area is not the exact shape desired.
5 Continue to draw as many lines or fill areas as desired.
6 Right-click to deselect the function, or simply select another tool.
To change the object properties, right-click the line or fill area and edit the properties in the Fill Area and
Line Properties dialog. See “Fill Area and Line Properties” on page 83.
To edit the object, or change the properties for more than one object at a time, use the FilmStrip. See
“Editing a Design” on page 333.

Change Line or Fill Properties

■ Right-click the line or fill area and change its properties. Then click OK.
See “Fill Area and Line Properties” on page 83.
■ Alternatively, to change the properties of a number of lines or fills at one time, in the
FilmStrip hold the Ctrl key and click each of the objects to be changed. Then right-click
one of the selected objects and select Properties. The Fill Area and Line dialog box will

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines 217

 appear. All settings in the Fill Area and Line dialog box will be applied to your selected
objects when you click OK.
■ If desired, move the start , end and/or origin for selected fill areas.
After moving the origin, use Life View or Design Player to see the effect.

Create Point Area or Line

Use Create Point Area or Line to place points to create a line
to define the edge of an area filled with small stitches in
repeating patterns with or without a border, or an unenclosed
line.
To draw the outline for a Line or Fill Area with Bezier Lines instead of Point
Lines, click Bezier Mode to enable drawing Bezier curves, then draw
your Line or Fill Area. See “Bezier Mode” on page 223.

Shortcuts
■ Point Create Tab, Fill Area and Line:
■ Keys: Alt, P, R

Create a Line or Fill Area with Create Point Area or Line

1 In the Point Create tab select your line and/or fill type.
2 Click the Create Point Area or Line icon .
To draw the outline for a Line or Fill Area with Bezier Lines instead of Point Lines, click Bezier Mode to
enable drawing Bezier curves, then draw your Line or Fill Area. See “Bezier Mode” on page 223.
3 Click to place the first point. It appears as a small hollow yellow circle.
4 Click to place a second point. The new circle is now yellow, and the previous circle is white.
5 Continue placing points around the desired area, such as a chosen section of the background picture.
If you are following the picture, place a point every time the direction of the picture outline changes.
Curved lines are created automatically, unless fewer than three points are placed, in which case the lines
will be straight. For corners and straight edges, hold down the Shift key. To delete the last point placed, use
the Delete key.
6 Right-click to complete the area. Stitches will appear in the current thread color showing the line or
fill area and border.
7 Continue to place as many objects as desired.
To change the line and fill properties, right-click the line or fill area and edit the properties in the Fill Area
and Line Properties dialog. See “Fill Area and Line Properties” on page 83.
To edit the line or fill, or change the properties for more than one area at a time, use the FilmStrip. See
“Editing a Design” on page 333.

218 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines

 Mitered Corners and Closed Shapes
When creating satin line by placing points, the corners of a satin
border are mitered automatically when you hold down Shift and
click to place a corner point. If you wish to make a closed shape
with mitered corners, such as a square or rectangle, join the shape
in the middle of one of the sides, as shown in the example. If the
shape is joined at a corner, that corner will not be mitered as it will
simply be two straight end points in the same place, rather than a
true corner.
When drawing this type of satin line shape, overlap the start and end points
slightly to ensure a neat join.

Freehand Hole
Use Freehand Hole to cut out holes within the selected fill
area, by drawing outlines to define the holes.
This function only affects the currently selected fill area.

Shortcuts
■ Freehand Create Tab, Enhance:
■ Keys: Alt, R, H

Create a Freehand Hole in a Fill Area

1 Select the area in which you want to cut the hole.
2 Click the Freehand Hole icon .
3 Draw a line around the edge of the desired area for the hole.
4 When the area is complete, lift the pen from the tablet (or release the mouse button). The area is
closed with a straight line back to the start point.
It is recommended to draw back to the start point. However, you can also adjust the shape of the hole
afterwards, if it is not the exact shape as desired.
5 Continue to cut as many fill holes as desired.
6 Right-click to deselect the function, or simply select another tool.

Point Hole
Use Point Hole to cut out holes within the currently selected
fill area, by placing points or drawing Bezier Lines to define the
holes.
This function only affects the currently selected fill area.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines 219

 Shortcuts
■ Point Create Tab, Enhance:
■ Keys: Alt, P, H

Create a Point Hole in a Fill Area

1 Select the area in which you want to cut the hole.
2 Click the Point Create tab.
3 Click the Point Hole icon .
To draw the hole with a Bezier Line, click Bezier Mode , then draw your hole. See “Bezier Mode” on
page 223 for information on drawing Bezier Lines.
4 Click to place the first point. It appears as a small hollow yellow circle.
5 Click to place a second point. The new circle is now yellow, and the previous circle is white.
6 Continue placing points around the desired area, such as a chosen section of the background picture.
If you are following the picture, place a point every time the direction of the picture outline changes.
Curved lines are created automatically, unless fewer than three points are placed, in which case the lines
will be straight. For corners and straight edges, hold down the Shift key. To delete the last point placed, use
the Delete key.
7 Right-click to complete the hole. The hole will appear in the fill area.
8 Continue to cut as many holes as desired.

Emboss Line
Use the Emboss Line functions Freehand Emboss Line and Point Emboss Line to
create an embossed line on a fill area, satin area, or column.

Freehand Emboss Line

Use Freehand Emboss Line to draw a line to emboss on a fill area, satin area, or column.

Shortcuts
■ Freehand Create Tab, Enhance:
■ Keys: Alt, R, E; Alt, Q, E, F

Create a Freehand Emboss Line

1 In the Freehand Create tab select a fill area, satin area, or column.
2 Click the Freehand Emboss Line icon.
3 Draw a line on the selected area. The emboss line will appear on the fill, with the first point as a square
and later points as circles, except for a square final point.
To follow a background picture, select 2D View in the View tab, and zoom in as necessary.
You can move points after the line has been created. To delete points, use Delete Points in the Home
tab.
4 Repeat to place as many embossed lines as desired. Right-click to deselect the function.
To change an embossed line, move its points, or use Insert Points or Delete Point in the Home tab.
Use Delete Emboss Line in the Edit tab to remove an embossed line. See “Delete Emboss Line” on
page 347.

Point Emboss Line

Use Point Emboss Line to place points to emboss a line on a fill area, satin area, or
column.

220 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines

 Shortcuts
■ Point Create Tab, Enhance:
■ Keys: Alt, P, E; Alt, Q, E, P

Create a Point Emboss Line

1 Select a fill area, satin area, or column.
2 Click the Point Create tab.
3 Click the Point Emboss Line icon.
4 Click to place the first point. It appears as a small hollow yellow circle.
5 Click to place a second point. The new circle is now yellow, and the previous circle is white.
To follow a background picture, select 2D View in the View tab, and zoom in as necessary.
6 Continue placing points along the desired path.
7 Curved lines are created automatically. For corners and straight sections, hold down the Shift key.
You can move points after the line has been created. To delete points, use Delete Points in the Home
tab.
8 Right-click to end the line. The emboss line will appear on the selected fill or other area.
9 Repeat to place as many embossed lines as desired.
To change an embossed line, move its points, or use Insert Points or Delete Point in the Home tab.
Use Delete Emboss Line in the Edit tab to remove an embossed line. See “Delete Emboss Line” on
page 347.

MultiWave Line
Use the MultiWave Line functions Freehand MultiWave Line and Point MultiWave
Line to create a line that shapes the wave patterns in a MultiWave Fill.

Freehand MultiWave Line

Use Freehand MultiWave Line to draw a line that shapes the wave patterns in a
MultiWave Fill.

MultiWave Fill, using two long MultiWave lines to MultiWave Fill, using a short MultiWave
shape the flow of the fill within a leaf Line to add texture to an embroidery

Use a long line to position the stitch lines in an embroidery, or use a short line to add texture to the
stitching. The lines do not have to be within the fill area, however they should not cross each other. Vary the
density or use a motif to change the effect.

Shortcuts
■ Freehand Create Tab, Enhance:

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines 221

 ■ Keys: Alt, R, W; Alt, Q, W, F

Create a Freehand MultiWave Line

1 Select a MultiWave Fill area.
2 Click the Freehand Create tab.
3 Click the Freehand MultiWave Line icon.
4 Draw a line over or near the selected area.
The MultiWave line will appear on the fill, with the first point as a square and later points as circles,
except for a square final point. The wave patterns in the fill will follow this line.
To follow a background picture, select 2D View in the View tab, and zoom in as necessary.
You can move points after the line has been created. To add or remove points, use Insert Points or
Delete Points in the Home tab.
5 Repeat to place as many MultiWave lines as desired. Right-click to deselect the function.
Use Delete MultiWave Line in the Edit tab to remove a MultiWave line. See “Delete MultiWave Line” on
page 347.

Point MultiWave Line

Use Point MultiWave Line to place points to form a line that shapes the wave patterns
in a MultiWave Fill.

Shortcuts
■ Point Create Tab, Enhance:
■ Keys: Alt, P, W; Alt, Q, W, P

Create a Point MultiWave Line

1 Select a MultiWave Fill area.
2 Click the Point Create tab.
To follow a background picture, select 2D View in the View tab, and zoom in as necessary.
3 Click the Point MultiWave Line icon.
4 Click to place your first point. The point appears automatically as a small hollow circle.
5 Click to place a second point.
6 Continue placing points along the desired path.
7 Curved lines are created automatically. For corners and straight sections, hold down the Shift key.
8 Right-click to end the line. The MultiWave line will appear on the fill, and the wave patterns in the fill
will follow this line.
You can move points after the line has been created. To add or remove points, use Insert Points or
Delete Points in the Home tab.
9 Repeat to place as many MultiWave lines as desired.
Use Delete MultiWave Line in the Edit tab to remove a MultiWave line. See “Delete MultiWave Line” on
page 347.

222 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines

 Bezier Mode
Use Bezier Mode to draw shapes with finely graduated curves. Control the exact shape
of the line using the black handles to either side of the points you place.
Click to place Corner points, or click and drag to place curve points with
handles.
For information on Control Points and the other Bezier Line editing tools, see “Convert
Points and Bezier Lines” on page 344.

Creating Bezier Lines

When creating Bezier lines, press the Delete key to remove the last placed point.
• Click without dragging to create a Corner point (no handes)
• Click and drag to create a Smooth point (the handles are initially symmetric)
Use the Shift key while drawing to affect how the handles are placed:
• Hold down the Shift key while dragging to place the first handle opposite the position
where the key was pressed, and the second handle where the mouse button was
released (the handles are asymmetric and can be angled ).
• Hold down the Shift key before clicking, then drag and release. A single handle is placed
where the mouse button was released.

Editing Bezier Lines

When a point is dragged, its handles move with it, keeping the same angle and distance.
• The handles on a Smooth point can be moved independently along the straight line
between the point and handles.
• The handles on a Symmetric point stay the same distance from their point when moved
along the straight line between the point and handles.
• Hold down the Shift key while dragging a handle to create an angle at the
point between the two handles.
• Use Insert Points and Delete Points on the Home tab to add and
remove points from the Bezier line.

Shortcuts
■ Point Create Tab, Options:
■ Keys: Alt, P, BM

Draw a Circle in Bezier Mode

1 In the Quick Access toolbar, click Change Hoop , and set the hoop to Universal, 100mm x 100mm -
Universal Square Hoop 1.
2 Click the View tab, and ensure that Grid size is set to 10mm.
3 Click the Point Create tab.
4 Ensure that Fill and Appliqué are not selected (not highlighted).
5 Set the Line Type to Triple Stitch .
6 Click Bezier Mode to select (highlight) it.
7 Click Create Area or Line to select it. The Bezier Mode pointer appears .
8 Click to place a point, then click to place three more of these square points in a rough curve.
9 Right-click to finish the line. The points are joined by straight lines.
These are Corner Points, in Bezier Mode they are joined by straight lines.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines 223

 10 Click Undo to remove the line.
11 Starting 2 squares above the center of the hoop, click and drag to the
right one square, to the crosshairs of the next grid square.
12 Release the mouse button.
A white square (a Point) appears at the placed where you clicked, and a
black handle appears at the place where you released the button. This is
the forward handle.
13 Note that a second handle has appeared the same distance behind
the white point.
This is the backward handle, it is the same distance from the white point
as the forward handle (it is symmetrical).
14 Starting 2 squares to the right of the center of the hoop, click and
drag downwards one square, then release the mouse button.
A curved line appears between the two square white points.
15 Starting 2 squares below the center of the hoop, click and drag one
square to the left to place the next section of the curved line.
16 Then, starting 2 squares to the left of the center of the hoop, click
and drag one square upwards to place another section of the curved
line.
You should now have three quarters of a circle.
17 Move the pointer over the square white point on the right. The
pointer changes to the Move pointer .
18 Drag the point and place it exactly where the grid lines cross.
19 Move the pointer over the forward handle for that point (the black
handle below the point that you just moved).
20 Drag the handle a about half a square downwards. The backward
handle for this point moves the same distance upwards.
While you are still placing points, if you adjust the handles they behave symmetrically. You can also drag to
add symmetrical handles to a Corner point.
21 Move the handle to the right and left.
Note that the curved line changes shape as you move the handle.
22 Move the forward handle so that both handles are over the cross
hairs of the squares above and below the point, and so that the line
between the handles runs along the grid line.
23 If needed, adjust the other points and handles so that you have a
smooth three quarters curve.
24 Right-click to place the line.
25 In the FilmStrip, right-click the Triple Stitch line that you just drew,
and select Properties from the Context menu.
26 In the Line tab of the Fill Area and Line dialog box, select (check)
Closed Border Line, then click OK. The line becomes a circle.

Edit a Bezier Line

27 Click the Home tab.
28 Click Edit Points . The points and their handles are displayed.
29 Move the pointer over the handle above the point on the right (the
backward handle for the second point in the line).
30 Drag the handle a short distance downwards. This time the handle
below (the forward handle) does not move, and the shape of the
circle distorts.
When editing a line the points are Smooth, and not Symmetric. The
handles can be moved independently along the straight line.
31 In the Convert Points drop-down menu in the ribbon bar, select
Convert Points to Symmetric .
Edit Points is no longer highlighted.

224 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines

32 Move the pointer over the point whose handles you just changed.
The pointer changes to the Convert Points to Symmetric pointer .
33 Click on the point. The handles become symmetrical, and the shape
you drew becomes a circle again.
34 Right-click to deselect Convert Points to Symmetric.
Edit Points is highlighted again.
35 Move the pointer over the handle above the point on the right and
move it downwards. The handle below the point moves with the
handle above the point.
Using Convert Points to Symmetric locks the handles into Symmetric
mode while editing.
36 In the Convert Points drop-down menu in the ribbon bar, select
Convert Points to Smooth . Edit Points is no longer highlighted.
For more information on Control Points and the other editing tools, see “Convert Points and Bezier Lines”
on page 344.
37 Move the pointer over the point whose handles you just changed.
The pointer changes to the Convert Points to Smooth pointer .
38 Click on the point.
39 Right-click to deselect Convert Points to Smooth. Edit Points is
highlighted again, and you can now move the handles
independently.
If you move a handle very close to its point and release the mouse
button, the handle will vanish. The section of the line without a handle
becomes straight. Use Convert Points to Smooth to regain use of both
handles.
40 In the Convert Points drop-down menu in the ribbon bar, select
Convert Points to Corner .
41 Move the pointer over one of the points in your line. The pointer changes to the Convert Points to
Corner pointer .
42 Click on the point. It now has no handles, and the sections of the line by it are straight.
There are no handles to drag, so you can only change the line by moving this Corner Point. Use Corner
Points for straight lines.
43 Right-click to deselect Convert Points to Corner, and then in the Convert Points drop-down menu
select Convert Points to Smooth and click that point again to return to handle adjustment.
44 Right-click to deselect Convert Points to Smooth.
To create a corner point with full control over the angle of the lines, hold down Shift and click the point. You
can then move the handles independently.
To create a flower design from a motif using Bezier lines see “Draw a Flower using Bezier Curves” on
page 227.

How to Create Lines with Point Create

Outline the Fleur de Lys With a Satin Line
1 Click File, New or File, New Window and in the Choose Design Type page of the
ExpressDesign Wizard select Load Existing Design, then click Next. In the Open Existing design page,
click Load a Design , browse to the folder Documents\mySewnet\Samples\Digitizing\Edo, and
load the file 'Fleur de lys with bars’. Click Finish.
Alternatively, use the design from “Create the Band and Feathers for a Fleur de Lys” on page 309.
2 Click the Point Create tab.
3 Ensure that Fill and Appliqué are not selected (not highlighted).
4 Click Create Area or Line to select it. The Create Cursor appears .
5 Note the position of the Create Cursor . This marks the end of the last object in the design.
If it is not on the left side of the base of the left feather, follow steps 6 to 9. Otherwise see step 10.
6 Ensure that Line is selected, and in the Line drop-down list select Running Stitch .

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines 225

 7 Move the pointer towards the Create Cursor, until it changes to the diagonal pointer and click to
place a point over the Create Cursor.
8 Place a second point to draw a straight line to the left side of the base of the left feather.
9 Right-click to end the line.
If desired, use 2D and zoom in to see more clearly.
10 In the Line drop-down menu, select Satin Line .
11 Placing the first point on top of the Create Cursor , place points to draw a line around the left
feather to the base on the right. Use Shift to place square points at the tip.
12 Right-click twice to finish the line, and to deselect Create Point Area or Line.
13 Right-click the satin line to open the Fill Area and Line dialog box.
14 Ensure that Density is set to 4 and that Underlay is selected (checked). Set Width to 2.5mm.
15 Click the Favorites tab. Click ’Set these options as the current settings’ . Then click OK to close Fill
Area and Line dialog box.
When you next use Satin Line, the settings that you have just set up for satin line will be used. This is an
alternative way to set the Options.
16 In the Line drop-down menu select Running Stitch .
17 Use Create Point Area or Line to create a straight line from the Create Cursor to the left side of the
base of the middle feather, and right-click to finish the line.
A satin line is not placed along the side of the band as the whole of the band will be outlined in satin later.
18 In the Line drop-down menu, select Satin Line .
19 Create Point Area or Line is still selected.
Draw a line around the middle feather from the
Create Cursor to the base on the right. Use
Shift to place square points at the tip.
Place roughly the same number of points on
similar curves so that the feather borders have the
same appearance.
20 Right-click to finish the line.
21 In the Line drop-down menu select Running
Stitch and then use Create Point Area or
Line to create a straight line from the Create
Cursor to the left side of the base of the right
feather.
22 In the Line drop-down menu, select Satin
Line . Then use Create Point Area or Line to
draw a line around the right feather from the
Create Cursor to the base on the right. Use
Shift to place square points at the tip.
23 Right-click to finish the line.
24 Click Life View to see the border around the feathers. Click Cancel.
25 In the Line drop-down menu select Running Stitch . Starting at the Create Cursor, use Create Point
Area or Line to create angled lines around the right side of the band and down to the base of the
fleur de lys.
26 Right-click to finish the line.
27 In the Line area, select Satin Line . Then use Create Point Area or Line to draw a line around the
base of the fleur de lys.
Use Shift to place square points where the base joins the band, and at the tips and angles of the base.
28 Click to place a square point where the base of the fleur de lys meets the band on the left.
29 Click to place a square point at each corner of the band, finishing back where you started at the left
side of the base of the fleur de lys.
30 Right-click twice to finish the line, and to deselect Create Point Area or Line.

226 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines

31 Click Life View to see the border around the complete
fleur de lys. Click Cancel.
32 In the FilmStrip, scroll up to the top. This takes you to the
start of the design.
33 Select the Satin Line circle. This should be object number
3 in the FilmStrip.
34 Click Move to Front of Design .
The circular satin line will be placed at the front of the design
(the bottom of the FilmStrip), below the satin line for the
base of the fleur de lys. It will be stitched out last.
35 In the FilmStrip, scroll up to the top.
36 Select the blue thread color in position 1.
37 Right-click the thread and select Properties. The Color
Selection dialog box opens.
38 Ensure that the thread range is set to Robison-Anton
Rayon 40, and enter 2232 in the Find Thread box. Thread
2232 (Ecru) will be selected. Click OK.
39 In the Design Panel, click the Edit button
next to the Notes box.
40 In the Notes dialog box use the quick keyword
selector to add the keyword ’Heirloom’. Click
the plus sign next to the heading to see more
options and add the keywords ’Free Standing
Lace’ and ’Cutwork Richelieu’ from the list.
Then click OK.
41 Click Life View to view the finished design.
Click Cancel.
42 Click Save and browse to
Documents\mySewnet\My Designs.
43 Set the file name to 'Fleur de Lys' and click
Save.
44 Click Export , and set the file format to .vp4,
then click OK.
The preferred file format for saving embroideries
is .vp4 format as this will preserve the separate
parts of multipart designs. It also preserves
thread color information and notes.
45 In the Save As dialog box, browse to Documents\mySewnet\My Designs and export the embroidery
as Fleur de Lys_Exported.
46 Click Print to print the embroidery worksheet.
For free-standing lace, embroider your design on heavy-weight water-soluble stabilizer. When finished,
rinse the embroidery in lukewarm water to remove the stabilizer. Let dry and press the lace flat.
Alternatively, embroider the design with cutwork for the fleur de lys feathers. Hoop up with linen fabric and
water-soluble stabilizer underneath. When you embroider the design, trim out the cutwork areas.

Draw a Flower using Bezier Curves

1 Open mySewnet™ Digitizing and in the Choose Design Type page of the ExpressDesign Wizard, select
Load or Create a Background Picture. Click Next.
2 In the Choose Picture Window, click Load a Picture , browse to the folder
Documents\mySewnet\Samples\Digitizing\Pics, and load the file 'Motif Flower.png’. Click Next.
3 In the Rotate and Crop Picture page, click Select All, then click Next.
4 In the Design Size page, select Enter Design Size, click Change Hoop, and set the hoop to Universal,
100mm x 100mm - Universal Square Hoop 1. click Next.
5 In the Reduce Colors page, click Finish.
6 Click the View tab, and ensure that Grid size is set to 10mm.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines 227

 7 In the FilmStrip, right-click the color block and select Properties from the Context menu.
8 in the Color Selection dialog box, click the pink in the Quick Colors (the second color in the bottom
row) and then click OK.
9 Click the Point Create tab.
10 Ensure that Fill and Appliqué are not selected (not highlighted).
11 Set the Line Type to Satin Line .
12 Click Fill Area and Line to open the properties dialog box.
13 Set the Line width to 1.5mm, then click OK.
14 Click Bezier Mode to select (highlight) it.
15 Click Create Area or Line to select it. The Bezier Mode
pointer appears .
See “Draw a Circle in Bezier Mode” on page 223 for the
essentials of drawing Bezier lines.
16 At the left side of the base of the petal at the top, click and
drag up and slightly to the left, then release the mouse
button.
17 Starting where the petal to the left meets the petal you are
drawing, click and drag upwards a short distance to where
the next set of grid lines cross.
18 Click (without dragging) to place a point at the tip of the
petal. This is a Corner point.
19 Move the pointer over the second square white point. The
pointer changes to the Move pointer .
20 Drag the point a short distance up and to the left, along the
outline of the petal until the curved line underneath fits the
outline of the drawing.
21 Click and drag downwards a short distance from the mid
point of the right side of the petal.
22 Click to place a single point where the the line touches the
next petal.
As you become more skilled, try clicking and dragging to place
a curved line using a single point at the base of the petal.
23 Right-click to place the line.
The curve of the line will probably need some adjustment, but
this is better done later, after you have placed lines for the other
petals.
24 At the left side of the base of the petal to the right of the one
that you just drew, click and drag upwards a short distance,
then release the mouse button.
25 Starting where the petal to the left meets the petal you are
drawing, click and drag diagonally towards the top right
corner of the hoop.
26 Release the mouse button when you reach the grid line
above.
27 Click (without dragging) to place a point at the tip of the
petal.
28 From the mid point of the right side of the petal, click and
drag diagonally towards the bottom left corner of the hoop.
29 Click to place a single point where the the line touches the
next petal.
30 Use the Move pointer to adjust the position of the white
squares so that the curved line fits the picture behind.
You can further adjust the Bezier line using the black handles.

228 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines

31 Right-click to place the line.
32 Starting at the bottom left of the third petal, click and drag a
short distance diagonally to the right to place the first point.
33 Where the outline of the petal meets the grid, click and drag
a horizontal line a short distance to the right to place the
next part of the curve.
34 Click to place a point at the tip of the petal.
35 Mid way down the other side of the petal, click and drag to
the left and slightly down to place the next point.
36 At the base of the petal, click to place a final point, then
right-click to place the line.
37 Place Bezier curve lines to draw the other petals, finishing at
the petal to the left of where you started.
If you move the black handle to the left or right as you draw,
you can place the curve to follow the outline, often with no
need for later editing.
38 In the ribbon bar, click Add Color Change .
39 Click the yellow at the bottom right corner of the Quick Colors, then click OK to select the yellow
thread.
40 Set the Fill Type to Pattern Fill (it will be highlighted).
41 Starting at the top of the center of the flower, click and drag a short distance to the right, then release
the mouse button.

42 Click and drag vertical and horizontal lines of similar lengths to place the other three points creating
the circle.
43 Right-click to place the center of the flower.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines 229

 44 Click the Home tab, then click Edit Points . The points you drew for the center of the flower can be
seen.

45 In the FilmStrip, click on each petal in turn, and make a note of the ones you will need to adjust.
46 Click the View tab.
47 Click Object View , to see the outline of the Bezier lines clearly.
48 Drag the Background slider to fade the background so that the Bezier lines can be seen over the
original picture.
49 Adjust the handles on the points to make the Bezier line follow the
background.
If the handles from two different points overlap, move both nearer to
their own point, to smooth the curve.
50 Switch between Object View and 3D View to check the effect
of your changes on the Satin Line.
For more information on editing, see “Edit a Bezier Line” on page 224.
51 When you have made your changes on one petal, select the next
petal in the FilmStrip and adjust that one.
If you find that one of corner points actually has very short handles,
either use Convert to Corner in the Home tab to change it to a corner,
or drag the handles sufficiently close to their point that they vanish.
52 Save your flower. You can adjust it further when you open the file again.

Editing Fills and Lines

Edit a fill or line in the Fill Area and Line properties dialog.

Edit a Line or Fill

■ Select the desired fill area or line, and right-click it. The Fill Area and Line properties dialog
appears.
See “Fill Area and Line Properties” on page 83.
Alternatively, to change the properties of selected fills or lines at one time, do as follows:
1 In the FilmStrip, hold the Ctrl key and click each of the fills or lines to be changed.
2 Right-click one of the selected areas and select Properties. The Fill Area and Line dialog box will
appear. All settings in the Fill Area and Line dialog box will be applied to your selected fills and lines
when you click OK.
You can also move the green start , red end and/or orange origin marker for selected fill areas.

230 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines

 Creating Holes
Use the Hole functions QuickStitch™ Hole , Freehand Hole and Point Hole to
create holes in existing fill areas.
QuickStitch™ Hole
See “QuickStitch™ Hole” on page 212.
Freehand Hole
See “Freehand Hole” on page 219.
Point Hole
See “Point Hole” on page 219.

Alternatively, use QuickStitch™ + AutoHole to add holes automatically during fill creation. See
“QuickStitch™ + AutoHole” on page 211.

Fill Area with holes using Pattern Fill 111 Fill Area with holes using Motif Fill Pattern
from Hearts 6 from General Motifs 1

Fill Area with Satin border and holes using Fill Area with Satin border and holes using
Motif Fill Pattern 6 from General Motifs 1 Pattern Fill 109 from Hearts

Create Holes in a Fill

1 Click the desired area to select it.
2 In the Fill Area of the Create tab, click the desired Hole function.
Choose from QuickStitch™ Hole , Freehand Hole and Point Hole .
3 Cut the hole using the selected hole function.
4 Repeat to create more holes, as desired. Right-click to deselect, or simply select another Create tool.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Fills and Lines 231

 Using Fill Areas 12
Fill Areas are areas of fill surrounded by a border. The fill can be any of the fill types, or ’No
Fill’. The border can be any of the line types, or ’No Line’.

Pattern Fill Area with Pattern 39 Pattern Fill Area with Multicolor Motif Fill Area with two motifs,
from Animals 1 Gradient 13 and 19, from Hand Stitches 2

Motif Fill Area with motif 6 from Shape Fill Area using Shape 66 MultiWave Fill, using a density
General Motifs 1, QuickStitch and Motif 1 from Hand of 15, and a short Freehand
Autohole and a 1.5mm Satin Stitches 1 MultiWave Line to add texture
Border

You can change any fill type into another fill type, or into a Satin Area.

Fill Types
Select the Fill type from the drop-down list in the Quick Create, Freehand Create or Point
Create tabs, or in the Fill Area and Line properties dialog:
Pattern Fill QuiltStipple Fill MultiWave Fill

Motif Fill Contour Fill Echo Fill

Shape Fill Crosshatch Fill Satin Area

Radial Fill Curved Crosshatch Fill No Fill

Spiral Fill

232 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas

Creating Fill Areas
Create Fill areas with the QuickStitch™, Freehand and Point Area or Line, or Shape
functions.
Set the Fill, Line and Appliqué buttons as desired by clicking to turn that area type on or off. Then choose a
fill type from the drop-down menu below the button, and set the properties in the Fill Area and Line
options. Use one of the Create functions to make the new fill area.
See “Creating with Quick Create” on page 203, “Creating with Freehand and Point Create” on page 204,
and “Creating Shapes” on page 206.
Either add holes at the time of fill creation using QuickStitch™ + AutoHole, or add holes to
an existing fill. See “Creating Holes” on page 231.
You can select your fill type, and the line type for the surrounding border, in one of the
Create tabs before creating the fill.
Alternatively, change either the fill or border type afterwards using Fill Area and Line properties. Use the
Favorites tab to make the chosen settings into Favorites that may be applied to other areas, or into the
current settings, to use as default for new areas of this type.

Pattern Fill
Pattern Fill areas use small stitches in repeating patterns that cover an area completely
using typical density values. The density and color can also be changed with single
gradient density and multigradient density.

Pattern Fill Area with Pattern 3 Pattern Fill Area with Single Pattern Fill Area with Pattern 39
from Standard 1 Color Gradient Density from Animals 1

Pattern Fill Area with Multicolor Fill Area with Pattern 114 from Fill Area with Satin border and
Gradient Hearts and a 4.0mm Satin holes using Pattern Fill 109
Border. from Hearts

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas 233

 The Fill Area and Line properties for Pattern Fill has sections for setting all the properties
on a pattern fill area. It appears when you click a pattern fill area so that the points
defining its shape are shown, and then right-click. It also appears when you click the Fill
Area and Line button in the Options section on one of the Create tabs.
Use the Pattern Fill properties dialog box to change the pattern, density and stitch angle
used for fill areas.
Alternatively, adjust the angle of the fill pattern with the handle on the Origin marker .

Set the pattern Angle

Search for a Pattern
by number
Choose Underlay
Use a My Fills pattern density
Choose a Category
and Pattern Adjust the area’s size

Set Standard density Use gradient density

Settings for Single &

Multicolor gradient

Pattern Fill — Pattern

Patterns
Use the Pattern area to select the desired
pattern category and number.
Select the desired pattern number. There are
several ways to select patterns:
• Click the drop-down arrow below the pattern
sample and scroll down to choose a pattern
Category, and a pattern. Click the desired
pattern sample and the Pattern number is
shown.
• Enter a favorite Pattern number directly in
the Pattern box. As you type the number, the
correct pattern sample is selected
immediately.

234 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas

 • Use a My Fill pattern created with Manage My Fills. See “Manage My Fills” on page 281.
The pattern number can be seen in the FilmStrip.
View the patterns in the pattern gallery. See “Fill and Satin Patterns” on page 367.

Change a Fill Area to a Leaf Pattern

1 Click File, New , or File, New Window , and in the Choose Design Type page of the
ExpressDesign Wizard select Load Existing Design, then click Next. In the Open Existing design page,
click Load a Design , browse to the folder Documents\mySewnet\Samples\Digitizing\Edo, and
load the file 'PetalsBasicFill'.
Alternatively, use the petals design that you created in “Create a Petal Design with the ExpressDesign
Wizard” on page 127.
2 Click File, Preferences and ensure that Color Tolerance is selected (checked), and that Tie Off
Before and After Trims is selected.
3 Click the View tab, and set the Grid size to 5mm.
4 In the color worksheet on the Design Panel, click the check box for the
fourth color (slate blue) to hide objects, mainly satin borders, using that
thread color. This will make it easier to select the fill areas.
When you pause the arrow pointer over a color in the worksheet, a popup
description of the thread appears.
5 Click the Home tab.
6 Ensure that Edit Points is selected.
7 Click inside the left petal near the edge. The points defining the shape
of the fill area will appear. It will be shown as a Pattern Fill on the status bar and in the FilmStrip.
If the Status Bar says Box Select, this is selected instead of Edit Points . Click Edit Points and look again.
8 Right-click on the work area
and the Fill Area and Line
dialog box will appear showing
the properties for Pattern Fill.
The Fill Area and Line dialog box
enables you to change the fill
and line types in your design,
and set the properties for the
lines and fills.
9 Click the down arrow below
the fill sample in the Pattern
area.
10 The fill Category is currently set
to Standard 1. Scroll up the fill
gallery to the 'Plants & Flowers
1' Category.
11 Place the pointer over the
pattern sample in row two,
column two. The pattern
number is 164.
Patterns may also be selected
directly by entering the desired
pattern number in the Pattern
box.
12 Click to select pattern 164.
13 Check that Density is set to 2,
as desired.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas 235

 14 Change the angle to 45. Click Apply to see the new pattern
in the left petal, then click OK. The pattern has changed in
the petal, and you can see the fill number in the FilmStrip.
Even if you click Cancel, Apply has changed the stitches.
Therefore, to return to the original pattern you would need to
click Undo .
You could also change the angle of the pattern with the handle
on the Origin marker .
To change the middle petal to a single gradient fill, see “Create
a Single Color Gradient Fill in a Petal” on page 239.

Pattern Fill — Options

Use the Options area to see and change the settings for fill angle, underlay and
compensation.

Set the pattern Angle

Choose Underlay density

Set Compensation

Angle
The angle of the fill pattern, as shown by the arrow. The thread is at a
right angle to the fill pattern. Set the Angle from 0 to 359 degrees.
The initial setting is 0.
The fill angle will also affect the orientation of the gradient. You can also change
the fill angle with the handle on the Origin marker .

Underlay
Choose from None, Low, Medium or High density underlay. Underlay is a low density fill
that is perpendicular to the stitches of the actual fill area. Underlay is useful for stabilizing
large fill areas. Underlay is initially set to Low.
Underlay stitches are not generated for areas using gradient density, although the property can be
selected in case you switch the area back to a standard density area.

Compensation
Compensation is used to make an area 'bolder' by increasing its relative size. Set
Compensation from 0 to 20. The higher the number, the bolder the area appears. The
initial setting is 0.

236 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas

Pattern Fill — Density
Use the Density area to see and change the density settings and the color Gradient of the
fill.
The color on a fill area can change over a range, or have multiple color changes across the
fill. This is ideal for gradual color changes such as sunsets, subtle shadow effects and so on.
Gradient is not initially selected.
Embroidery on thicker fabrics usually looks better with more stitch coverage, or a low density setting.
Choose a low value such as 2 or 3 for heavy knit fabrics, a higher value such as 5 or 6 for a light material like
linen or satin.

Standard Density

Set the standard Density from 2 to 80. The lower the number, the
closer together the stitches and the more stitches are produced.
The initial setting is 2.

Single Color Gradient

Return to the
Select single or original settings
multicolor gradient Add a marker
Adjustment marker

Highlighted value marker

Set the stitch density for Delete the selected

the chosen value marker marker

Use Single Color Gradient to change the density across a fill

with only one color. Set a value for the start and end density
markers for the fill, and the density gradually changes between
the two values. Add multiple markers for a more complex
pattern.
The markers can each take a value of 2 to 80, which means you can reverse
the gradient simply by swapping the start and end values.
If you change a gradient density fill back to standard, then you should also
select the desired underlay.
The example shows a Gradient of 2 to 15, with a fill angle of 90°.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas 237

 Use Density Gradient for loosely stitched areas so that the traveling stitches will go around the outside of
the fill area. Set the start and end densities to the same number. If the Density Gradient option was not
used the traveling stitches would cross the fill area and show through.
Use the adjustment marker above the gradient bar to change the gradient across the fill.

Reset
Reset your changes and use the initial settings.

Add Marker
Click Add Marker to add a value marker below the gradient bar, and an adjustment marker
above the gradient bar. The initial value for the marker will be between the existing
markers. Edit the density value, and move the value and adjustment markers as desired.

This means that you can have any combination of density values across the fill area.
Remember, a higher value means the fill is less dense.

Density
Density is used to change the density of the stitching. Set Density from 2 to 80. The higher
the number, the less dense the fill. The initial start marker setting is 2, and end marker
setting is 8.

Remove
Click Remove to delete the highlighted marker.

Change a Fill to Single Color Gradient

1 Open the Fill Area and Line properties dialog.
2 In the Density area, click the Gradient option. The Gradient box will become available.
3 Select (check) the Single Color Gradient box.
4 Click a value maker (the marker below the gradient bar) and change the value in the Density box to
the required density value.
5 Click Apply to view your changes.

238 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas

6 Move the adjustment marker above the gradient bar to vary the change in density across the fill.
7 Click Add Marker to add another value marker and adjustment marker.
8 Change the density of the fill as desired.

9 Click OK to close the Fill Area and Line properties dialog.

If you change a gradient density fill back to standard, then you should also select the desired underlay.

Create a Single Color Gradient Fill in a Petal

1 Click File, New , or File, New Window , and in the Choose Design Type page of the
ExpressDesign Wizard select Load Existing Design, then click Next. In the Open Existing design page,
click Load a Design , browse to the folder Documents\mySewnet\Samples\Digitizing\Edo, and
load the file 'PetalsBasicFill'.
Alternatively, use the petals design that you created in “Create a Petal Design with the ExpressDesign
Wizard” on page 127, and added a leaf pattern to in “Change a Fill Area to a Leaf Pattern” on page 235.
2 Click File, Preferences , and ensure that Color Tolerance is selected (checked), and that Tie Off
Before and After Trims is selected.
3 Click the View tab, and ensure that Grid size is set to 5mm.
4 In the color worksheet in the Design Panel click the check box for the fourth color (slate blue) to hide
the satin borders using that thread color. This will make it easier to select the fill areas.
5 Click inside the middle petal. The points defining the shape of the fill area will appear, and the Pattern
Fill area will be selected in the FilmStrip.
6 Right-click on the work area and the Fill Area and Line
dialog box will appear, showing Pattern Fill.
7 Enter 109 in the Pattern Box. In the Pattern gallery, this
is the design in row 1, column 1 of the Hearts category.
8 Click Apply to see the pattern.
If needed, move the Fill Area and Line dialog box to one
side to see this.
9 Click the Gradient checkbox. The Gradient options
become available.
10 Ensure that Single Color Gradient is selected. A bar with
a marker at either end becomes available.
11 Click Add Marker. A third marker is placed in the middle
of the bar, highlighted in blue.
All three markers initially use the stitch density set above
(this should be 2).
12 Click the marker box on the left. It is highlighted in blue.
13 In Density, use the up arrow to change the number to
35. The number and position of the lines in the density
bar changes.
The lines in the density bar represent the density of the stitching.
14 Leave the Density for the middle marker at 2.
15 Click the marker box on the right.
16 Change the density for the marker on the right to 35.
This will create lightly stitched areas at the edges of the fill area, and a heavily stitched area in the middle.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas 239

 17 Change the Angle to 0, then click OK. The heart pattern fill is densely stitched in the center and lightly
stitched at top and bottom.

Notice that underlay has been automatically set to None. This occurs when Single Color Gradient or
Multicolor Gradient density is selected.
To fill the right petal with a bee pattern that you create, see “Use a Bee for a My Fill Pattern” on page 283.

Multicolor Gradient
Set the stitch density
for the whole fill
Return to the
Select single or original settings
multicolor gradient Add a marker
Adjustment markers

Selected color marker

Delete the selected

Choose a thread for the marker
highlighted marker

Use Multicolor Gradient to change the color across a fill with

only one density. Set colors for the start and end markers for the
fill, and the color gradually changes between the two values.
Use the marker above the gradient bar to change the color
gradient across the fill.

Reset
Reset your changes and use the initial settings.

Add Marker
Click Add Marker to add a color marker below the gradient bar, and an adjustment marker
above the gradient bar. The initial color for the marker will be the same as the currently
highlighted marker. Change the color and move the color and adjustment markers as
desired.

240 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas

 This means that you can have any combination of colors across the fill area.

Thread Color
Use Thread Color to change the color of the currently highlighted marker. The Color
Selection box will be displayed.
See “Color Selection” on page 179.

Remove
Click Remove to delete the highlighted marker.

Create a Multicolor Gradient Fill

1 Open the Fill Area and Line properties dialog.
2 In the Density area, click the Gradient option. The Gradient box will become available.
3 Select (check) the Multicolor Gradient box.
4 Click a color maker (the marker below the
gradient bar) and click Thread Color to open
the Color Selection dialog box.
5 Change the color to the required color and
click OK.
6 Click Apply to view your changes.
7 Move the adjustment marker above the
gradient bar to vary the change in color
across the fill.
8 Click Add Marker to add another color marker
and adjustment marker.
9 Change the color of the fill as desired.
10 Click OK to close the Fill Area and Line properties dialog.

Fill a Petal with a Multicolor Gradient Density Fill

1 Click File, New , or File, New Window , and in the Choose Design Type page of the
ExpressDesign Wizard select Load Existing Design, then click Next. In the Open Existing design page,
click Load a Design , browse to the folder Documents\mySewnet\Samples\Digitizing\Edo, and
load the file 'PetalsBasicFill'.
Alternatively, use the petals design that you created in “Create a Petal Design with the ExpressDesign
Wizard” on page 127.
2 Click File, Preferences and ensure that Color Tolerance is selected (checked), and that Tie Off
Before and After Trims is selected.
3 Click the View tab, and ensure that Grid size is set to 5mm.
4 In the color worksheet in the Design Panel, click the check box for the fourth color (slate blue) to hide
the satin borders using that thread color. This will make it easier to select the fill areas.
5 Select the fill area for the middle petal, then right-click to see the Fill Area and Line dialog box.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas 241

 6 Enter 255 in the Pattern Box. In the Pattern gallery, this is the design in row 1, column 3 of the
Gradient & Lace category.
The top four patterns in this category are recommended for multicolor gradient (the other eight are
suitable for a weave pattern combined with parallel crosshatch, as used for lace designs).
7 Change the Angle to 0.
8 Ensure that the Gradient checkbox is
selected.
9 Click Add Marker to place a third marker in
the middle of the bar, highlighted in blue.
10 Click Multicolor Gradient. The gradient bar
is now colored, as are the markers.
The selected marker has a dark blue outline,
and the pointer is highlighted in blue.
11 Click the marker box on the left.
12 Click Thread Color . The Color
Selection dialog box is displayed.
13 Ensure that Robison-Anton Rayon 40 is
displayed in Thread Range.
14 Click in the Find Thread box and enter
'2502'. Thread color 2502 (Memphis Belle)
will be found in the list. Click OK to change
the color.
15 Double-click the marker box in the middle.
The Color Selection dialog box opens.
This is a quick way of displaying the dialog.
16 In the Color Selection dialog box change the color to 2259 (Wild Pink), then click OK.
17 Double-click the marker box on the right and change the color to 2286 (Tulip).
The bar is now shaded from pale pink, to dark pink, to purple. The stitches for each color are calculated
from the original density value.

18 Click Apply. The design will show how the colors will be blended when stitched out.
If needed, move the Fill Area and Line dialog box to one side to see this.
19 Click OK to close the Fill Area and Line dialog box.
To fill the left petal with a Radial Fill with gradient density, see “Use a Radial Fill in a Petal” on page 255.

242 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas

Motif Fill
Motif fill areas contain repeated small stitches placed using one of the Universal or
machine motif patterns. Motif patterns typically have spaces between the stitches. A motif
fill area can also have holes defined inside it. The motifs can be at any angle and at
different sizes, and different motifs can be used on alternating lines.

Motif Fill Area with default Motif Fill Area with motif 6 from Motif Fill Area with two motifs,
motif 5 from General Motifs 1 General Motifs 1 13 and 19, from Hand Stitches 2

Motif Fill Area with motif 22 from Motif Fill Area with motif 6 from Motif Fill Area with motif 6 from
Candlewicking 1 and a 2.0mm General Motifs 1 and General Motifs 1, QuickStitch
Satin Border QuickStitch Autohole Autohole and a 2.0mm Satin
Border

Motif Fill Properties

The Fill Area and Line properties for Motif Fill has tabs for setting all the properties on a
motif fill area. It appears when you click a motif fill area so that the points defining its
shape are shown, and then right-click. It also appears when you click the Fill Area and Line
button in the Options section on one of the Create tabs.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas 243

 Motif Fill — Motif 1
The Motif 1 tab is always shown first when the Motif Fill properties appear.
Use the Motif 1 tab to select the first motif and its size.

Select a motif Group, Category and pattern

Select the motif size

Flip the motif vertically or horizontally
Preserve motif Height / Width ratio

Motif
Use Motif to select the motif and its size.

Group
Click the drop-down arrow to select the desired group of motif patterns.

Category
Click the drop-down arrow to select the desired category of motif patterns.

Pattern
Click the drop-down arrow to select the desired motif visually. Motifs are also numbered
for convenient reference.

Height and Width

The Height and Width are initially set according to the chosen motif. The maximum and
minimum values for Height and Width are individual to each motif.

Proportional
Use this option to keep the relative Height and Width in proportion when either is
changed.

Reverse
Use this option to reverse the direction of the motif along the lines of the motif fill. Some
motifs are symmetrical and will have no apparent change when they are reversed.

244 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas

Mirror
Use this option to mirror the motif across the line of motif fill. Some motifs are symmetrical
and will have no apparent change when they are mirrored.

Motif Fill — Motif 2

Use the Motif 2 tab to select a second optional motif and its size.

Use Motif 2
Select this option to use a second motif in the motif fill. The second motif will be placed on
alternating lines with the first motif.

Motif
Use Motif to select the motif and its size.

Group
Click the drop-down arrow to select the desired group of motif patterns.

Category
Click the drop-down arrow to select the desired category of motif patterns.

Pattern
Click the drop-down arrow to select the desired motif visually. Motifs are also numbered
for convenient reference.

Height and Width

The Height and Width are initially set according to the chosen motif. The maximum and
minimum values for Height and Width are individual to each motif.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas 245

 Proportional
Use this option to keep the relative Height and Width in proportion when either is
changed.

Reverse
Use this option to reverse the direction of the motif along the lines of the motif fill. Some
motifs are symmetrical and will have no apparent change when they are reversed.

Mirror
Use this option to mirror the motif across the line of motif fill. Some motifs are symmetrical
and will have no apparent change when they are mirrored.

Motif Fill — Spacing

Use the Spacing tab to set the spacing for the motifs.

Space the motifs regularly

Set the distance between

motifs and lines of motifs

Set the relative position of

motifs and lines of motifs

Center Motifs 1 and 2

When this option is selected the narrower of the two motifs has extra stitches added at
either side to make it the same width as the wider motif. This is so that the motifs can be
centered, or so the horizontal offset between them will remain constant.

Gap
The Horizontal gap adds or removes space between motifs along the line. The Vertical gap
adds or removes space between lines of motifs.
Set the Horizontal and Vertical gaps from -50% to +100%.

Offset
The Horizontal offset moves the motifs along each line, relative to the previous line. The
Vertical offset adjusts the position of every other line of motifs, so that it is nearer to one
line than the next or previous line.
Set the Horizontal and Vertical gaps from -50% to 50%.

246 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas

 The offset is limited to 50% each way because, for instance, a 75% offset would be the same as a -25%
offset.

Motif Fill — Options

Use the Options tab to see and change the settings for fill angle, stitch type and length.

Adjust the motif angle

Select a line type

Set the stitch length

Angle
The angle of the motif fill pattern, as shown by the arrow. Set the Angle from 0 to 359
degrees.

Stitch
Select Running or Triple stitch for stitching out the motifs. Set the maximum Length of
stitches from 1 to 12mm in steps of 0.1mm.

Use Motif Fills in Two Petals

1 Click File, New , or File, New Window , and in the Choose Design Type page of the
ExpressDesign Wizard select Load Existing Design, then click Next. In the Open Existing design page,
click Load a Design , browse to the folder Documents\mySewnet\Samples\Digitizing\Edo, and
load the file 'PetalsBasicFill'.
2 Click File, Preferences , and ensure that Color Tolerance is selected (checked), and that Tie Off
Before and After Trims is selected.
3 Click the View tab, and ensure that Grid size is set to 5mm.
4 Select the fill area for the middle petal, then right-click to see the Fill Area and Line dialog box.
5 In the Fill drop-down menu at the top left, select Motif Fill . The Motif 1 tab of the motif fill
properties is displayed.
6 Set the Group to Universal and the Category to Candlewicking 1. Pattern 1 is selected automatically,
which is the desired Pattern.
7 Click the Spacing tab.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas 247

 8 Set the Horizontal Offset to 50%.

9 Click OK. The effect is displayed in the work area.

10 Select the fill area for the petal on the right, then right-click to see the Fill Area and Line dialog box.
11 In the Fill drop-down menu at the top left, select Motif Fill .
12 Set the Group to Universal and the Category to General Motifs 1. Click the drop-down arrow for
Pattern, scroll up the list and select Pattern 2.
13 Click Apply to preview the effect. If needed, move the Fill Area and Line dialog box to the left to view
the effect.
14 Click the Motif 2 tab.
15 Click ’Use Motif 2’ so it is selected. The Motif 2 options become available.
16 Set the Group to Universal and the Category to General Motifs 1. Click the drop-down arrow for the
Motif 2 Pattern, scroll up the list and select Pattern 2.
17 Click the Spacing tab.
18 Set the Vertical Offset to 30%.
19 Click the Motif 1 tab.
20 Click the Mirror option for Motif 1 so it is selected. The motif will be mirrored vertically.
21 Click Apply to preview the effect.
22 Click the Options tab.
23 Change the Angle to 200 and select Triple as the stitch type.
24 Click OK. Click Life View to see the effect, then click Cancel.
Add a motif line flower to the left petal in “Create a Flower with Motif Lines” on page 327.

Insert Motif Fill in an Appliqué Petal

1 Click File, New , or File, New Window , and in the Choose Design Type page of the
ExpressDesign Wizard select Load Existing Design, then click Next. In the Open Existing design page,
click Load a Design , browse to the folder Documents\mySewnet\Samples\Digitizing\Edo, and
load the file 'PetalsApplique_Picot’.
Alternatively, use the petals design that you created in “Create Appliqué Areas with Express Border” on
page 129, and added a picot motif line to in “Change Satin Line to Picot Motif Line” on page 330.
2 Click File, Preferences , and ensure that Color Tolerance is selected (checked), and that Tie Off
Before and After Trims is selected.
3 Click the View tab, and ensure that Grid size is set to 5mm.
4 Click the edge of the petal on the right. Its nodes (points) are displayed.
5 In the status bar the stitch type is displayed as Satin Line Appliqué.

248 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas

 In the FilmStrip the object should also be Satin Line Appliqué. You can select objects in the FilmStrip, or
press the right and left arrow keys to step through the objects in the design.
6 Right-click the work area to see the Fill Area and Line properties for this Satin Line.
7 In the Fill drop-down menu at the top left, select Motif Fill .
It will currently be shown as No Fill.
8 In the Motif 1 tab set the Motif Group to Universal, and the Category to Hand Stitches 1.
9 Click the drop-down arrow for Pattern and select Pattern 17, a tied cross.
10 Click OK to close the dialog box.
11 Notice that the motif fill in the petal on the right is the same color as the border stitches. The motif fill
will look nice in variegated thread.
12 In the FilmStrip, right-click the petal in the middle (FilmStrip item number 2) and select Insert Color
Change. The Color Selection dialog box will appear.
This places the color change between the two petals.
13 Click Show All Thread Ranges, then click the drop-down arrow for the Thread Range and select
Robison-Anton Rayon Vari 40.
14 In the shade list, browse for 2370 (4CC Melody) or enter 2370 in the Find Thread box. Click OK.
This changes the color for the Motif Fill, but also changes the color of all the objects that follow it.
15 Right-click the Motif Fill area to open Fill Area and Line properties.
16 Click the Line tab.
17 Click (check) Insert Color Change, and then click Line Thread Color . The Color Selection dialog
box opens.
18 Click the drop-down arrow for the Thread Range and select Robison-Anton Rayon 40.
19 Type 2275 in the Find Thread box to select 2275 (Slate Blue). Click OK.
20 The thread color is now a dark blue. Click OK to close the Fill Area and Line dialog box.
21 Click Life View . The motif fill in the petal on the right is now shown in variegated thread, with a
blue border, but the petal on the left is variegated. It should be changed to blue. Click Cancel to close
the dialog box.
The border color change affects only the color of the border around the motif fill area. It does not affect any
other objects. So a separate color change is needed.
22 In the FilmStrip, ensure that the Motif Fill petal
is selected.
23 Right-click on the FilmStrip, then click Insert
Color Change and the Color Selection dialog
box will appear.
24 Click the drop-down arrow for the Thread
Range and select Robison-Anton Rayon 40.
25 Type 2275 in the Find Thread box to select
2275 (Slate Blue). Click OK.
26 Click Life View . The borders are now all
blue, with a variegated thread motif fill area.
27 Click Cancel.
Add a contour fill flower to the left petal in
“Create a Contour Fill Flower” on page 264.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas 249

 Shape Fill
Shape fill areas use one of 120 different shapes. Vary the stitch density, use motif lines for
the fill and add holes.

Shape Fill Area using Shape 4 Shape Fill Area using Shape 66 and
and Density 18 Motif 1 from Hand Stitches 1

The Fill Area and Line properties for Shape Fill has tabs for setting all the properties on a
shape fill area. It appears when you click a shape fill area so that the points defining its
shape are shown, and then right-click. It also appears when you click the Fill Area and Line
button in the Options section on one of the Create tabs.

Shape Fill — Options

Select a motif for the fill

Set the stitch density for the fill

Select a shape for the fill

Use motif lines in the fill

Density
Set Density from 2 to 40. The lower the number, the closer
together the stitches and the more stitches are produced.

250 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas

Shapes
Click the drop-down arrow and select the desired shape from the list.

Use Motifs
Click Use Motifs if you would prefer to use motifs instead of a plain line to follow the shape
selected for the fill. Click the Motif tab to choose a motif.

Shape Fill — Motif

The selected Motif is only used by the Shape Fill if the Use Motifs option is selected on the
Options tab.

Select a motif Group, Category and pattern

Set the gap between the motifs in the line

Adjust the position of the motifs in the line

Set the motif size and Height / Width ratio

Set the stitch length for the motif lines

Select a stitch type for the motif lines

Motif
Group
Click the drop-down arrow to select the desired group of motif patterns.

Category
Click the drop-down arrow to select the desired category of motif patterns.

Pattern
Click the drop-down arrow to select the desired motif visually. Motifs are also numbered
for convenient reference.

Minimum Gap
The Minimum Gap is the minimum amount of extra stitching that is placed between the
motifs along the line. This is in addition to any spacing that is part of the selected motif.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas 251

 Fit Motif To Line
Select this option to make the shape of the motifs follow the curves of the line.

When Fit To Line is off, the ends of each When Fit To Line is on, each motif is
motif are placed on the line. adjusted to fit along the line.

Reverse
Use this option to reverse the direction of the motif along the line. This is useful, for
instance, if you have placed a QuickStitch™ Motif Line and wish to reverse the motif
direction. Some motifs are symmetrical and will have no apparent change when they are
reversed.

Kern
Use Kern to automatically increase the space between adjacent motifs where necessary,
so that the motifs fit along the line without overlapping.

Mirror
Use this option to mirror the motif across the line of motif fill. Some motifs are symmetrical
and will have no apparent change when they are mirrored.

Size
Height and Width
The Height and Width are initially set according to the chosen motif. The maximum and
minimum values for Height and Width are individual to each motif.

Proportional
Use this option to keep the relative Height and Width in proportion when either is
changed.

Stitch
Select Running or Triple stitch for stitching out the motifs. Set the maximum Length of
stitches from 1 to 12mm in steps of 0.1mm. Length is initially set to the recommended
value for each motif.

252 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas

 Use Shape Fills in Three Petals
1 Click File, New , or File, New Window , and in the Choose Design Type page of the
ExpressDesign Wizard select Load Existing Design, then click Next. In the Open Existing design page,
click Load a Design , browse to the folder Documents\mySewnet\Samples\Digitizing\Edo, and
load the file 'PetalsBasicFill'.
2 Click File, Preferences , and ensure that Color Tolerance is selected (checked), and that Tie Off
Before and After Trims is selected.
3 Click the View tab, and ensure that Grid size is set to 5mm.
4 Select the fill area for the petal on the right, then right-click to see the Fill Area and Line dialog box.
5 In the Fill drop-down menu at the top left, select Shape Fill . The Options tab of the shape fill
properties is displayed.
6 Set Density to 20. This will create a lightly stitched pattern.
7 Click the drop-down arrow for Shapes and choose the five pointed star (shape number 37).

8 Click OK to apply the changes.

9 Select the fill area for the middle petal, then right-click to see the Fill Area and Line dialog box.
10 In the Fill drop-down menu at the top left, select Shape Fill . The Options tab of the shape fill
properties is displayed.
11 Ensure the Density is set to 8.
12 Click the drop-down arrow for Shapes. Scroll down the list and choose the badge shape numbered
48.
13 Click OK.
14 Move the origin point straight up the vertical grid center line until it is just above the petal.
Notice how the point of radiation changes.
15 Select the fill area for the petal on the left, then right-click to see the Fill Area and Line dialog box.
16 In the Fill drop-down menu at the top left, select Shape Fill . The Options tab of the shape fill
properties is displayed.
17 Ensure the Density is set to 8.
18 Click the drop-down arrow for Shapes. Scroll down the list and choose the curvy frame numbered 65.
19 Click the Use Motifs option so that it is selected, then click the Motif tab.
20 From the Universal Group, select the Hand Stitches 1 Category.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas 253

 21 Scroll down the Pattern list and select pattern 11 (the closed fly stitch).

22 Click OK. The effect is displayed in the Create window.

23 Move the origin point up so that it is just within the top right area of the petal.
24 Click Save and browse to the folder Documents\mySewnet\My Designs.
25 Change the File name to 'PetalsShapeFill' and click Save.

26 Click Print to print the embroidery worksheet.

27 Click Export Embroidery and ensure that .vp4 is set as the file format. Click OK.
28 In the Save As dialog, browse to the folder Documents\mySewnet\My Designs and click Export. The
embroidery is saved as PetalsShapeFill_Exported.
There is no need to change the file name, as it is taken automatically from the design file name.

254 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas

 Radial Fill
Radial fill areas use a pattern of radiating lines from an origin point that can be
moved. Vary the stitch density and add holes.
Radial Fill with origin moved to top of
heart

Radial Fill — Options

Set the density from 2 to 40

Density
Set Density from 2 to 40. The lower the number, the closer
together the stitches and the more stitches are produced.
The initial setting is 20.

Use a Radial Fill in a Petal

1 Click File, New , or File, New Window , and in the Choose Design Type page of the
ExpressDesign Wizard select Load Existing Design, then click Next. In the Open Existing design page,
click Load a Design , browse to the folder Documents\mySewnet\Samples\Digitizing\Edo, and
load the file 'PetalsBasicFill'.
Alternatively, use the petals design that you created in “Create a Petal Design with the ExpressDesign
Wizard” on page 127, and added a multicolor gradient fill in “Fill a Petal with a Multicolor Gradient Density
Fill” on page 241.
2 Click File, Preferences and ensure that Color Tolerance is selected (checked), and that Tie Off
Before and After Trims is selected.
3 Click the View tab, and ensure that Grid size is set to 5mm.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas 255

 4 Click inside the petal on the left to select the fill area. It will be shown as a Pattern Fill on the status bar.
5 Right-click on the work area and the Fill Area and Line dialog box will appear.
6 In the Fill drop-down menu at the top left, select Radial Fill . The options in the tabbed pages
below change.
The tabbed pages in the Fill Area and Line dialog box show the properties for the currently selected Fill and
Line.
7 The Options tab is initially selected. Set the Density to 8. This gives a lightly stitched, but distinctive,
radial fill pattern.

8 Click OK. The description of the area on the status bar will change to Radial Fill.
Notice that the stitch lines of the radial fill radiate from the middle of the petal shape.

The stitch lines radiate from Move the origin to the top Click outside to view the
the origin. right. radial fill.
9 Click and drag the origin marker of the radial fill up and to the right until it is about one grid
square from the corner of the petal.
The origin is the start point for the repeating pattern in a pattern fill and the point from which stitches
radiate in a radial fill, shape fill or spiral fill.
10 Click outside the petal, so that the fill area is no longer selected. You can now see the effect of moving
the origin.
11 Click Zoom To Fit .
To fill the right petal with a spiral fill, see “Fill a Petal with a Spiral Fill with Gradient Density” on page 259.

256 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas

Spiral Fill
Spiral fill areas use a spiral pattern from an origin point that can be moved. Use
constant or gradient density, and add holes.

Spiral Fill using Gradient Density Spiral Fill with origin moved to top of
heart

Spiral Fill — Options

Density
The density on a spiral fill area can change over a range, or have multiple density changes
from the origin to the edge of the fill. Use Standard or Gradient density fill.
Embroidery on thicker fabrics usually looks better with more stitch coverage, or a low density setting.
Choose a low value such as 2 or 3 for heavy knit fabrics, a higher value such as 5 or 6 for a light material like
linen or satin.

Standard Density
Set the density from 2 to 80
Select Gradient fill

Set the standard Density from 2 to 80. The lower the number, the
closer together the stitches and the more stitches are produced.
The initial setting is 2.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas 257

 Gradient Density

Return to the
original settings
Add a marker
Adjustment marker

Highlighted value marker

Set the stitch density for Delete the selected

the chosen value marker marker

Use Gradient Density to change the density across the Spiral Fill. Set a value for the start
and end density markers for the fill, and the density gradually changes between the two
values. The start value is used at the origin of the spiral fill, and the end value is used at the
edge.
The markers can each take a value of 2 to 80, which means you can reverse the gradient simply by
swapping the start and end values.
The example shows a Gradient of 2 to 15, with a fill angle of 90°.

Use the marker above the gradient bar to change the gradient across the fill.

Add Marker
Click Add Marker to add a marker. The initial value for the marker will be between the
existing markers. Edit the value and move the marker as desired.

258 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas

 This means that you can have any combination of density values across the fill area. Remember, a higher
value means the fill is less dense. The marker furthest to the left affects the spiral fill at the origin, then from
left to right to the edge of the spiral fill.

Remove
Click Remove to delete the highlighted marker.

Use a Gradient with a Spiral Fill

1 Open the Fill Area and Line properties dialog and click the Density tab.
2 Click the Gradient option. The Gradient box will become available.
3 Click a value maker (the marker below the gradient bar) and change the value in the Density box to
the required density value.
4 Click Apply to view your changes.
5 Move the adjustment marker above the gradient bar to vary the change in density across the fill.
6 Click Add Marker to add another value marker and adjustment marker.
7 Change the density of the fill as desired.

8 Click OK to close the Fill Area and Line properties dialog.

Fill a Petal with a Spiral Fill with Gradient Density

1 Click File, New , or File, New Window , and in the Choose Design Type page of the
ExpressDesign Wizard select Load Existing Design, then click Next. In the Open Existing design page,
click Load a Design , browse to the folder Documents\mySewnet\Samples\Digitizing\Edo, and
load the file 'PetalsBasicFill'.
Alternatively, use the petals design that you created in “Create a Petal Design with the ExpressDesign
Wizard” on page 127, and added a multicolor gradient fill and radial fill in “Fill a Petal with a Multicolor
Gradient Density Fill” on page 241 and “Use a Radial Fill in a Petal” on page 255.
2 Click File, Preferences , and ensure that Color
Tolerance is selected (checked), and that Tie Off
Before and After Trims is selected.
3 Click the View tab, and ensure that Grid size is set
to 5mm.
4 Select the fill area for the petal on the right, then
right-click to see the Fill Area and Line dialog box.
5 In the Fill drop-down menu at the top left, select
Spiral Fill . The density tab of the spiral fill
options is displayed.
6 Select the Gradient density option.
7 Change the marker on the left (the start value) to
20.
8 Change the marker on the right (the end value) to
4.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas 259

 This will create a lightly stitched pattern at the origin of the spiral fill, shading to a more heavily stitched
pattern at the edges.
9 Click OK. The spiral fill is displayed in the third petal.
10 Click Save and browse to the folder Documents\mySewnet\My Designs.
11 Change the File name to 'PetalsFill2' and click Save. The file is saved as PetalsFill2.edo.
12 Click Export Embroidery and ensure that .vp4 is set as the file format. Click OK.
13 In the Save As dialog, browse to the folder Documents\mySewnet\My Designs and click Export. The
embroidery is saved as PetalsFill2_Exported.
There is no need to change the file name, as it is taken automatically from the design file name.
14 Click Print to print the embroidery worksheet.

260 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas

QuiltStipple Fill
QuiltStipple fill areas use stipple stitch in a curved or straight lines. Vary the gap
between stitch lines, use running or triple stitch, and add holes.

QuiltStipple Fill using a curved style QuiltStipple Fill using a straight style

QuiltStipple Fill — Options

Select curved or straight stipple lines

Set the spacing between the stipple lines

Set the stitch length for the stipple lines

Select a stitch type for the stipple lines

Style
Choose between curved or straight.

Curved Straight

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas 261

 Spacing
Set the Gap to the preferred distance between lines of stitching. This also, where possible,
is the border inside the area, between the edge of the area and the fill pattern.
Set the Gap from 1 to 20mm in steps of 0.1mm. It is initially set to 5.0mm.

Stitch
Select Running or Triple stitch for stitching out the fill. Set the Length of stitches from 1 to
12mm in steps of 0.1mm. Length is initially set to 2mm.

Insert QuiltStipple Fill in a Petal

1 Click File, New , or File, New Window , and in the Choose Design Type page of the
ExpressDesign Wizard select Load Existing Design, then click Next. In the Open Existing design page,
click Load a Design , browse to the folder Documents\mySewnet\Samples\Digitizing\Edo, and
load the file 'PetalsApplique_Butterfly Line’.
Alternatively, use the petals design that you created in “Create Appliqué Areas with Express Border” on
page 129, and added a motif line to in “Change Satin Line to Motif Line in an Appliqué Petal” on page 330.
2 Click the View tab, and ensure that Grid size is set to 5mm.
3 Click File, Preferences , and ensure that Color Tolerance is selected (checked), and that Tie Off
Before and After Trims is selected.
4 Click along the edge of the middle petal to select the petal.
5 In the status bar the stitch type is displayed as Satin Line Appliqué.
In the FilmStrip the objects should also be Satin Line Appliqué. You can select objects in the FilmStrip, or
press the right and left arrow keys to step through the objects in the design.
6 Right-click the work area to see the Fill Area and Line properties for this Satin Line.
7 In the Fill drop-down menu at the top left,
select QuiltStipple Fill .
It will currently be shown as No Fill.
8 In the Options tab, set the Gap in Spacing to
2.0mm.
9 Click OK.
10 In the Quick Access toolbar, click Save
and browse to the folder
Documents\mySewnet\My Designs.
11 Change the File name to 'PetalsApplique1'
and click Save to save your design file.
12 Click Export Embroidery and ensure
that .vp4 is set as the file format. Click OK.
13 In the Save As dialog, browse to the folder Documents\mySewnet\My Designs and click Export. The
embroidery is saved as PetalsApplique1_Exported.
There is no need to change the file name, as it is taken automatically from the design file name.
14 Click File, Print. Deselect (uncheck) Print Plan View and Print Picture.
15 Click Print to print the embroidery worksheet.
To change the appliqué fabric for the petals, right-click and in the Fill Area and Line dialog box click the
Appliqué tab. Click the Select Fabric button and choose a Quick Color for a fabric, or click Fabric and then
load a fabric with the Picture Viewer.

262 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas

If desired, open the embroidery in mySewnet™ Embroidery to preview on a garment or fabric background,
as in the example.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas 263

 Contour Fill
Contour fill areas use contour stitch lines. Vary the gap between stitch lines and the
length of the stitches, use running, double or triple stitch, and add holes.
Contour Fill, using Triple Stitch and a
3.0mm gap

Contour Fill — Options

Set the space between the

lines in the fill

Set a stitch length for the contour lines

Select a stitch type for the contour lines

Spacing
Set the Gap to the preferred distance between lines of stitching. This also is the border
inside the area, between the edge of the area and the fill pattern.
Set the Gap from 0.2 to 5mm in steps of 0.1mm. It is initially set to 2.0mm.

Stitch
Select Running, Double or Triple stitch for stitching out the fill. Set the Length of stitches
from 1 to 12mm in steps of 0.1mm. Length is initially set to 2mm.

Create a Contour Fill Flower

1 Click File, New , or File, New Window , and in the Choose Design Type page of the
ExpressDesign Wizard select Load Existing Design, then click Next. In the Open Existing design page,
click Load a Design , browse to the folder Documents\mySewnet\Samples\Digitizing\Edo, and
load the file 'PetalsApplique_MotifFill’.

264 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas

 Alternatively, use the petals design that you created in “Create Appliqué Areas with Express Border” on
page 129, and added a motif fill to in “Insert Motif Fill in an Appliqué Petal” on page 248.
2 Click File, Preferences , and ensure that Color Tolerance is selected (checked), and that Tie Off
Before and After Trims is selected.
3 Click the View tab, and ensure that Grid size is set to 5mm.
4 Click Edit Background .
5 In mySewnet™ Draw & Paint, click the Insert tab.
6 In the Shapes drop-down list, select Shape 49, a flower.
7 Click Insert Shape .
8 Click and drag inside the selection box to move the flower. Position it in the larger end of the petal on
the left.
9 In the File menu, click Exit (or click Close in the mySewnet™ Draw & Paint window).
10 In mySewnet™ Digitizing, click the View tab.
11 Click 2D View .
This enables you to see the picture behind the appliqué fabric.
12 Click the Quick Create tab.
13 Ensure that Fill is selected, then click the fill drop-down menu and select Contour Fill .
14 Ensure that Line and Appliqué are not selected. This will create a fill area without a border or
appliqué.
15 Click QuickStitch™ .
16 Click along the edge of the flower. The Color Tolerance dialog box will appear.
17 Click OK to close the Color Tolerance dialog box and right-click to deselect the fill tool. The flower
head is filled with stitches that follow the contours of the petals.
18 Right-click the work area to open
the Fill Area and Line properties
dialog.
19 In Spacing on the Options tab, set
the Gap to 1.2mm. Click OK.
20 Click Life View to view the
finished embroidery, then click
Cancel.
21 Click Save and browse to the
folder Documents\mySewnet\My
Designs.
22 Change the File name to
'PetalsApplique2' and click Save.
23 Click Export Embroidery and
ensure that .vp4 is set as the file
format. Click OK.
24 In the Save As dialog, browse to
the folder
Documents\mySewnet\My
Designs and click Export to save
the design as
PetalsApplique2_Exported.
25 Click Print to print the
embroidery worksheet.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas 265

 Crosshatch Fill
Crosshatch fills are used in quilting, and to create free-standing lace.
Crosshatch Fill, using Diamond style and
an Angle of 75 degrees

Crosshatch Fill — Options

The Crosshatch Fill Properties enable you to set the gap, style, line angle, stitch type and
stitch length for the crosshatched lines of stitching in the fill. The preview changes
according to the options chosen.

Preview your settings

Select a stitch type for the

crosshatch lines

Set the stitch length for fill lines

Set the width for zigzag lines

Set the angle for one or both crosshatch lines

Select a style for the Crosshatch fill
Adjust the gap between the stitch lines

Spacing
Set the Gap to the preferred distance between lines of stitching.
Set the Gap from 1mm to 20mm in steps of 0.1mm. It is initially set to 5mm.

Style
Choose from Diamond, Square, Parallel and Enter Angles. Diamond is selected by default,
and creates a symmetrical crosshatch pattern (balanced horizontally). Choose Enter
Angles to create an asymmetrical crosshatch pattern, if desired.

266 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas

 Diamond
Enter an Angle for the Diamond fill. The Angle is initially set to 45 degrees.

Square
There are no additional options for the Square fill.

Parallel
Enter an Angle for the Parallel fill. The Angle is initially set to 90 degrees.
The Pattern Fills 257 to 264 provide banded fill patterns that combine with crosshatch parallel fills to create
a weave effect. Set Spacing for the parallel fill at 2.4mm to combine with Pattern 257, 2.8mm to combine
with Pattern 258, and so on.

Enter Angles
Enter an angle for each of the two line directions in the crosshatch. Angle1 is initially set to
the same angle as the Diamond style previously used, and Angle2 is initially set to this
angle plus 90 degrees.

Stitch Type
Select a stitch type for the crosshatch fill. Choose from:
■ Running Stitch
■ Double Stitch
■ Double Zigzag
■ Triple Stitch

Stitch Length
Set the Stitch Length from 1 to 12mm in steps of 0.1mm. The initial setting is 2.0mm.

Zigzag Width
Set the Zigzag width for Double Zigzag stitch from 0.1 to 6mm in steps of 0.1mm. The
initial setting is 0.6mm.
Double Zigzag is a special stitch type, recommended for lace. A running stitch line is retraced in a zigzag
pattern to create a mesh. After embroidering on water soluble stabilizer, the mesh of stitches provides
strength when the stabilizer is washed away.

Creating and Changing Fills: Fleur de Lys Background and Base

1 In the Quick Access toolbar, click Change Hoop , and set the hoop to Universal, 100mm x 100mm -
Universal Square Hoop 1.
2 Click the View tab, and ensure that Grid size is set to 5mm.
3 Click File, Preferences , and ensure that Color Tolerance is selected (checked), and that Tie Off
Before and After Trims is selected.
4 Click File, New , or File, New Window , and in the Choose Design Type page of the
ExpressDesign Wizard select Load or Create a Background Picture, then click Next. In the Choose
Picture page, click Load a Picture , browse to the folder
Documents\mySewnet\Samples\Digitizing\Pics, and load the picture 'Fleur de lys.svg’.
5 Click Next and in the Design Size page click Enter Design Size, change the Size to 90mm, and click
Width. Click Finish to load the picture into the work area.
6 Click the Quick Create tab.
7 In the Fill Area and Line section, click the Fill drop-down menu and select Crosshatch Fill . In the
Line drop-down menu select Satin Line . Ensure that Appliqué is not selected.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas 267

 8 In the Options section, click the Fill Area and Line button. The Fill Area and Line dialog box opens at
the Options tab for Crosshatch Fill.
9 In Spacing set the Gap to 2.5mm. Set Style to Diamond, and ensure the Angle for Diamond is 45.
10 In Stitch Type select Double Zigzag. Set Stitch Length to 2.0mm, and Zigzag Width to 0.6mm.

Double Zigzag is a special stitch type, recommended for lace. A running stitch line is retraced in a zigzag
pattern to create a mesh. After embroidering on water-soluble stabilizer, the mesh of stitches provides
strength when the stabilizer is washed away.
11 Click the Line tab.
12 Ensure that Density is set to 4 and that Underlay is selected (checked). Set Width to 3.0mm.
These settings are for the fill area and its border. They are parts of the same object.
13 Click OK to close Fill Area and Line properties.
14 Click QuickStitch™ + AutoHole .
15 Click within the circle, but outside the fleur
de lys. The dashed line will show the area
selected for the fill area, with a different
colored dashed line around the fleur de lys.
16 Click OK and the crosshatch fill area will
appear.
17 Right-click to deselect QuickStitch™ +
AutoHole.
A satin border is created around the outside of
the circle, and around the edge of the fleur de
lys (the edge of the hole).
In the FilmStrip the Crosshatch Fill area and its
borders are shown as a single object.

268 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas

18 Select the Crosshatch Fill area, and in the Edit tab click Break Apart .
Where there was one object (the Crosshatch Fill) there are now three
(Crosshatch Fill, and two Satin Lines). These objects can be edited individually.
19 Click the Satin Line in the shape of a fleur de lys at the bottom of the
FilmStrip.
20 Right-click, and in the context menu click Delete . The fleur de lys satin
line will be removed from the FilmStrip.
This removes the border around the fleur de lys hole, and leaves the border
around the circle.
21 Click the View tab and drag the Background slider to the central point (Fade
Background ). You can now see the stitching better.

22 Click the Quick Create tab.

23 Click Line so that it is not selected.
24 In Options, click the Fill Area and Line button. The Fill Area and Line
dialog box opens at the Options tab.
There should be no Line tab. If a Line tab is present, close the Fill Area and
Line properties and deselect the Line button.
25 In Spacing set the Gap to 2.4mm.
26 Set Style to Parallel, and set the Angle for Parallel to 90.
27 In Stitch Type, ensure Double Zigzag is selected. Leave Stitch Length at 2.0mm, and Zigzag Width at
0.6mm. Click OK to close Fill Area and Line properties.
28 Click QuickStitch™ .
29 Click in the bottom of the fleur de lys. The dashed line surrounds only the base of the fleur de lys, and
does not go into the green band area.
This is not a problem as this area will be stitched separately.
30 Click OK in the Color Tolerance dialog box. A parallel crosshatch fill area will appear.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas 269

 31 Right-click to deselect QuickStitch™.
32 Click the Fill drop-down menu and select
Pattern Fill . Then in the Options section
click the Fill Area and Line button. The Fill
Area and Line dialog box opens at Pattern
Fill.
33 Set the fill Pattern to 257 (this is in the
Gradient & Lace category).
34 Select (check) Gradient, then click Single
Color Gradient and set the start and end
markers to 6. (Delete any other markers.)
When a single color gradient is set with both
markers at the same number, the traveling
stitches will go around the fill area rather
than across it. This is recommended for
loosely stitched pattern fills such as this one.
35 Set Angle to 0 and set Compensation to 0.
Click OK to close Fill Area and Line
properties.
Underlay does not have to be adjusted as it is
automatically set to None for the gradient
density fill.
36 Click QuickStitch™ .
37 Click in the bottom of the fleur de lys and click OK in the Color Tolerance dialog box. A linear fill
appears over the area of parallel crosshatch fill.
38 Right-click to deselect QuickStitch™.
This combination of fill areas creates a loosely stitched ’weave’ effect that will still have strength when the
stabilizer is washed away.
Patterns 257 to 264 provide banded fill patterns that combine with crosshatch parallel fills to create a
weave effect. Set Spacing for the parallel fill at 2.4mm to combine with Pattern 257, 2.8mm to combine
with Pattern 258, and so on.
39 To create a band and feathers for the fleur de lys, see “Create the Band and Feathers for a Fleur de Lys”
on page 309.

270 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas

Curved Crosshatch Fill
Curved Crosshatch fills use curving lines in the crosshatch, which can be used to create
a feeling of depth. They are used in quilting, and to create free-standing lace.

Curved Crosshatch Fill Properties

The Curved Crosshatch Fill properties dialog box enables you to set the curve, gap, style,
line angle, stitch type and stitch length for the curved crosshatched lines of stitching in
the fill.

Use a Motif with the fill

Select a style for the
Curved Crosshatch fill

Set the angle for one or both

curved crosshatch lines

Set the stitch length for fill lines

Select a stitch type for the
curved crosshatch lines

Set the curve for the curved crosshatch lines

Adjust the gap between the stitch lines

You can also change the curves in the crosshatch lines using the handles in the work area.

Spacing
Set the Gap to the preferred distance between lines of stitching.
Set the Gap from 1mm to 20mm in steps of 0.1mm. It is initially set to 5mm.

Style
Choose from Diamond, Square, Parallel and Enter Angles. Diamond is selected by default,
and creates a symmetrical crosshatch pattern (balanced horizontally). Choose Enter
Angles to create an asymmetrical crosshatch pattern, if desired.

Diamond
Enter an Angle for the Diamond fill. The Angle is initially set to 45 degrees.

Square
There are no additional options for the Square fill which creates a crosshatch pattern of
lines set at 90 degrees.

Parallel
Enter an Angle for the Parallel fill. The Angle is initially set to 90 degrees.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas 271

 The Pattern Fills 257 to 264 provide banded fill patterns that combine with crosshatch parallel fills to create
a weave effect. Set Spacing for the parallel fill at 2.4mm to combine with Pattern 257, 2.8mm to combine
with Pattern 258, and so on.

Enter Angles
Enter an angle for each of the two line directions in the crosshatch. Angle1 is initially set to
the same angle as the Diamond style previously used, and Angle2 is initially set to this
angle plus 90 degrees.

Stitch Type
Select a stitch type for the curved crosshatch fill. Choose from:
■ Running Stitch
■ Double Stitch
■ Triple Stitch
■ Motif Line

Stitch Length
Set the Stitch Length from 1 to 12mm in steps of 0.1mm. The initial setting is 2.0mm.

Curved Crosshatch
Use Lines 1 and 2 to change the curve on the crosshatch lines.
You can also change the curves in the crosshatch lines using the handles in the work area.

Lines 1
Change the position of the origin for one of the sets of curved lines.
Set percentage Curve In and Curve Out from -100 to 100. The initial setting for Curve In %
and for Curve Out % is 50.

Lines 2
Change the position of the origin for the other set of curved lines.
Set percentage Curve In and Curve Out from -100 to 100. The initial setting for Curve In %
and for Curve Out % is 50.

272 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas

Curved Crosshatch Fill — Motif
The selected Motif is only used by the Curved Crosshatch Fill if the Motif Line option is
selected on the Options tab.

Select a motif Group, Category

and pattern

Set the gap between the motifs

Adjust the position of the motifs

Set the motif size and

Height / Width ratio
Set the stitch length
Select a stitch type for the
motif lines

Motif
Group
Click the drop-down arrow to select the desired group of motif patterns.

Category
Click the drop-down arrow to select the desired category of motif patterns.

Pattern
Click the drop-down arrow to select the desired motif visually. Motifs are also numbered
for convenient reference.

Minimum Gap
The Minimum Gap is the minimum amount of extra stitching that is placed between the
motifs along the line. This is in addition to any spacing that is part of the selected motif.

Fit Motif To Line

Select this option to make the shape of the motifs follow the curves of the line.

When Fit To Line is off, the ends of each When Fit To Line is on, each motif is
motif are placed on the line. adjusted to fit along the line.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas 273

 Reverse
Use this option to reverse the direction of the motif along the line. Some motifs are
symmetrical and will have no apparent change when they are reversed.

Kern
Use Kern to automatically increase the space between adjacent motifs where necessary,
so that the motifs fit along the line without overlapping.

Mirror
Use this option to mirror the motif across the line of motif fill. Some motifs are symmetrical
and will have no apparent change when they are mirrored.

Size
Height and Width
The Height and Width are initially set according to the chosen motif. The maximum and
minimum values for Height and Width are individual to each motif.

Proportional
Use this option to keep the relative Height and Width in proportion when either is
changed.

Stitch
Select Running or Triple stitch for stitching out the motifs. Set the maximum stitch Length
from 1 to 12mm in steps of 0.1mm. Length is initially set to the recommended value for
each motif.

Curved Crosshatch Fill in a Teardrop

1 Click File, New , or File, New Window , and in the Express Design Wizard, select the bottom
option, Start a New Design with no Picture, then click Next twice.
2 In the Design Size page, set the hoop to Universal, 100mm x 100mm - Universal Square Hoop 1 and
click Finish.
3 Click the Quick Create tab.
4 Ensure that the Fill and Line buttons are selected, and that Appliqué is not selected.
5 In the Fill drop-down menu select Curved Crosshatch Fill, and in the Line menu select Satin Line.
6 In Options, click Fill Area and Line to open the Fill Area
and Line dialog box.
7 In the Options tab, set Gap to 3.5mm.
8 In the Line tab set Width to 1.5mm.
9 Click OK to close the Fill Area and Line dialog box.
10 In the Shape drop-down list, select Shape 76, a teardrop.
11 Click Shape . A curved crosshatch fill area appears on
the work area in a selection box with blue handles. The
crosshatch follows the curves of the shape.
12 Hold down the Ctrl and Shift keys, and drag a corner
handle to enlarge the teardrop from the center so that
the teardrop is about 80mm high.
13 Right-click outside the selection box.
This deselects the Box Select function.
The teardrop now has four pink triangular handles.
Check that all of the pink handles are within the hoop.

274 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas

14 Click and drag the handle at the bottom left towards the bottom left corner of the hoop. The vertical
crosshatch lines become less curved.
15 Click and drag the handle at the bottom right towards the top right corner. The horizontal lines curve
towards the top.
The four handles enable you to adjust the curves of the lines in the fill. Use the handles to make the curves
in the fill follow the outline of the shape.
16 Right-click the fill area and select Properties in the context menu. The Fill Area and Line properties
dialog box opens.
17 Use the title bar on the properties dialog box to drag it one side, so that you can see the teardrop.
18 In Style, select Parallel, then click Apply. The fill is now curved vertical lines.
The Style options set the type of parallel or crosshatched fill. Use Angle to set the angle for the lines.
19 Select Square, then click Apply to return to the original style.
20 In Spacing, set the Gap to 4.0mm, then click Apply. The lines are now further apart.
Use Gap to set the distance between the crosshatch lines.
21 In Lines 1 set Curve In and Curve Out to 0%, then click Apply. The
horizontal hatching in the fill now consists of straight lines.
Setting Lines 2 to 0% as well would form a square grid. Lines 1 and 2
set the initial curve of the lines in the fill. Use the pink handles to
adjust the curves within the shape.
22 In Stitch Type, note that several line types are available. Select
Motif Line, then click the Motif tab.
23 Set the Group to Universal and the Category to Hand Stitches 1.
Pattern 1, a chain stitch pattern, is selected automatically.
24 Set the Height to 1.0mm. The Width will automatically change to
2.5mm because Proportional is selected.
25 Click Apply. The Curved Crosshatch Fill now uses a motif in the
stitch lines.
26 Adjust the lines in the fill further, as desired.
Use Curved Crosshatch Fill for intersecting patterns and 3D effects.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas 275

 MultiWave Fill
MultiWave Fill areas use a wave pattern defined by a line, or lines, drawn on the fill
area. Vary the density, or use a motif for the stitch lines.

MultiWave Fill, using a density MultiWave Fill, using a density MultiWave Fill, using a density
of 15 of 15, a Freehand MultiWave of 15, and a short Freehand
Line, and a Hand Stitches 1, MultiWave Line to add texture
Pattern 1 motif

Change the direction of the stitch lines, or add texture, with Freehand MultiWave Line and Point MultiWave
Line. See “Freehand MultiWave Line” on page 221.

MultiWave Fill — Options

Select a motif
Set the stitch line density for the fill
Use a motif line

Density
Set Density from 2 to 40. The lower the number, the closer
together the stitches and the more stitches are produced.

Use Motifs
Click Use Motifs if you would prefer to use motifs instead of a plain
line to follow the line angle selected for the fill. Click the Motif tab
to choose a motif.

276 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas

MultiWave Fill — Motif
The selected Motif is only used by the MultiWave Fill if the Use Motifs option is selected on
the Options tab.

Select a motif Group, Category and pattern

Set the gap between the motifs in the line

Adjust the position of the motifs in the line

Set the motif size and Height / Width ratio

Select a stitch type for the motif lines
Set the stitch length for the motif lines

Motif
Group
Click the drop-down arrow to select the desired group of motif patterns.

Category
Click the drop-down arrow to select the desired category of motif patterns.

Pattern
Click the drop-down arrow to select the desired motif visually. Motifs are also numbered
for convenient reference.

Minimum Gap
The Minimum Gap is the minimum amount of extra stitching that is placed between the
motifs along the line. This is in addition to any spacing that is part of the selected motif.

Fit Motif To Line

Select this option to make the shape of the motifs follow the curves of the line.

When Fit To Line is off, the ends of each When Fit To Line is on, each motif is
motif are placed on the line. adjusted to fit along the line.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas 277

 Reverse
Use this option to reverse the direction of the motif along the line. This is useful, for
instance, if you have placed a QuickStitch™ Motif Line and wish to reverse the motif
direction. Some motifs are symmetrical and will have no apparent change when they are
reversed.

Kern
Use Kern to automatically increase the space between adjacent motifs where necessary,
so that the motifs fit along the line without overlapping.

Mirror
Use this option to mirror the motif across the line of motif fill. Some motifs are symmetrical
and will have no apparent change when they are mirrored.

Size
Height and Width
The Height and Width are initially set according to the chosen motif. The maximum and
minimum values for Height and Width are individual to each motif.

Proportional
Use this option to keep the relative Height and Width in proportion when either is
changed.

Stitch
Select Running or Triple stitch for stitching out the motifs. Set the maximum Length of
stitches from 1 to 12mm in steps of 0.1mm. Length is initially set to the recommended
value for each motif.

Echo Fill
Echo Fill places echo lines within and around a shape. Choose from rounded, square
and diagonal corners, set the gap between the echo lines and the number of lines, and
select the stitch type and length.

Rounded corners Square corners Diagonal corners

278 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas

Echo Fill — Options
The Echo Fill properties dialog box enables you to place echo lines within a shape. Set the
fill type, style, gap, stitch type and stitch length.

Place echo lines inside and/or

around a shape

Choose rounded, square or

diagonal corners for the fill

Select a stitch type for the lines

Select a stitch length for the lines

Set the Gap between the echo lines

Echo Area
Internal Fill: Fill the selected area with lines, using the chosen Gap between the lines of
stitching.
Internal Lines: Place the chosen number of lines around the inside of the selected area,
using the selected Gap.
External Lines: Place the chosen number of lines around the outside of the selected area,
using the selected Gap.
External and Internal Lines: Place the chosen number of lines around the outside and
inside of the selected area, using the selected Gap.

Echo Lines
Set the number of echo lines. The minimum number of lines is 1, and the maximum
number of lines is 30. The initial number is 5.

Spacing
Set the Gap to the preferred distance between lines of stitching.
Set the Gap from 2mm to 20mm in steps of 0.1mm. It is initially set to 5mm.

Style
Choose from 1, 2 or 3. For a square shape:

• 1 will create rounded corners

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas 279

 • 2 will create square corners
• 3 will create diagonal corners
Rounded corners (1) is initially selected.

Stitch type
Select a line type for the echo lines in the fill. Choose from:
• Running Stitch
• Double Stitch
• Triple Stitch

Stitch Length
Set the stitch length for the echo lines from 1 to 12mm in 0.1mm steps. The initial setting
is 2mm.

Satin Area
See “Satin Area Options” on page 292.

No Fill
For No Fill , no fill type is selected. Only the properties for the selected line are
available.
Use this where only a line is desired.

280 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas

 Manage My Fills
Use Manage My Fills to load new pictures for fill
patterns, export an existing My Fill pattern as a picture
and delete unwanted My Fills.
If you have a design using a My Fill pattern and give it to a
friend, it is likely that their My Fill database will have different
patterns to your My Fill database. Export the My Fill pattern and
give the picture to your friend to import into their My Fill
database.

Shortcuts
■ Edit Tab:
■ Keys: Alt, E, F
Export
Use Export to save a My Fill pattern as a picture. The picture can then be copied and
imported into a friend’s My Fills.
Click Export and the Save As dialog box appears. The file name is automatically set to the
number used for the pattern in your My Fills.

The following file formats may be saved: Windows or OS2 Bitmap (.bmp), JPEG Low Quality
(.jpg), JPEG High Quality (.jpg), Tagged Image File Format uncompressed (.tif ) and
Portable Network Graphics (.png).

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas 281

 Delete
To remove an unwanted My Fill pattern, select the desired pattern then click Delete. A
message will appear to ask for confirmation.
Click OK to remove the pattern.
When a My Fill pattern is deleted, any designs that used that pattern will use standard Pattern 3 until a new
pattern is chosen.

Import
Use Import to create a new My Fill based on a picture or a previously exported My Fill.
After importing a picture, that fill will be available in the My Patterns category of the
Fill Area and Line Properties dialog. Click the Import button and an open dialog box will
appear where you can choose the picture to import.

The height and width of the picture must each be from 120 to 700 pixels.
The following file formats may be loaded: Windows or OS2 Bitmap (.bmp), JPEG-JFIF
Compliant (.jpg, .jif, .jpeg), Portable Network Graphics (.png), Tagged Image File Format
uncompressed (.tiff, .tif ), Windows Meta File (.wmf ), Windows Enhanced Meta File (.emf )
and Windows Icon (.ico).
Click the desired picture, then click Open.
The picture is automatically converted to black and white to determine the best positions for stitch points.
Therefore, you are likely to find the best results from simple pictures drawn in black and white.
Convert any transparency in a picture to white before importing.
A My Fill pattern is repeated every 0.1mm for each pixel in the source picture. For example,
if your picture is 300 x 200 pixels, it will be repeated every 30mm horizontally and 20mm
vertically if the fill angle is set to 0.

282 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas

 Use a Bee for a My Fill Pattern
1 Click File, New , or File, New Window , and in the Choose Design Type page of the
ExpressDesign Wizard select Load Existing Design, then click Next. In the Open Existing design page,
click Load a Design , browse to the folder Documents\mySewnet\Samples\Digitizing\Edo, and
load the file 'PetalsBasicFill'.
Alternatively, use the petals design that you created in “Create a Petal Design with the ExpressDesign
Wizard” on page 127, and added a leaf pattern and single gradient fill to in “Change a Fill Area to a Leaf
Pattern” on page 235 and “Create a Single Color Gradient Fill in a Petal” on page 239.
2 Click File, Preferences , and ensure that Color Tolerance is selected (checked), and that Tie Off
Before and After Trims is selected.
3 Click the View tab and ensure that Grid size is set to 5mm.
4 In the color worksheet in the Design Panel, click the check
box for the fourth color (slate blue) to hide the satin borders
using that thread color. This will make it easier to select the
fill areas.
5 Click the Edit tab.
6 Click Manage My Fills and the Manage My Fills dialog box
will appear.
7 Click Import and the open a file dialog box will appear.
8 Browse to the folder
Documents\mySewnet\Samples\Digitizing \Pics.
Simple black and white pictures are recommended. The height
and width of the picture must be between 120 and 700 pixels.
9 Click 'Bee.bmp', then click Open. The bee fill will be created
and a preview sample will be shown in the Manage My Fills
dialog box.
10 Click Close.
11 Select the fill area for the petal on the right, then right-click
to see the Fill Area and Line dialog box. The Options tab is displayed.
12 In the Pattern section, click My Patterns . The
the first fill in the My Patterns 1 category (the bee)
is displayed.
You could also browse to view all patterns in this
category from the drop-down list.
Note that the bee design has automatically been
given pattern number 501. You could enter this
number to go directly to the bee pattern.
13 Set the Angle to 20, then click OK.
Alternatively, you could use the handle on the Origin
marker to change the fill angle.
14 Click Design Player . This enables you to
preview the way that the design will be stitched
out, with no markers.
15 Use the Play button at the bottom left to start
playing through the stitches in the embroidery.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas 283

 16 Use the controls to play forwards or backwards
through the embroidery at different speeds,
jump to the start or end of the stitches, and stop
at any time.
Use the Design Player or Life View when you
wish to preview a design with no objects selected.
17 Click Cancel.
18 Click Display all Objects to show the blue
petal borders.
19 Click Save and browse to the folder
Documents\mySewnet\My Designs.
20 Change the File name to 'PetalsFill1' and click
Save to save your design file.
21 Click Export Embroidery and ensure that .vp4
is set as the file format. Click OK.
The preferred file format for saving embroideries is
.vp4, as this will preserve background and appliqué
information, thread color information and notes.
22 In the Save As dialog, browse to the folder
Documents\mySewnet\My Designs and click
Export. The embroidery is saved as
PetalsFill1_Exported.
There is no need to change the file name, as it is
taken automatically from the design file name.
23 Click File, Print.
24 Deselect (uncheck) Print Plan View and Print Picture.
Print Plan View shows the picture with the embroidery printed over it. Print Picture prints the background
picture. These features are useful where embroidery is used to enhance a picture.
25 In Worksheet options, ensure that Design Scale is set to 100% and ensure that Grid and all the Print
Information boxes are checked. Click OK.
26 Select two pages to see both pages of the worksheet.

27 Click Print to print the embroidery worksheet.

The embroidery worksheet will be printed at full size.

284 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Fill Areas

Creating and Using Satin Areas 13
Satin Area
Create Satin Areas with the Satin Area functions: QuickStitch™ Satin , QuickStitch™
Multiple Satin , Freehand Satin Area and Point Satin Area .
Adjust the properties of your satin area with Satin Area Options.
Use the Favorites tab to make the chosen settings into Favorites that may be applied to other areas, or into
the current settings, to use as default for new areas of this type.

QuickStitch™ Satin
Use QuickStitch™ Satin to fill an area with satin stitches
automatically, by clicking in a color area of the picture. If
required, use Color Tolerance to select a larger area according to
the similarity of adjacent colors.
Set stitch options before creating, or after satin areas have been
created, right-click an area and use Fill Area and Line properties
to change density, pattern and underlay, or change to another
stitch type.
You can change all visible or selected satin areas with Global Properties, or by selecting
the objects to change and changing one of them in Fill Area and Line properties. Stitch
angle lines and start and end points can be adjusted on satin areas individually.
QuickStitch™ Satin works best with relatively simple areas of the picture that do not have any complex
branches. For example, if the area has long branches or branches that double-back on each other, you
may not get the best result.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating and Using Satin Areas 285

 For branching or other complex areas, use QuickStitch™ Multiple Satin. Alternatively, edit the picture to
make separate areas of any extra branches.

A tree with many branches Left as one color, a single QuickStitch™ Satin area is
created

Use QuickStitch™ Multiple Satin areas Or split up the branches by using different colors

Shortcuts
■ Quick Create Tab, Satin Area:
■ Keys: Alt, Q, K

Create a QuickStitch™ Satin Area

1 Set stitch options, then in the Quick Create tab click the QuickStitch™ Satin icon .
2 Click in the color area you wish to fill with stitches.
3 If Color Tolerance is enabled then the Color Tolerance dialog box will appear. Adjust the Color
Tolerance as required. The area selected by the Color Tolerance value will be previewed. Click OK to
confirm.
4 Satin stitches will appear in the area.
5 Repeat to place as many satin areas as desired.
6 Right-click to deselect, or simply select another Create tool.
7 Right-click the Satin Area. The Fill Area and Line properties dialog opens.
8 Select each satin area in turn, right-click to change the satin properties of an area and click OK.
See “Satin Area Options” on page 292.
9 Alternatively, to change the properties of a selection of satin areas at one time, in the FilmStrip, hold
the Ctrl key and click each of the satin areas to be changed. Then right-click one of the selected areas
and select Properties. The Fill Area and Line dialog box will appear. All settings in the Fill Area and Line
dialog box will be applied to your selected satin areas when you click OK.
10 Also in the work area, if desired, move the green start or red end and adjust angle lines for
satin areas.

286 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating and Using Satin Areas

 QuickStitch™ Multiple Satin
Use QuickStitch™ Multiple Satin to fill a branching or other
complex area with satin stitches automatically, by clicking in a
color area of the picture. If required, use Color Tolerance to
select a larger area according to the similarity of adjacent
colors.

Shortcuts
■ Quick Create Tab, Satin Area:
■ Keys: Alt, Q, M

Create a QuickStitch™ Multiple Satin Area

1 Set stitch options, then in the Quick Create tab click the QuickStitch™ Multiple Satin icon.
2 Click in the color area you wish to fill with stitches.
3 If Color Tolerance is enabled then the Color Tolerance dialog box will appear. Adjust the Color
Tolerance as required. The area selected by the Color Tolerance value will be previewed. Click OK to
confirm.
4 Satin stitches will appear in the area.
5 Repeat to place as many satin areas as desired.
6 Right-click to deselect, or simply select another tool.

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 Freehand Satin Area
Use Freehand Satin Area to draw outlines to define the edge of an area filled with satin
stitch. Satin areas are best suited to shapes without branches. If there are branches that
double-back on the main part of a satin area, the satin area may not give the desired
result.
After satin areas have been created, right-click an area and use Fill Area and Line
properties to change density, pattern and underlay, or change to another stitch type.
You can change all visible or selected satin areas with Global Properties, or by selecting
the objects to change and changing one of them in Fill Area and Line properties. Stitch
angle lines and start and end points can be adjusted on satin areas individually.

Satin Area created as a strip around the Large Satin Area covering the whole
picture shape, so stitches are short picture shape, with a pattern to break up
enough to leave as plain satin long stitches

If the edge of the area does not match the background picture as closely as desired, you
can move, delete and insert points on the work area.

Shortcuts
■ Freehand Create Tab, Satin Area:
■ Keys: Alt, R, T

Create a Freehand Satin Area

1 Set stitch options, then in the Freehand Create tab click the Freehand Satin Area icon.
2 Draw a line around the edge of the desired area.
3 When the area is complete, lift the pen from the tablet (or release the mouse button). The area is
closed with a straight line back to the start point, and filled with satin stitches.

288 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating and Using Satin Areas

 It is recommended to draw back to the start point. However, you can also adjust the shape of the area if it is
not exactly as planned.
4 Continue to draw as many satin areas as desired.
5 Right-click to deselect the function, or simply select another Create tool.

Change Satin Area Properties

1 Select each satin area in turn, right-click to change the satin properties of an area and click OK.
See “Satin Area Options” on page 292.
2 If desired, move the start or end and adjust angle lines for satin areas.
3 To change the properties of a number of satin areas at one time, in the FilmStrip, hold the Ctrl key and
click each of the satin areas to be changed. Then right-click one of the selected areas and select
Properties. The Fill Area and Line dialog box will appear. All settings in the Fill Area and Line dialog
box will be applied to your selected satin areas when you click OK.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating and Using Satin Areas 289

 Point Satin Area
Use Point Satin Area to place points, to define the edge of an area filled with satin
stitch. Satin areas are best suited to shapes without branches. If there are branches that
double-back on the main part of a satin area, the satin area may not give the desired
result.
After satin areas have been created, right-click an area and use Fill Area and Line
properties to change density, pattern and underlay, or change to another stitch type.
You can change all visible or selected satin areas with Global Properties, or by selecting
the objects to change and changing one of them in Fill Area and Line properties. Stitch
angle lines and start and end points can be adjusted on satin areas individually.

Satin Area created as a strip around the Large Satin Area covering the whole
picture shape, so stitches are short enough picture shape, with a pattern to break up
to leave as plain satin long stitches

If the edge of the area does not match the background picture as closely as desired, you
can move, delete and insert points on the work area.

Shortcuts
■ Point Create Tab, Satin Area:
■ Keys: Alt, P, T

Create a Point Satin Area

1 Set stitch options, then in the Point Create tab click the Point Satin Area icon . The first point
appears automatically as a small yellow circle, which is in the same place as the last point of the
previous object.
2 Click to place a second point close to the first one.

290 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating and Using Satin Areas

3 Continue placing points around the desired area, such as a chosen section of the background picture.
If you are following the picture, place a point every time the direction of the picture outline changes.
Curved lines are created automatically. For corners and straight edges, hold down the Shift key. To delete
the last point placed, use the Delete key.
4 Right-click to complete the area. Stitches will appear in the current thread color showing the satin
area.
5 Repeat to place as many satin areas as desired.

Change Satin Area Properties

1 Select each satin area in turn, right-click to change the satin properties of an area and click OK.
See “Satin Area Options” on page 292.
2 If desired, move the start or end and adjust angle lines for satin areas.
3 To change the properties of a number of satin areas at one time, in the FilmStrip, hold the Ctrl key and
click each of the satin areas to be changed. Then right-click one of the selected areas and select
Properties. The Fill Area and Line dialog box will appear. All settings in the Fill Area and Line dialog
box will be applied to your selected satin areas when you click OK.

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 Satin Area Options
Use the Satin Area Options tab to set density, compensation, pattern and underlay for
satin areas.

Search for a pattern by number

Select an underlay type for the satin

Adjust the area’s size

Choose a Category and pattern
Set the stitch density for the satin
Click to use no pattern

Pattern
Choose from more than 250 patterns for satin (for areas wider than around 8-10mm). Click
a pattern sample or enter the Pattern number to select a pattern. Set the Pattern number
to 0 for standard satin with no pattern, or click No Pattern . The initial setting is 0.
Add new patterns using Manage My Fills.
View the patterns in the pattern gallery. See “Fill and Satin Patterns” on page 367.

Underlay
Set the Underlay option that will be used for satin areas. Zigzag creates zigzag lines of
running stitch as underlay. Use zigzag underlay for wide areas of satin. Edge walk places
lines of running stitch just inside the edges of the satin areas. Use edge walk when the
satin areas have both wide and narrow sections. For very wide areas of satin, select both
underlay types.
Zigzag is initially selected.

Compensation
Compensation is used to make an area 'bolder' by increasing its relative size. Set
Compensation from 0 to 30. The higher the number, the bolder the area appears.

Density
Set Density from 2 to 80. The lower the number, the closer
together the stitches and the more stitches are produced.
The initial setting is 4.

292 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating and Using Satin Areas

 Using Satin Areas: Blue Jay Embroidery
1 In the Quick Access toolbar, click Change Hoop and in the Hoop Selection dialog box set the
Hoop Group to Universal, and select 100mm x 100mm - Universal Square Hoop 1. Click OK.
2 Click the View tab, and ensure that Grid size is set to 5mm.
3 Click File, Preferences and ensure that Color Tolerance is selected
(checked).
Use Color Tolerance to see which areas will be created when using the
QuickStitch™ features. As you become more comfortable with the
software, you may wish to turn it off, depending on the quality and color
of your image.
4 Check to see that Tie Off Before and After Trims is selected.
Tie Off Before and After Trims inserts tie-offs between stitch areas, as
appropriate.
5 Click File, New , or File, New Window , and in the Choose
Design Type page of the ExpressDesign Wizard select Load or Create
a Background Picture, then click Next.
6 Click Load a Picture and in the Picture Viewer browse to
Documents\mySewnet\Samples\Digitizing \Pics. Load the picture
Birds4.png, click OK and in the Choose Picture page click Next.
7 In the Rotate and Crop Picture page click Select All to leave some background around the bird, then
click Next.
8 Click Finish in the Design Size page. The blue jay is displayed as your background picture.
9 Click the Quick Create tab to open the Design window.
10 In the FilmStrip, right-click the color at the top and choose Properties.
11 In the Color Selection dialog ensure that Robison-Anton Rayon 40 is selected as the thread range.
12 Enter 2614 (Pro Lusty Blue) as the thread number and click
OK.
13 Click QuickStitch™ Satin .
14 Click on the medium blue on the lower back of the jay.
The Color Tolerance dialog appears, with the lower back
area surrounded by a red and cyan line.
15 Click OK to confirm.
The lower back of the blue jay is now covered by a medium
blue satin area.
16 In the Command section of the Quick Create tab, click the
Color Change drop-down menu, and select Color
Change .
17 In the Color Selection dialog, select 2522 (Bridgeport Blue)
and click OK.
18 Ensure that QuickStitch™ Satin is still selected.
19 Click the light blue on the top of the jay’s head, then click OK in
Color Tolerance. The top of the head is filled with a pale blue
satin area.
20 Click on the light blue on the upper back of the jay, then click
OK in Color Tolerance. The rest of the back and the upper and
lower wing is filled with a pale blue satin area.
If it is not filled already, fill the pale blue in the lower part of the
wing with a QuickStitch™ Satin area.
21 Click Zoom To Rectangle , and drag a rectangle to zoom in
on the jay’s tail.
22 Click the Point Create tab, and then click Satin Area .
23 Hold the Shift key and click to place the first point at the top
left corner of the top pale blue tail section.
24 Release the Shift key and place a point in the middle of the top of this tail section. The point is round.
Round points are used for curved edges to the area.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating and Using Satin Areas 293

 25 Hold the Shift key and place a point at the top right corner of this
section. This point is square.
Square points are used for straight sections of the edge of the area, or for
corners.
26 Still holding the Shift key, click to place a point at the bottom right
corner of the tail section.
27 Release the Shift key and place two round points for the curve at the
bottom of the tail section.
28 Hold the Shift key and place a square point for the bottom left corner of the tail section. This
completes the tail section.
29 Right-click to finish the satin area.
30 Hold the Shift key and click to place a first square point at the top left corner of the second pale blue
tail section.
31 Release the Shift key and place two round points in the middle of the top of this tail section.
32 Hold the Shift key and place a square point at the top right corner of this section, and then another
square point for the bottom right corner.
If you misplace a point, move the pointer over the top of that point and when the pointer changes to the
move pointer , drag it to the correct position. Then continue to place points.
33 Release the Shift key and place two round points for the curve at the bottom of the tail section, then
hold the Shift key to place a square point for the bottom left corner, and to finish the section.
34 Right-click to complete the area.
35 Place round and square points to create the third pale blue tail section, then right-click to finish.
36 Create the final pale blue tail section by placing points. Use a square point for the notch on the
bottom edge.
37 Right-click again to close the Point Satin Area tool.
38 Click the View tab, then click 2D View to see the picture
behind the stitching in 2D, then adjust the points on the final
area as desired. You can also drag the pink hexagonal control
points on the stitch angle lines to change the angle of the
stitching.
Hold the Shift key when dragging square points, so that they
remain square.
If desired, click the Home tab to use Delete Points to remove
points, and Insert Points to add points.
39 Click the other tail sections in turn to select them, and make any
adjustments needed.
Click 3D View to return to view the stitches in 3D, and then
click Zoom to Fit to view the whole design.
40 Click the Select Last Visible icon on the FilmStrip, to ensure that you are at the end of the design.
41 Click the Point Create tab.
42 In the Command section of the Point Create tab, click the Color Change icon.
43 In the Color Selection dialog, select 2440 (Blue Ink) and click OK.
44 Click Zoom To Rectangle to zoom in on the bottom of the wing.
45 Click Satin Area and place points for the
satin area. Use square points for sharp
angles, and round points for curves.
46 Right-click to complete the area.
47 Note that between the feathers at the
bottom of the wing, parts of the stitching
overlap the line that you drew.
Click Undo to remove the area that you placed.
48 Click the Quick Create tab, and then click QuickStitch™ Multiple Satin .
49 Click the bottom of the wing, then click OK in Color Tolerance. The new satin area is created in several
sections. It follows the outline of the area with no overlap.
Use QuickStitch™ Multiple Satin when creating complex satin areas. Alternatively, create several sections
using one of the Freehand tools.

294 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating and Using Satin Areas

50 Click Zoom to Fit to view the whole design.
51 Click the beak, then click OK in Color Tolerance. The beak is created separately from the flash above.
52 Click Zoom To Rectangle to zoom in around the eye.
53 Click the Freehand Create tab.
54 Click Satin Area .
55 Starting at the top, draw a line around the edge of the blue part of the eye, finishing near where you
started. Then lift the pen from the tablet (or release the mouse button).
The area is closed with a straight line back to the start point, and filled with satin stitches.
56 Right-click to close the tool.
57 Adjust, add and delete points and angle lines as desired.
58 Click Zoom to Fit to view the whole design.
59 Click the Quick Create tab, and then click the QuickStitch™ Satin button.
60 Fill the remaining area on the head, and the dark blue tail sections with satin, then right-click to close
the tool.
61 In the Fill drop-down menu, select Pattern Fill.
62 Ensure that Line and Appliqué are not selected.
This will create an area of pattern fill with no border line.
63 Click Zoom To Rectangle to zoom in around the legs.
64 Click the Point Create tab.
65 In the Fill Area and Line area, click Create Area or Line .
66 Hold the Shift key and click to place straight lines for each of the legs. Right-click to complete each fill
area, then right-click to close the tool.
The QuickStitch™, Freehand and Point tools work exactly the same, regardless of whether you are creating
a line, fill or satin area.
67 Click Zoom to Fit to view the whole design.
68 Click Color Change and in the Color Selection dialog, select 2343 (Eggshell) and click OK.
69 Click the Quick Create tab, and then click QuickStitch™ Satin .
70 Click to fill the white middle section of the wing.
71 Click the QuickStitch™ button, and click to fill the white area above the legs, and the small white
area above the beak.
72 Click QuickStitch™ + AutoHole .
73 Click the white area of the face that includes the eye. The area is filled
with the eye still visible.
You can create holes in fills, but not in satin areas.
74 Right-click to close the tool.
75 Click Life View or Design Player to view how the blue jay
embroidery will be stitched out.
76 Click Save , browse to Documents\mySewnet\My Designs and
save the embroidery design as Blue Jay.edo.
77 Click Export and export the embroidery as Blue Jay_Exported.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating and Using Satin Areas 295

 Creating Columns 14
Create columns with the Column functions. Choose from Satin Column , Feathered
Satin , Richelieu Bars or Tapered Motifs .
You can select your column type in the Create tabs before creating the fill.
Alternatively, change the column type afterwards using Fill Area and Line properties.
Use the Favorites tab to make the chosen settings into Favorites that may be applied to other areas, or into
the current settings, to use as default for new areas of this type.

Column
Select the column type from the Create tabs:
Satin Column Richelieu Bars

Feathered Satin Tapered Motifs

Satin stitch will 'pull up' in the direction that the stitches are sewn, so it is advisable to lay
down underlay stitches for stabilization.
You can set automatic underlay in the Column properties dialog.

Column
Use the Column functions to place one of the following column types: Satin Column ,
Feathered Satin , Richelieu Bars or Tapered Motifs .
The first and last pairs of points in a column are always square (control points).
Right-click the created column to change its settings, or convert it to any other column type.

296 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Columns

 Create a Column
1 Click the Freehand Create or Point Create tab.
2 Set stitch options, then click the desired Column
function and click to place the first point of your
column (Point 1).
A movement stitch will be placed between the last object
in the design and this point.
3 Click to place Point 2 to start the other side of the
column. A line will be placed to indicate the width of
the column.
The first and last pairs of points in a column are always
square (control points).
4 Click to place Points 3 and 4 for the next section of the column. The first column section appears.
5 Repeat to place points indicating the width and position of the column.
The outline shape of the column is drawn.
6 Right-click to place the column, or simply select another Create tool. The
stitches for the column will appear in the work area.
7 Right-click a second time to deselect the function, or simply select
another Create tool.
If desired, click the column to select it, and then right-click it to open the
Column dialog. Here you can change the settings, or select a different
column type from the drop-down list.

Draw a column with Bezier Curves

1 Click the Point Create tab.
Bezier Mode is only available in the Point Create tab.
2 Select Bezier Mode .
3 Set stitch options, then click the desired Column function
and click and drag to place the first point of your column
(Point 1).
A movement stitch will be placed between the last object in
the design and this point.
4 Click and drag to place Point 2 to start the other side of the
column. A line will be placed to indicate the width of the column.
5 Click and drag to place Points 3 and 4 for the next section of the column. The first column section
appears.
6 Repeat to place points indicating the width and position
of the column. The outline shape of the column is drawn.
7 Right-click to place the column.
8 Right-click a second time to deselect the function.
If desired, click the column to select it, and then right-click it
to open the Column dialog. Here you can change the
settings, or select a different column type from the drop-
down list.
The Bezier lines in a Column cannot be changed to a Point Line. See “Convert to Point Line” on page 345.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Columns 297

 Satin Column
Use Satin Column to place a column of satin in the work area.
Place alternate points to define a column of continuous satin
(zigzag stitches that fill the column from one side to the other).
Click the Options button, or right-click a Satin Column to set
density, compensation, pattern (for wide columns) and underlay.

Shortcuts

■ Freehand Create, Column; Point Create, Column:

■ Keys: Alt, R, S; Alt, P, S
Satin Column Options
Use the Satin Column Options to set density, compensation, pattern (for columns wider
than around 8-10mm) and underlay.

Search for a pattern by number

Select an underlay type for the satin

Adjust the area’s size

Choose a Category and pattern
Use gradient density
Set the Standard density

Settings for Single & Multicolor gradient

Column Type Selection

If desired, select a different column type from the drop-down list. Select from Feathered
Satin, Richelieu Bars and Tapered Motifs.
If no column is currently selected, this option will be grayed out.

Convert to Satin Area

Click Convert to Satin Area to change the column to a Satin Area. The Fill Area and Line
properties dialog for Satin Area is displayed. See “Satin Area Options” on page 292.

298 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Columns

Click Undo to change back to a column.

Pattern
Choose from more than 250 patterns for satin (for areas wider than around 8-10mm). Click
a pattern sample or enter the Pattern number to select a pattern. Set the Pattern number
to 0 for standard satin with no pattern, or click No Pattern . The initial setting is 0.
View the patterns in the pattern gallery. See “Fill and Satin Patterns” on page 367.
Patterns can only be used for columns wider than about 8-10 mm.

Underlay
Set the Underlay option that will be used for the satin column. Zigzag creates zigzag lines
of running stitch as underlay. Use zigzag underlay for wide areas of satin. Edge walk places
lines of running stitch just inside the edges of the satin column. Use edge walk when the
satin columns have both wide and narrow sections. For very wide satin columns, select
both underlay types.

Compensation
Compensation is used to make an area 'bolder' by increasing its relative size. Set
Compensation from 0 to 30. The higher the number, the bolder the area appears. The
initial setting is 0.

Density
Set Density from 2 to 80. The lower the number, the closer
together the stitches and the more stitches are produced. The
initial setting is 4.

Gradient
Use the Gradient settings to see and change the density settings
and the color Gradient of the satin.
The color on a satin column can change over a range, or have multiple color changes
across the area. This is ideal for gradual color changes such as subtle shadow effects.
Gradient is not initially selected.

Single Color Gradient

Return to the
Select single or original settings
multicolor gradient Add a marker
Adjustment marker

Highlighted value marker

Set the stitch density for Delete the selected

the chosen value marker marker

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Columns 299

 Use Single Color Gradient to change the density across a satin column with only one color.
Set a value for the start and end density markers for the fill, and the density gradually
changes between the two values. Add multiple markers for a more complex pattern.
The markers can each take a value of 2 to 80, which means you can reverse the gradient simply by
swapping the start and end values.
Use the adjustment marker above the gradient bar to change the gradient across the area.
Use Reset to cancel your changes and use the initial settings.
Click Add Marker to add a value marker below the gradient bar, and an adjustment marker
above the gradient bar. The initial value for the marker will be between the existing
markers. Edit the density value, and move the value and adjustment markers as desired.
This means that you can have any combination of density values across the area. A higher
value means the fill is less dense.
Density is used to change the density of the stitching. Set Density from 2 to 80. The higher
the number, the less dense the satin. The initial start marker setting is 4, and end marker
setting is 4.
Click Remove to delete the highlighted marker.

Multicolor Gradient
Set the stitch density
for the whole fill
Return to the
Select single or original settings
multicolor gradient Add a marker
Adjustment markers

Selected color marker

Delete the selected

Choose a thread for the marker
highlighted marker

Use Multicolor Gradient to change the color across a satin column with only one density.
Set colors for the start and end markers for the area, and the color gradually changes
between the two values.
Use the marker above the gradient bar to change the color gradient across the area.
Use Reset to cancel your changes and use the initial settings.
Click Add Marker to add a color marker below the gradient bar, and an adjustment marker
above the gradient bar. The initial color for the marker will be the same as the currently
highlighted marker. Change the color and move the color and adjustment markers as
desired. This means that you can have any combination of colors across the area.
Use Thread Color to change the color of the currently highlighted marker. The Color
Selection box will be displayed.
See “Color Selection” on page 137.

300 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Columns

Click Remove to delete the highlighted marker.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Columns 301

 Feathered Satin
Use Feathered Satin to create columns of satin that are
feathered on one, or both sides.
Place alternate points to define a column of feathered satin
(zigzag stitches where the start and end points of the stitches are
random rather than all parallel).
Click the Options button, or right-click a Feathered Satin column,
to select whether one or both sides of the column will be
feathered, and set the stitch length and density.
Use feathered satin for realistic feathers or fur in animal designs, or shading in flowers. Typical shapes are
arches, semicircles, circles and ovals, and squares, rectangles and triangles are also possible.

Feather Both Sides Feather One Side

Shortcuts
■ Freehand Create, Column; Point Create, Column:
■ Keys: Alt, R, D; Alt, P, D

Create Feathered Satin

1 Click the Freehand Create or Point Create tab.
2 Set stitch options, then click the Feathered Satin icon .
To use Bezier lines instead of placing points, click to enable Bezier Mode , then draw your Feathered
Satin column using Bezier lines. See “Draw a column with Bezier Curves” on page 297.
3 Click to place the first point of your feathered satin column.
A movement stitch will be placed between the last object in the design and this point.
4 Click to place Point 2 to start the other side of the column. A line will be placed to indicate the width
of the column.
5 Click to place Point 2 to start the other side of the section.
6 Click to place Points 3 and 4 for the first part of the feather satin column. A line will appear, showing
the stitch angle between these points.
7 Click to place further points for the next parts of the feather satin column.
8 Repeat to place as great a length of feathered satin column as desired.
9 Right-click to place the column, or simply select another Create tool.
10 Right-click again to deselect the function, or simply select another Create tool.
11 If desired, right-click the column and change the properties for the column. Alternatively, select
several objects in the FilmStrip and right-click one to the change the settings for all, or use Global
Properties to change the properties of all visible feathered satin or satin feathered on one side.

302 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Columns

Feathered Satin Options
Use the Feathered Satin Options to set density, Feather Type, and Stitch Length.

Set the density for the feathered satin

Select which side of the column to feather

Set the length of the feathering stitches

Column Type Selection

If desired, select a different column type from the drop-down list. Select from Satin
Column, Richelieu Bars and Tapered Motifs.
If no column is currently selected, this option will be grayed out.

Convert to Satin Area

Click Convert to Satin Area to change the column to a Satin Area. The Fill Area and Line
properties dialog for Satin Area is displayed. See “Satin Area Options” on page 292.

Click Undo to change back to a column.

Density
Set Density from 2 to 40. The lower the number, the closer
together the stitches and the more stitches are produced. The
initial setting is 15.

Feather Type
Select which side of the column to feather. The available options
are Both, SideA or Side B, according to the side where the first (A) or second (B) point was
placed.

Stitch Length
Set the Length of feathering stitches from 2 to 30mm in steps of 1mm. The initial setting is
30mm.

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 Feather Both Sides
Create a satin column with both edges feathered.

The start and end points of the stitches are random rather than all parallel. The final width
of the section is 2-2.5 times larger than it is for standard satin, as shown.
The maximum stitch lengths of the feathered satin may be from 2 to 30mm and the satin
density may be from 2 to 40.

Feather One Side

Create a satin column with one edge feathered.

One edge is feathered, so the start and end points of the stitches on the feathered edge
are random rather than all parallel. The final width of the column is 1.5 to 1.75 times larger
than it would be for standard satin, as shown.
The maximum stitch lengths of the feathered satin may be from 2 to 30mm and the satin
density may be from 2 to 40.
The side of the feathering is determined by the relative position of point 1. If desired, the
feathered side may be altered in the properties dialog.

304 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Columns

 Richelieu Bars
Use Richelieu Bars to place bars in the work area. Richelieu bars
are often used in lace designs.
Place alternate points to define a column of Richelieu bars (short
sections of satin perpendicular to the direction of the column).
Click the Options button to set the width and density of the satin
bars and either the number of bars or the gap between them.

To use Bezier lines instead of placing points, click to enable Bezier Mode ,
then draw your Richelieu Bars using Bezier lines. See “Draw a column with
Bezier Curves” on page 297.

Shortcuts
■ Freehand Create, Column; Point Create, Column:
■ Keys: Alt, R, B; Alt, P, B
Richelieu Bars Options
Use Richelieu Bars Options to set the width and density of the satin bars, the gap between
the bars, and the number of bars.

Set the width for the bars

Set the stitch density for the bars

Set the minimum distance

between the bars
Set the number of bars
Use a bar at both ends of
the column

Set underlay for the Richelieu bars

Column Type Selection

If desired, select a different column type from the drop-down list. Select from Satin
Column, Feathered Satin and Tapered Motifs.
If no column is currently selected, this option will be grayed out.

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 Convert to Satin Area
Click Convert to Satin Area to change the column to a Satin Area. The Fill Area and Line
properties dialog for Satin Area is displayed. See “Satin Area Options” on page 292.

Click Undo to change back to a column.

Satin
Set the Width of the satin bars from 1mm to 6mm in steps of 0.1mm. The initial setting is
2mm.
Set the Density of the satin bars from 2 to 15. The initial Density is 4.

Method
Select a method for setting the number of bars.
Select Minimum Gap Size to set the distance between the bars from 1mm to 50mm in
steps of 1mm. The initial setting is 6mm.
Select Number of Bars to set the number of bars from 1 to 50. The initial number is 6.
Turn off Include Additional First and Last Bar if the edges of the Richelieu bar area are to be
covered in satin. This option is initially selected.

Underlay
Choose from Edge walk, Center link with zigzag return, and Web double with zigzag
return. All three options are initially selected.
■ Edge walk places lines of running stitch just inside the edges of the satin bars.
■ Center link with zigzag return places a central line of running stitch, with a zigzag return
line.
■ Web double with zigzag return places a crosshatch pattern of stitching with a zigzag
return line.
Vary the combination of underlay, depending on the type of design. It is recommended to use all three
types for free-standing lace.

306 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Columns

 Tapered Motifs
Use Tapered Motifs to create columns of motifs. Tapered motifs
are often used in lace designs.
Place alternate points to define a line of motifs that vary in size
according to the width of the column.
Click the Options button, or right-click a Tapered Motifs column to
set the desired motif, stitch length and either the number of motifs
or the gap between them.

To use Bezier lines instead of placing points, click to enable Bezier Mode ,
then draw your Tapered Motifs using Bezier lines. See “Draw a column with Bezier Curves” on page 297.

Shortcuts
■ Freehand Create, Column; Point Create, Column:
■ Keys: Alt, R, M; Alt, P, M
Tapered Motifs Options
Use the Tapered Motifs Options to set the motif type, stitch type, and placement method.

Select a motif and its orientation

Set a stitch type for the motifs

Set the stitch length for the motifs

Set the gap between the motifs

Number of motifs in the column
Retain proportions within column
Set the motif width
Adjust the position in the column

Column Type Selection

If desired, select a different column type from the drop-down list. Select from Satin
Column, Feathered Satin and Tapered Motifs.
If no column is currently selected, this option will be grayed out.

Convert to Satin Area

Click Convert to Satin Area to change the column to a Satin Area. The Fill Area and Line
properties dialog for Satin Area is displayed. See “Satin Area Options” on page 292.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Columns 307

 Click Undo to change back to a column.

Motif
Group
Click the drop-down arrow to select the desired group of motif patterns.

Category
Click the drop-down arrow to select the desired category of motif patterns.

Pattern
Click the drop-down arrow to select the desired motif visually. Motifs are also numbered
for convenient reference.

Reverse
Use this option to reverse the direction of the motif along the line. This is useful, for
instance, if you have placed a Tapered Motifs column and wish to reverse the motif
direction. Some motifs are symmetrical and will have no apparent change when they are
reversed.

Mirror
Use this option to mirror the motif across the line of motifs. Some motifs are symmetrical
and will have no apparent change when they are mirrored.

Stitches
Select Running or Triple stitch for stitching out the motifs. Set the Length of stitches from
1 to 20mm in steps of 0.1mm. Length is initially set to the recommended value for each
motif.

Method
Minimum Gap Size
The Minimum Gap is the minimum amount of extra stitching that is placed between the
motifs along the line. This is in addition to any spacing that is part of the selected motif.

Number of Motifs
Set the number of Motifs from 2 to 50. The initial number is 6.

308 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Columns

 Fit Motif To Line
Select this option to make the shape of the motifs follow the curves of the line.

When Fit To Line is off, the ends of each When Fit To Line is on, each motif is
motif are placed on the line. adjusted to fit along the line.

Proportional
Use this option to keep the relative height and width of the motif in proportion when
when the column width is changed. This option is selected by default.

Width
The Width is initially set according to the chosen motif. The maximum and minimum
values for Width are individual to each motif.

Creating Columns
Create the Band and Feathers for a Fleur de Lys
1 Click File, New , or File, New Window , and in the
Choose Design Type page of the ExpressDesign Wizard
select Load Existing Design, then click Next. In the Open
Existing design page, click Load a Design , browse to
the folder
Documents\mySewnet\Samples\Digitizing\Edo, and load
the file 'Fleur de Lys Crosshatch and Base’.
Alternatively, use the design from “Creating and Changing
Fills: Fleur de Lys Background and Base” on page 267.
2 Click File, Preferences , and ensure that Color
Tolerance is selected (checked), and that Tie Off Before
and After Trims is selected.
3 Click the View tab, and ensure that Grid size is set to 5mm.
4 Click the Point Create tab.
5 Deselect the Fill and Appliqué buttons.
6 Click the Pattern Fill at the bottom of the FilmStrip.
7 In the Line drop-down list select Running Stitch .
Good digitizing minimizes the use of movement stitches, which slow down the embroidery machine even if
they are trimmed automatically. We will use Running Stitch to travel to the next area of the design.
8 Click Create Area or Line .

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Columns 309

 9 Note the position of the Create Cursor . This
marks the end of the last object in the design.
10 Move the pointer towards the Create Cursor, until
it changes to the diagonal pointer .
The diagonal pointer indicates that the next object
will be created from the same point as the previous
one, with no movement stitch.
11 Hold down the Shift key and click to place a square
point at the position of the Create Cursor.
12 With the Shift key held down, place a point in the
right corner of the band around the fleur de lys.
13 Then going in a counter-clockwise direction, place
four more square points at the corners of the band,
finishing in the right corner.
The running stitch line around the band will provide
an outline preventing the satin stitches from pulling
in.
14 Right-click to complete the line.
15 In the Options area of the Create tab, click the
Column button and select Satin Column in the
drop-down menu. The Column properties dialog
box opens at the Options tab for Satin Column.
16 Set Density to 4, set Compensation to 0 and set Pattern to 0.
17 In Underlay select both Zigzag and Edge Walk.
18 Click OK to close Column properties.
19 In the Column area, click Satin Column . Place the first point for the satin column at the position of
the Create Cursor , in the right corner of the band around the fleur de lys.
20 Place another point as close as possible to the first using the place points pointer .
Adjust the position of the point if the move pointer appears instead.
This places the second point for the satin column almost on top of the first.
21 Place two points on the opposite sides of the center of
the band, and two points next to each other in the left
corner. This will create a diamond shaped area of satin
stitch.
A minimum of four points is required to create a column.
22 Right-click to finish the column.
23 Right-click again to deselect Satin Column.
24 Use Zoom To Rectangle to zoom in on the band
around the fleur de lys.
25 Right-click to deselect Zoom To Rectangle.
26 Click the View tab.
27 Click 2D View . The display changes to 2D.
28 If desired, adjust the points for the band around the
fleur de lys.
29 Click the Point Create tab.

310 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Columns

30 Click Point Emboss Line .
31 Hold Shift and place five points
to form a diamond shape within
the band around the fleur de lys.
Use the grid as a guide when 3
placing the points for embossing.
32 Right-click to finish the 2 4
embossed line.
33 Right-click to deselect Point
Emboss Line. 1 5
34 Click Zoom To Fit .

35 Click Life View to see the

embossed band, then click Cancel.
36 In the Options area of one of the Create tabs,
click the Column button and select Richelieu
Bars in the drop-down menu. The Fill Area
and Line dialog box opens at the Options tab
for Richelieu Bars.

37 Set Width to 2.0mm and set Density to 4.

38 In Method select Number of Bars, and set the
number to 5. Deselect (uncheck) ’Include
Additional First and Last Bar’.
No additional first and last bar at either end of
the area will be needed as the ends will be
covered by a satin line.
39 In Underlay select all three options.
40 Click OK to close Column properties.
For free-standing lace it is recommended to
use all the underlay options to add stability.
41 Click Richelieu Bars .
42 Place a point at the tip of the right feather of
the fleur de lys.
43 Place a second point using the place points
pointer , as close as possible to the first.
44 Place a pair of points a little way down the
feather.
45 Place five or six more pairs of points,
following the curve of the feather.
A line should join each pair of points, making parallel lines that run across the feather. If the lines run
diagonally, click Undo and try again, or edit the points after creation. You may optionally add more
points using Insert Points in the Home tab.
The first and last pairs of points will automatically be square (control) points for any column, including
Richelieu bars.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Columns 311

 46 Place two final corner points at the base of the feather.

47 Right-click twice to finish the bars, and to deselect Richelieu Bars.

You may wish to move points to make the curve smooth.
48 Ensure that Running Stitch is selected as the Line type.
49 Click Create Area or Line .
50 Hold Shift and place the first point of the line at the Create Cursor .
51 With Shift held, place a second point where the right side of the middle
feather meets the band around the fleur de lys.
52 Release Shift and place a series of points along the right side of the middle
feather up to its tip.
This line of running stitch will later be covered by a satin border.
53 Right-click twice to end the line and to deselect Create Area or Line.
54 Click Richelieu Bars .
55 Place the first point for the Richelieu Bars at the Create Cursor ;, at the tip
of the middle feather of the fleur de lys.
The settings are the same as for the right feather, so only check them if you think
they may have changed.
56 Place the second point as close as possible to the first.
57 Then place a pair of points a little way down the feather.
58 Place four more pairs of points, following the curve of the feather. Then place
two final corner points at the base of the feather. Right-click twice to deselect.
Although the top of the diamond is included in this area, it will not be affected as there is no stitching here.
59 Use Create Area or Line to create a line of
Running Stitch to the tip of the left feather.
60 Click Richelieu Bars .
61 Place two square points at the tip of the left
feather of the fleur de lys. Then place five or six
pairs of round points down the feather. Place two
final corner (square) points at the base of the
feather and right-click to deselect.

312 mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Columns

 In the View tab click 3D View to see the design in 3D.
To place an outline around the fleur de lys, see “Outline the Fleur de Lys With a Satin Line” on page 225.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Creating Columns 313

 Using Lines 15
Lines can be created as individual parts of the design, or as a border to a fill area.
You can use Fill Area and Line properties to convert any line (or area) type to any other line or area type,
including appliqué options.
Use the QuickStitch™, Freehand Create, Point Create and Shape functions to create lines.
See “Creating Fills and Lines” on page 203.
Select the line type from the drop-down Line menu in the Quick Create, Freehand Create,
or Point Create tab.
Alternatively, right-click the line you created and change its properties in the Fill Area and Line properties
dialog. Use the work area or FilmStrip to change the position of the line and its properties, or to edit
selected lines.
To create a line without a fill, deselect the Fill button on the Create tab.

Line Types
Create individual lines using the following line types:
Running Stitch Satin Line

Double Stitch Motif Line

Double Zigzag No Border Line

Triple Stitch

You can select your fill type, and the line type for the surrounding border, before creating the fill.
Alternatively, change either the fill or border type afterwards using Fill Area and Line properties.

Running Stitch Motif Line using Pattern 2 Satin Line

from Hand Stitches 1.

314 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Lines

Running Stitch
Running stitch is a row of small stitches going forward.

Use lines of running stitch for light markout or as underlay for satin columns and fill areas.
Running stitch is also useful for traveling stitches between sections of a design, if it can be
placed where it will be covered by later stitch objects.

Running Stitch Properties

Set the stitch length

Create a cutwork line

Select 2 or 4 cutwork needles

Create stability gaps in the cutwork line

Set the distance between the gaps
Use different fill and border colors

Length
Set the Length of Running stitch from 0.3 to 12mm in steps of 0.1mm.
The initial setting is 2mm.
If you change a running line back to standard stitching after using INSPIRA® Cutwork needles, the stitch
length will need to be altered from 0.3mm.

Closed Border
Set the line as an open line or a closed line (a shape).
Use Closed Border to change an open line to a closed one, or vice versa. This allows you to create a fill area
with a closed or open border (a border that runs all the way around a fill area, or only part of the way).

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Lines 315

 Insert Color Change
Insert a color change between a border line and the enclosed fill area. The Color Selection
dialog is displayed.
See “Color Selection” on page 179.
Insert Color Change is only used when the line forms the border to a fill area.

Cutwork
The cutwork needle features allow you to draw a cutting line within your design,
optimized for the INSPIRA® Cutwork Needles. Use two or four cutwork needles, and add
secure points for fabric stability.

Create Cutwork Needle Line

Enable the cutwork needle feature. By default this feature is not selected (checked).
When cutwork is selected Insert Color Change is no longer available. The stitch length is automatically set
to 0.3mm and cannot be adjusted.

Method
Choose between:
■ 2 Cutwork Needles
■ 4 Cutwork Needles
By default 2 needles is selected.
With 2 needles, a bladed needle set at one angle is used to cut around the shape, and then the second
needle travels around the shape cutting at a different angle.
With 4 needles a more precise cutting method is used, where each needle is used for the section of the
shape that closely matches its angle. This method is recommended for more delicate fabrics.

Secure Points
Select Include Secure Points to create gaps in the cutwork needle line. By default Include
Secure Points is selected.
This allows the cut fabric to remain attached for stability while all the cutwork needle lines are created.
Afterwards it can be easily trimmed with scissors.
Set the Distance Between Secure Points from 10mm to 100mm in steps of 1mm. The initial
setting is 30mm.

316 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Lines

Double Stitch
Double stitch is a row of small stitches going forward, followed by a row of small
stitches going backward, so it ends at the same point where it began.

Use double stitch for markout and to place branching outlines that need to return to their
starting points.

Double Stitch Properties

Set the stitch length from 1mm to 12mm

Use a line or a shape (a closed line)

Use a different color for the border

Set the color for the border

Length
Set the Length of Double stitch from 1 to 12mm in steps of 0.1mm.
The initial setting is 2mm.

Closed Border
Set the line as an open line or a closed line (a shape).
Use Closed Border to change an open line to a closed one, or vice versa. This allows you to create a fill area
with a closed or open border (a border that runs all the way around a fill area, or only part of the way).

Insert Color Change

Insert a color change between a border line and the enclosed fill area. The Color Selection
dialog is displayed.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Lines 317

 See “Color Selection” on page 179.
Insert Color Change is only used when the line forms the border to a fill area.

318 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Lines

Double Zigzag
Double Zigzag stitch is a row of small stitches going
forward, followed by a zigzag row of small stitches going
backward, so it ends at the same point where it began.
Double Zigzag is a special stitch type, recommended for lace. A running
stitch line is retraced in a zigzag pattern to create a mesh if sections are
placed together. Alternatively, use this stitch type for crosshatch fill.

Double Zigzag Properties

Set the stitch length

Set the width of the zigzag line
Use a linking stitch between sections of
Double Zigzag
Use a line or a shape (a closed line)
Use a different color for the border

Set the color for the border

Length
Set the Length of Double Zigzag stitch from 1 to 12mm in steps of 0.1mm.
The initial setting is 2mm.

Zigzag Width
Set the Width of the Zigzag part of the stitch from 0.2 to 6mm in steps of 0.1mm.
The initial setting is 0.6mm.

Include a Linking Stitch

Use a linking stitch between sections of Double Zigzag stitch.
Linking stitches can be used to provide structural stability when creating freestanding lace. They enable a
line of stitches to "grip" another line of stitches.

Closed Border
Set the line as an open line or a closed line (a shape).
Use Closed Border to change an open line to a closed one, or vice versa. This allows you to create a fill area
with a closed or open border (a border that runs all the way around a fill area, or only part of the way).

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Lines 319

 Insert Color Change
Insert a color change between a border line and the enclosed fill area. The Color Selection
dialog is displayed.
See “Color Selection” on page 179.
Insert Color Change is only used when the line forms the border to a fill area.

320 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Lines

Triple Stitch
Triple stitch is a row of small three-part stitches, each composed of one stitch going
forward, one going backward then one going forward. The stitch length can be changed
from 1mm to 12mm.

Use triple stitch for heavy markout or as heavy joining lines between sections of a design.

Triple Stitch Properties

Set the stitch length

Use a line or a shape (a closed line)

Use a different color for the border

Set the color for the border

Length
Set the Length of Triple stitch from 1 to 12mm in steps of 0.1mm.
The initial setting is 2mm.

Closed Border
Set the line as an open line or a closed line (a shape).
Use Closed Border to change an open line to a closed one, or vice versa. This allows you to create a fill area
with a closed or open border (a border that runs all the way around a fill area, or only part of the way).

Insert Color Change

Insert a color change between a border line and the enclosed fill area. The Color Selection
dialog is displayed.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Lines 321

 See “Color Selection” on page 179.
Insert Color Change is only used when the line forms the border to a fill area.

322 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Lines

Satin Line
Satin Line is a line of constant-width satin stitch. The width
of the line can be set from 1 to 12mm.

Satin Line Properties

Set density, width and taper for satin line.

Set the satin line width

Set the stitch density for the line
Use edge walk underlay inside each
edge of the line
Use a line or a shape (a closed line)
Use a different color for the border

Set the color for the border

Taper the ends of the satin line

Density
Set Density from 2 to 15. The lower the number, the closer
together the stitches and the more stitches are produced. The
initial setting is 4.
Embroidery on thicker fabrics usually looks better with more stitch coverage,
or a low density setting. Choose a low value such as 2 or 3 for heavy knit
fabrics, a higher value such as 5 or 6 for a light material like linen or satin.

Width
Set Width for satin border from 1 to 12mm. The initial setting is 4mm.

Underlay
Use this option to place edge walk underlay inside each edge of the satin border. Underlay
will not be generated if the Border Width is set below 2mm.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Lines 323

 Closed Border
Set the line as an open line or a closed line (a shape).
Use Closed Border to change an open line to a closed one, or vice versa. This allows you to create a fill area
with a closed or open border (a border that runs all the way around a fill area, or only part of the way).

Insert Color Change

Insert a color change between a border line and the enclosed fill area. The Color Selection
dialog is displayed.
See “Color Selection” on page 179.
Insert Color Change is only used when the line forms the border to a fill area.

Tapered Ends
The Start Point and End Point settings can be used to taper the ends of your satin lines.
Use these options to create mitered or pointed ends for your satin lines.

Start Point
Use these options to change the type of line beginning for the satin line. Select a taper
type, then set the angle of the taper.

■ No Taper
■ Left Taper
■ Central Point
■ Right Taper
To set the Taper Angle , click the up and down arrows or enter a number.

End Point
Use these options to change the type of line end for the satin line. Select a taper type, then
set the angle of the taper.

■ No Taper
■ Left Taper
■ Central Point
■ Right Taper
To set the Taper Angle , click the up and down arrows or enter a number.

Motif Line
Use Motif line to draw a line of motifs.
Use motif lines for decorative stitches and details.

324 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Lines

Motif Line Properties

Set the motif size and Height / Width ratio

Select a motif Group, Category and pattern

Select a stitch type for the motif line
Set the stitch length for the motif line
Adjust the position of the motifs in the line
Taper the start or end of the motif line
Use a line or a shape (a closed line)
Use a different color for the border

Set the color for the border

Set the gap between the motifs in the line

Motif
Group
Click the drop-down arrow to select the desired group of motif patterns.

Category
Click the drop-down arrow to select the desired category of motif patterns.

Pattern
Click the drop-down arrow to select the desired motif visually. Motifs are also numbered
for convenient reference.

Minimum Gap
The Minimum Gap is the minimum amount of extra stitching that is placed between the
motifs along the line. This is in addition to any spacing that is part of the selected motif.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Lines 325

 Fit To Line
Select this option to make the shape of the motifs follow the curves of the line.

When Fit To Line is off, the ends of each When Fit To Line is on, each motif is
motif are placed on the line. adjusted to fit along the line.

Reverse
Use this option to reverse the direction of the motif along the line. This is useful, for
instance, if you have placed a QuickStitch™ Motif Line and wish to reverse the motif
direction. Some motifs are symmetrical and will have no apparent change when they are
reversed.

Kern
Use Kern to automatically increase the space between adjacent motifs where necessary,
so that the motifs fit along the line without overlapping.

Mirror
Use this option to mirror the motif across the line of motifs. Some motifs are symmetrical
and will have no apparent change when they are mirrored.

Size
Height and Width
The Height and Width are initially set according to the chosen motif. The maximum and
minimum values for Height and Width are individual to each motif.

Proportional
Use this option to keep the relative Height and Width in proportion when either is
changed.

Stitch
Select Running or Triple stitch for stitching out the motifs. Set the maximum Length of
stitches from 1 to 20mm in steps of 0.1mm. Length is initially set to the recommended
value for each motif.

Tapered Ends
The Start Point and End Point settings can be used to taper the ends of your motif lines.
For Motif Lines, the Central Point option starts at the first stitch point in the first motif in
the line. The precise position of the point will vary, depending on the motif used.
Use these options to create mitered or pointed ends for your motif lines.

326 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Lines

 Start Point
Use these options to change the type of line beginning for the Motif Line. Select a taper
type, then set the angle of the taper.

■ No Taper
■ Left Taper
■ Central Point
■ Right Taper
To set the Taper Angle , click the up and down arrows or enter a number.

End Point
Use these options to change the type of line end for the Motif Line. Select a taper type,
then set the angle of the taper.

■ No Taper
■ Left Taper
■ Central Point
■ Right Taper
To set the Taper Angle , click the up and down arrows or enter a number.

Closed Border
Set the line as an open line or a closed line (a shape).
Use Closed Border to change an open line to a closed one, or vice versa. This allows you to create a fill area
with a closed or open border (a border that runs all the way around a fill area, or only part of the way).

Insert Color Change

Insert a color change between a border line and the enclosed fill area. The Color Selection
dialog is displayed.
See “Color Selection” on page 179.
Insert Color Change is only used when the line forms the border to a fill area.

Create a Flower with Motif Lines

1 Click File, New , or File, New Window , and in the Choose Design Type page of the
ExpressDesign Wizard select Load Existing Design, then click Next. In the Open Existing design page,
click Load a Design , browse to the folder Documents\mySewnet\Samples\Digitizing\Edo, and
load the file 'PetalsBasicFill_Motif fills'.
Alternatively, use the petals design that you created in “Create a Petal Design with the ExpressDesign
Wizard” on page 127, and added two motif fills to in “Use Motif Fills in Two Petals” on page 247.
2 Click File, Preferences , and ensure that Color Tolerance is selected (checked), and that Tie Off
Before and After Trims is selected.
3 Click the View tab, and ensure that Grid size is set to 5mm.
4 Click Edit Background .
5 In mySewnet™ Draw & Paint, click the Insert tab.
6 In the Shapes drop-down list, select Shape 49, a flower.
7 Click Insert Shape .
8 Click and drag inside the selection box to move the flower. Position it in the larger end of the petal on
the left.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Lines 327

 9 In the File menu, click Exit (or click Close in the mySewnet™ Draw & Paint window).
In mySewnet™ Digitizing, the View tab should still be open.
10 Click 2D View .
This enables you to see the picture behind the fill area.
11 Click the Home tab.
12 In the work area, select the fill area for the petal on the left. It will also be highlighted in the FilmStrip.
13 With the blue Pattern Fill selected, click Delete to delete it.
This removes the fill area from the petal so that we can create a flower using motif lines.
14 Click the Quick Create tab.
15 In the FilmStrip, select the blue color that was used for the fill.
16 Right-click in the FilmStrip and select Display Only From Start. All objects
after the blue color will be hidden. In the FilmStrip, you will be able to see a
blue color block and the violet colored fill.
17 In the Quick Create tab, deselect the Fill and Appliqué buttons.
18 In Line click the drop-down arrow and select Motif Line .
19 In the Options section click Fill Area and Line. The Fill Area and Line
properties for Motif Line opens.
The line selection drop-down is grayed out (unavailable). The line type is set to
Motif Line, so only its properties are shown. After creating a line you may change
its type and properties.
20 Set the Motif Group to Universal, and the Category to Hand Stitches 1, Pattern 1, the desired chain
stitch pattern, is selected automatically.

328 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Lines

21 Set the Height to 1.5mm. The Width will automatically change to
3.0mm because Proportional is selected.
22 Click OK to close the dialog box.
23 Click QuickStitch™ .
24 Click along the edge of the flower. A dashed line of alternating
colors will appear around the flower, showing the area that is
selected for outlining with the Motif Line. Also, the Color Tolerance
dialog box will appear, with the Tolerance set to 10.
Use Color Tolerance to preview the area of the picture that defines the
new QuickStitch™ area or line. This is useful even when it is not
necessary to adjust the Tolerance value.
25 Click OK and a chain stitch line will appear around the flower. Right-
click to deselect the function.
You may need to click 3D View in the View tab to see this more
clearly.
26 Click the Freehand Create tab.
27 Click Create Area or Line . The pointer changes to a pen .
28 Click and drag to draw a line from the flower up to the top right point of the petal.

Don’t worry if the line is wobbly, you will change it below.

29 Release the mouse button, or lift your pen from the tablet, and a chain stitch line will appear.
30 Right-click to deselect the function.
31 Select the line that you just drew and use the Zoom Bar to zoom in on the line.
32 Move the points (nodes) on the line to smooth it, making it into a gentle curve.
When you click on a square node it becomes round. Square nodes are used for straight sections, round for
curved sections. To make a node square, hold down the Shift key when you click on it.
33 If desired, use Insert Points or Delete Points in the Home tab to add or remove points from the
line. Right-click to deselect.
34 Use Life View to preview the results, then click Cancel.
35 Double-click the second color (pale blue) in the color worksheet and the Color Selection dialog box
appears.
Alternatively, scroll up the FilmStrip and click the Color at the beginning of the light blue objects. Right-
click on the FilmStrip and select Properties.
36 Click Show All Thread Ranges, then click the drop-down arrow for the Thread Range and select
Robison-Anton Rayon Vari 40.
37 In the shade list, browse for 2365 (3CC Horizon) or enter 2365 in the Find Thread box. Click OK.
38 Click the Edit tab.
39 Click Display All Objects and Zoom To Fit .
40 Click Save and browse to the folder Documents\mySewnet\My Designs.
41 Change the File name to 'PetalsMotif' and click Save.
42 Click Print to print the embroidery worksheet.
43 Click Export Embroidery and ensure that .vp4 is set as the file format. Click OK.
44 In the Save As dialog, browse to the folder Documents\mySewnet\My Designs and click Export. The
design is saved as PetalsMotif.
There is no need to change the file name, as it is taken automatically from the design file name.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Lines 329

 Change Satin Line to Motif Line in an Appliqué Petal
1 Click File, New , or File, New Window , and in the Choose Design Type page of the
ExpressDesign Wizard select Load Existing Design, then click Next. In the Open Existing design page,
click Load a Design , browse to the folder Documents\mySewnet\Samples\Digitizing\Edo, and
load the file 'PetalsBasicApplique’.
Alternatively, use the petals design that you created in “Create Appliqué Areas with Express Border” on
page 129.
2 Click the View tab, and ensure that Grid size is set to 5mm.
3 Click File, Preferences , and ensure that Color Tolerance is selected
(checked), and that Tie Off Before and After Trims is selected.
4 Select the satin line for the petal on the left, then right-click to see the Fill
Area and Line dialog box.
5 In the Line drop-down menu at the top right, select Motif Line . The
Line tab of the Fill Area and Line properties dialog box will appear.
6 Set the Motif Group to Universal, and the Category to Hand Stitches 2.
Pattern 1, the desired butterfly stitch pattern, is selected automatically.
7 Click Proportional so that it is no longer selected, then set the Height to
4.0mm.
8 Click OK. Click Life View to see the effect, and click Cancel.
To change the inside of the middle petal to a QuiltStipple fill, see “Insert QuiltStipple Fill in a Petal” on
page 262.

Change Satin Line to Picot Motif Line

1 Click File, New , or File, New Window , and in the Choose Design Type page of the
ExpressDesign Wizard select Load Existing Design, then click Next. In the Open Existing design page,
click Load a Design , browse to the folder Documents\mySewnet\Samples\Digitizing\Edo, and
load the file 'PetalsBasicApplique’.
Alternatively, use the petals design that you created in “Create Appliqué Areas with Express Border” on
page 129.
2 Click the View tab, and ensure that Grid size is set to 5mm.
3 Click File, Preferences , and ensure that Color Tolerance is selected (checked), and that Tie Off
Before and After Trims is selected.
4 In the Home tab, click to select Edit Points .
5 Click the edge of the middle petal. Its nodes (points) are displayed.
In the status bar the stitch type is displayed as Satin Line Appliqué.
In the FilmStrip the objects should also be Satin Line Appliqué. You can select objects in the FilmStrip, or
press the right and left arrow keys to step through the objects in the design.
6 Right-click the work area to see the Fill Area and Line properties for this Satin Line.
7 In the Line drop-down menu at the top right, select Motif Line . The Line tab of the motif line
properties will appear.
8 Set the Motif Group to Universal, and the Category to Hand Stitches 1.

330 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Lines

9 Click the drop-down arrow for Pattern and select Pattern 7, a buttonhole picot stitch.
10 Click the Fit To Line and Mirror options so they are selected. This will ensure that the shape of the
motif curves to follow the outline of the petal and the blanket stitch will be inside the picot edge.
11 Set the Stitch type to Triple.

12 Click OK.
Add a motif fill to the right petal in “Insert Motif Fill in an Appliqué Petal” on page 248.

Add a Triple Stitch Embellishment to a Satin Line

1 In the Quick Create tab, ensure that Fill and Line are selected.
2 Ensure that Fill is set to Pattern Fill and Line is set to Satin Line.
3 Right-click the thread color in the FilmStrip and select Properties. Then set the thread to a pale color.
4 In the Options area, click Fill Area and Line and choose a pattern
for the Pattern Fill.
5 Click the Line tab and ensure that Width is set to 4mm.
6 Select (check) Insert Color Change, then click Line Thread
Color and choose a medium color for the border.
7 Click OK to close the Fill Area and Line dialog box.
8 Select a shape from the drop-down list.
9 Click the Shape icon . The shape is placed in the center of the
work area as a selected block.
10 Resize the shape as desired using the square corner handles.
Hold down Ctrl as you click and drag to resize proportionally. Hold
down Shift to resize from the center.
11 In the FilmStrip click the Pattern Fill shape to select it.
12 In the Home tab click Copy , and then click Paste
This will place the copied shape on top of the original. Duplicate would place it slightly to one side.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Lines 331

 13 Right-click the copy in the FilmStrip and select Properties from the
context menu.
14 In Fill, select No Fill . The Line tab opens.
15 In the Line drop-down menu select Triple Stitch, then click Apply.
In the FilmStrip the second shape is now described as Triple Stitch.
This may take a few second to happen.
Note that the upper line exactly follows the line below.
16 Click Line Thread Color and in the Color Selection dialog box
set the thread to a darker color.
17 Click OK twice to view the shape in the work area.
18 Click outside the design to see both lines clearly.
You could also embellish a satin line with a chain stitch or other motif
line.
19 Select both shapes in the FilmStrip, then in the Home tab click Group .
This will keep the two lines together until Ungrouped.

No Border Line
No Border Line is used where a fill area is desired without a border, for example an
area of QuiltStipple fill.

332 mySewnet™ Digitizing Using Lines

Editing a Design 16
Use the Edit tab to view colors, to display and hide objects in the design, and to edit parts
of the design.
Set the properties for the selected object(s)
Set Start & End markers to display an object range Create and manage fill patterns
Remove an enhancement from a fill area

Show selected objects Edit individual objects

Display all objects in the design Select objects similar to the one selected
Show only the previous or next color in the design Show and hide particular object types

After you have created an object such as a line, fill or hole, you may want to change its
properties; for example the motif size, fill pattern, appliqué fabric or stitch length. Click the
object to select it, then right-click it to change its settings in the properties dialog box. See
“Fill Area and Line Properties” on page 83.
To change an object within a group, select the object in
the FilmStrip, and then right-click it and select
Properties in the context menu.
If an object is difficult to select in the work area, select it in the
FilmStrip. Alternatively, click a nearby object in the FilmStrip and
then use the arrow keys to step through the objects until the
desired object is selected in the work area.
To change the properties of all visible objects of the selected type,
right-click in the FilmStrip and select Global Properties.

Select Objects
In mySewnet™ Digitizing, designs are made up of a
sequence of lines and areas (e.g. stitch lines, fills and
columns). Each area, line or column is defined by a
number of points that can be seen on the work area.
The selected object is highlighted in the FilmStrip in the
Design window.
To change the properties of all visible objects of the selected type,
right-click in the FilmStrip and select Global Properties.

Select a Place to Insert New Objects

To add stitch objects such as areas, lines and columns
between existing objects, select an object in the Thread Object Object Scroll
Color Type Bar
FilmStrip or work area, then create the new object. The
Bar
new object is placed below the object that you

mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design 333

 selected. If you select an object within a group, the new objects will be created as part of
that group.
Unless you choose a new color, the color of newly inserted objects will be the same as the object above
them.
Use the display options on the Edit tab or the right-click context menu to hide objects that
you do not want to change.
The color worksheet, object filters and Draw Range are also useful to isolate an object so
that it is easier to select the desired insertion point.

Insertion Markers
When a Freehand Create or Point Create tool is selected, a marker shows the location of
the last point of the preceding object. This is where new objects will be inserted:

■ When objects will be added to the end of the design, the marker is pink .
■ When objects are to be inserted (i.e. the selected object is not the last object in the
design), the marker showing the final point of the selected object is green .
■ When objects are to be inserted, an orange marker shows the position of the first point
in the next object in the design.

Select an Object to Edit

In the work area, click on an individual object to show the points that make it up and
check what type it is in the Object Identification Box on the bottom right of the status bar.
The object is also highlighted in the FilmStrip. You may click the desired object in the FilmStrip and the
object will be selected on the work area.
If you click on an object in a group, the whole group will be selected and highlighted in
the FilmStrip. To select an object within that group, click on it in the FilmStrip.
To edit the shape of a selected object within a group, right-click on the work area to enter Edit Points mode.
Then adjust its shape.
After locating the desired object, click and drag its points to change the shape of the
object. In the Home tab you can insert extra points , delete unwanted points or
delete the object .
Alternatively, right-click to access a dialog box to alter its properties, such as Fill Pattern or Stitch Length.

Stepping Through Designs

In Edit Points mode, use the left and right arrow keys on the keyboard to step through all
the objects in sequence. Alternatively, click an object in the FilmStrip and use the up and
down arrow keys on the keyboard to step through all the objects in sequence.

If you are in Box Select mode , the selected object will move in the work area. Right-click on the work
area to enter Edit Points mode.
The color worksheet, object filters and Draw Range are also useful to isolate objects.

334 mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design

 How to Step Through Design Objects
1 In the Design window, ensure that Edit Points mode is selected.
In Edit Points mode the pointer is an arrow. If the Box Select pointer can be seen, right-click to enter
Edit Points mode.
2 Click any object. Its points will be shown and the object type will be shown on the bottom right of the
status bar.
3 Use the right arrow key on the keyboard to select the next object. Its points are shown and the object
type is shown on the status bar. If you already have the last object in the design selected, it will
remain selected.
4 Use the left arrow key on the keyboard to select the previous object. Its points are shown and the
object type is shown on the status bar. If you already have the first object in the design selected, it will
remain selected.

Change Object Settings

How to Change Settings for a Single Object
1 Select the object in the work area or FilmStrip.
2 Right-click the object. The Area and Line properties dialog for the object is displayed.
3 In the Area and Line properties dialog make the desired changes.

Change Multiple Objects’ Settings

1 Open the Design window.
2 To make it easier to select the desired object, use the color worksheet, or the Hide Object Types
buttons and slider bars in the Edit tab to hide other objects.
3 To select an object directly on the work area, click on the desired object, or click an adjacent object
then use the left and right arrow keys to step through to the required object (for example, to select a
color change).
4 To select an object with the FilmStrip, scroll through the FilmStrip and select the desired object, or
click any object and use the up and down arrow keys to step through the FilmStrip.
5 To change the properties of the selected object, right-click on the work area, or right-click on the
FilmStrip and select Properties. The properties dialog box for the object type will appear.
6 To change the properties of all visible objects of the selected type, right-click on the FilmStrip and
select Global Properties. (Alternatively, choose Select Similar from Visible, then Properties from the
FilmStrip context menu.) The properties dialog box for the object type will appear.
7 To change the properties of selected objects, hold the Ctrl key and click the desired objects in the
FilmStrip. Right-click one of the selected objects and select Properties. The properties dialog box for
the object type will appear.
To change properties of objects in only one group, choose select Similar from Group, then Properties from
the FilmStrip context menu.
8 To change the stitch type for the selected object, choose the desired object type from the line or fill
drop-down list in the Fill Area and Line dialog box. The properties for the new object type will appear.
9 Change the settings in the properties dialog box then click OK to apply the new settings. Click Cancel
if you decide not to save the new settings.
10 When you click OK for changing Global Properties or the properties for a number of selected objects,
all the settings in the dialog box will be applied to all visible or selected objects of that type.
11 Repeat as desired with other objects, then click Life View or Design Player to see the design as it will
be stitched.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design 335

 Delete
Use Delete to remove the currently selected object(s) from the design.
To delete commands, use the left and right arrow keys on the keyboard to step through all
the objects in sequence until the desired command is selected. Alternatively, select the
desired command using the FilmStrip.
The color worksheet, object filters and Draw Range are also useful for isolating objects.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab:
■ Keys: Del; Alt, H, DE; Right-click FilmStrip, D

Delete an Object
1 Click the desired object in the work area or FilmStrip, or click near it and use the left and right arrow
keys on the keyboard until it is selected.
2 In the Home tab, click the Delete icon (or press Delete on the keyboard) and the object is deleted.
If a gap is left by the deleted object, a movement stitch will be inserted.

Insert Commands
Use the FilmStrip to insert a new Color Change or Stop immediately after the selected
object. Right-click in the film strip, then select the desired option from the context menu
that appears.

Insert Color Command

Use Insert a Color Change to insert a color change after the currently selected object.
The Color Selection dialog box appears so you can choose the new color.
See “Color Selection” on page 137.

Insert Stop Command

Use Insert a Stop to insert a Stop command after the currently selected object.
A Stop will not be inserted if this would place two Stops together.

Change Objects’ Sequence

Objects may be moved up and down the FilmStrip with click and drag,
or with the arrow (Layout Order) buttons. This changes the order of the
objects, and hence changes the order in which the stitches are created for the final
embroidery.

Moving an Object With Click and Drag

1 To move an object with click and drag, click the desired object and drag it up or down the FilmStrip. A
bar moves up and down the list to show the new list position.
2 Release to drop the object at the desired point. Movement stitches are automatically inserted or
removed as needed.
If objects are dragged or inserted between two items in a group they will become part of that group, except
if they are inserted immediately after the group header. To insert at the beginning of the group, drag into
the middle, then move up.

336 mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design

 Moving an Object With the Layout Buttons
1 To move an object with the Layout Order buttons, click the desired object. It is highlighted in the
FilmStrip.
2 Click Move Backwards to move the object one step up the FilmStrip (towards the first stitch
object in the design). A bar moves up the list to show the new position.
Move Forwards will move the object one step down the FilmStrip. Move to Back will make the
object the first to be stitched out, and Move to Front the last.
3 Move the object to the desired position.
To move a selection of objects, either click the top of a sequence then hold the Shift key
and click the bottom of the desired sequence, or hold the Ctrl key and click the desired
objects. Then click the desired Layout Order button. Alternatively, use click and drag by
moving the bar up or down the list to the desired point, then release the mouse button.
If desired, use the color worksheet and Hide Object Types buttons to hide other objects. This can make it
quicker to move the desired object.
When using click and drag to move to a part of the list that is not visible, move the pointer
above the top or below the bottom of the list and the list will scroll automatically. To scroll
faster, move the pointer further above or below the list. Move the pointer back into the list
to stop scrolling.
Moving an object up and down the FilmStrip does not change the position of the object
on the work area. However, it may change the appearance of the design according to
whether or not it changes the overlap with adjacent objects.
The first color change may not be moved in the FilmStrip. Also, no object may be moved above the first
color change in the FilmStrip, except another color change. This ensures that the initial color change in the
design cannot be removed, and nothing can be moved before it, but it can be replaced.

Layout Order
The Layout Order buttons are used to move objects within the FilmStrip.

Move Forwards
Move Forwards brings the object one step down the FilmStrip.

Shortcuts
■ FilmStrip:
■ Keys: Ctrl + [; Right-click FilmStrip, L, F

Move Backwards
Move Backwards brings the object one step up the FilmStrip.

Shortcuts
■ FilmStrip:
■ Keys: Ctrl + ]; Right-click FilmStrip, L, B

Move to Front
Move to Front places the object at the bottom of the FilmStrip or Group.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design 337

 Shortcuts
■ FilmStrip:
■ Keys: Ctrl + Shift + [; Right-click FilmStrip, L, N

Move to Back
Move to Back places the object at the top of the FilmStrip or Group.

Shortcuts
■ FilmStrip:
■ Keys: Ctrl +Shift + ]; Right-click FilmStrip, L, C

Reveal Groups
Use Reveal Groups to switch between viewing the objects within Groups in the
FilmStrip, and seeing only the Group heading rows in the FilmStrip.
Deselect Reveal Groups to aid in moving groups within the design.

Shortcut
■ FilmStrip:

338 mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design

Edit Lines and Areas
The shape of a line or area can be changed by moving the points that define its outline.

To choose a different object, click it on the work area or the FilmStrip. Alternatively, use the
left and right arrow keys to step through the objects in the order they are used in the
design. When selecting an object directly on the work area, click near one of the points
that define it.
If the visible colors or the object filters are changed, the last visible object is automatically selected.
Therefore, change the view of the design before selecting the object you wish to edit. See “Viewing Pictures
and Designs” on page 133.
When the desired line or area is selected, its points can be
moved. The points are shown as small circles or squares. Some
stitch object types, such as Single Stitches have a fixed number
of points.
Square points are used for straight sections and corners. Round points are
used for curves.
Other objects, such as fill areas, running stitch and satin lines,
can have any number of points, and points may be inserted
A Single Stitch is defined
and deleted, allowing greater control over their shapes. The
by two points

mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design 339

 start and end points for fill and satin areas can be changed, typically to reduce the need
for trimming. Satin areas have angle lines that are used to control the satin angle.
End Marker

End
Marker Start
Marker

Origin
Marker

Start Stitch Angle

Marker Lines

Fill areas have as many points as needed to Satin areas have movable start and end
define their outlines, and also have markers and adjustable stitch angle lines
moveable start, end and origin markers

Color change and stop commands, and alignment stitches are shown as a single point
when selected.

Move Points
The points that define the currently selected stitch object (satin
column, fill area, running stitch, etc.) are shown as small squares
and circles.
Also, the object type is shown in the FilmStrip and on the status
bar. The FilmStrip also shows the shape of stitch objects, where
relevant. The points used to start and end fill and satin areas are
shown by the start and end markers. Some types of fill
areas also have an origin, marked by a orange circle (for
Pattern Fill, the marker has a handle). Satin areas also have stitch
angle lines with hexagonal ends.
To choose an object to edit, click it on the work area or the FilmStrip. Alternatively, use the left and right
arrow keys to step through the objects in the order they are used in the design. When selecting an object
directly on the work area, click near one of the points that define it.
Once the points are shown, click and drag the squares or circles to move them.
Moving the points that define a satin area may also affect the stitch angle lines, but moving the stitch
angle lines does not affect the shape of a satin area.

Edit Points
Use Edit Points to enable the moving and editing of an object’s points if another
function is being used. Alternatively, click an object to select it and you will be in Edit
Points mode.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab, Points; Status Bar:

340 mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design

■ Keys: Enter; Alt, H, E

Select and Move Points

1 In the Home tab, click Edit Points .
2 Click an object in the FilmStrip, or on the work area, to select it and view its points.
3 Drag the points to change the shape of the object.
Moving the points that define a satin area may affect the stitch angle lines, but moving the stitch angle
lines will not affect the shape of a satin area.

Make Lines Straight or Curved

The outlines defining most types of lines and areas can have both curved and straight
sections:
To have any curves, lines must be defined by at least four points. The first point of a fill or
satin area is always a 'corner' (square) point. The first and last pair of points for a column
are always square.
To change a curve (round) point to a square point, hold down the Shift key and click the
point without moving it. When adjacent points are corners, the line between them will be
straight. This is useful if, for instance, a point was not added as a corner at the desired
place on a fill area or stitch line.

Point is a curve Point is a corner after Shift + click

To change a corner point to a curve (round) point, simply click the point without moving
it. There must be at least two round points next to each other to make the lines curved, so
if there is one round point between two square points then the lines to the round point
will be straight.

If a line does not have enough points to make the desired section curved, use Insert Point to add an
extra point to use for the curve.

Move the Start and End Points for Areas

The start and end points for fill and satin areas are shown by circular markers. The start
marker is on the inside of the object, and the end marker is on the outside of the
object.
Click and drag the desired marker. Move the marker to the point that you wish to use as
the new start or end point of the area. Drop at the desired point and the position of the
marker will change.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design 341

 The marker snaps to the nearest point on the edge of the object. If an area does not have a point in the
desired position, use Insert Points to add an extra point.

Move the Origin for Areas

Some types of fill areas have an origin, marked by a orange
circle . This is used to move the start point for the pattern
in a pattern fill, or the center point for Radial fill, Spiral fill and
Shape fill types. For a pattern fill, the origin has a handle for
adjusting the angle of the fill.
This means that in a pattern fill area you can control how the pattern is
repeated, and its angle.

For Radial fill, Spiral fill and

Shape fill areas, the origin can be
moved. This sets the start point
for the fill, such as the point from
which stitches radiate on a
Radial fill.
The origin can be moved
anywhere on the design area.
This allows you, for example, to
create several of the same types
of fill area with a common origin.
Simply move the origin to the same grid position for all the desired areas, so that the
pattern of stitches is unified across the chosen areas.

Change the Stitch Angle for Satin Areas

Satin areas have stitch angle lines that show and adjust
the angle of the stitches across the area. The stitch
angle lines have hexagonal handles at each end that
are used to adjust each line individually.
Click and drag the desired hexagonal handle. Drop at
the desired point and the position of the angle line will change. If the line does not move,
this is because the new end point is not usable. This will happen if, for example, you
attempt to force two angle lines to cross each other within the area.

Delete Angle Lines

To delete angle lines, click Delete Points then click the hexagon at either end of the line
to be deleted. Right-click when you have finished deleting angle lines and/or points.
A satin area must have at least one angle line. Therefore, the last angle line may not be deleted.

342 mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design

 Insert Points
Use Insert Points to add a new point to the currently selected line.
Points may be inserted into all line and area types except Single Stitch. With this object type Insert Points
and Delete Points are not available. For columns, a pair of points will be added.
Points may also be inserted into emboss lines and MultiWave lines.
Click the Insert Points icon , then click the position on the selected object where you
want to add the point. Also use Insert Points to add stitch angle lines to satin areas
with click and drag.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab, Points:
■ Keys: Ctrl + Shift + D; Alt, H, IP

Insert a Point in a Line

1 Click the desired object to show the points that make it up.
2 Click the Home tab.
3 Click the Insert Points icon , then click the place on the outline of the object where you want to
add the new point.
The Insert Points icon is only available for objects that can have points inserted.
4 To add a stitch angle line to a satin area, click and drag to draw a line across the desired section of the
area. If the angle line does not appear, then it is not allowed in the place you attempted to draw it.
A stitch angle line cannot cross another stitch angle line. New lines must be added roughly parallel to the
existing lines.
5 Right-click to deselect Insert Points.
6 Click and drag to move any of the points in the object to alter its shape.
7 If desired, click the Insert Points icon again and repeat.

Delete Points
Use Delete Points to delete points from the currently selected line.
Points may be deleted from all line and area types except Single Stitch. With this object type Insert Points
and Delete Points are not available. For columns, a pair of points will be deleted.
Points may also be deleted from emboss lines and MultiWave lines.
Click the Delete Points icon , then click the points on the selected object that you want
to delete. Stitch angle lines can be removed from satin areas by clicking the hexagonal
control point at either end of the line. Right-click to finish.
You may not delete all the points for an object. A fill or satin area must have at least three points. Satin
border, motif lines and running, double and triple stitch lines must have at least two points. A satin area
must also have at least one angle line. To remove all the points for an object, use Delete .

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab, Points:
■ Keys: Ctrl + D; Alt, H, DP

Delete a Point in a Line

1 Click on an object to show the points that make it up.
2 Click the Home tab.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design 343

 3 Click the Delete Points icon , then click the points you wish to delete. They will be removed and
the object will change shape accordingly. To remove an angle line for a satin area, click the hexagonal
control point at either end of the line.
4 Right-click to deselect the function.
The Delete Points icon is only available for objects that can have points deleted.
5 Click and drag to move any of the points in the object to alter its shape.
6 If desired, click the Delete Points icon again and repeat.

Convert Points and Bezier Lines

Use the Convert Points functions to change between types of points in a line in Bezier
Mode, or to change a Point Line to a Bezier Line, or a Bezier Line to a Point Line.
For information on how to draw and adjust Bezier Lines, see “Bezier Mode” on page 223.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab, Points:
■ Keys: Alt, H, CP

Convert Points to Corner

Use Convert Points to Corner to change the selected point in a Bezier line to a Corner
point (a point with no handles). Right-click to deselect the function.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab, Points:
■ Keys: Alt, H, CP, CP

Change a Bezier Mode Point to a Corner Point

1 Click on an object created in Bezier Mode to show the points that make it up.
2 Click the Home tab.
3 In the Convert Points drop-down menu in the ribbon bar, select Convert Points to Corner .
Edit Points is no longer highlighted.
4 Move the pointer over one of the points in your object. The pointer changes to the Convert Points to
Corner pointer .
5 Click on the point. It now has no handles, and the sections of the line by it are straight.
6 Click to adjust any other points that you want to change in your design.
7 Right-click to deselect the function.
Edit Points is highlighted again.
8 If desired, click the Convert Points to Corner again and repeat.
For more information on how to adjust Bezier Lines, see “Edit a Bezier Line” on page 224.

Convert Points to Smooth

Use Convert Points to Smooth to change the selected point in a Bezier line to a Smooth
point (a point with handles that can be adjusted independently). Right-click to deselect
the function.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab, Points:
■ Keys: Alt, H, CP, CT

344 mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design

 Change a Bezier Mode Point to a Smooth Point
1 Click on an object created in Bezier Mode to show the points that make it up.
2 Click the Home tab.
3 In the Convert Points drop-down menu in the ribbon bar, select Convert Points to Smooth .
Edit Points is no longer highlighted.
4 Move the pointer over one of the points in your object. The pointer changes to the Convert Points to
Smooth pointer .
5 Click on the point. It now has two handles, and the dashed line between them is straight.
6 Click to adjust any other points that you want to change in your design.
7 Right-click to deselect the function.
Edit Points is highlighted again.
8 If desired, click the Convert Points to Smooth again and repeat.
For more information on how to adjust Bezier Lines, see “Edit a Bezier Line” on page 224.

Convert Points to Symmetric

Use Convert Points to Symmetric to change the selected point in a Bezier line to a
Symmetric point (a point with handles that are the same distance from the point). Right-
click to deselect the function.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab, Points:
■ Keys: Alt, H, CP, CS

Change a Bezier Mode Point to a Symmetric Point

1 Click on an object created in Bezier Mode to show the points that make it up.
2 Click the Home tab.
3 In the Convert Points drop-down menu in the ribbon bar, select Convert Points to Symmetric .
Edit Points is no longer highlighted.
4 Move the pointer over one of the points in your object. The pointer changes to the Convert Points to
Symmetric pointer .
5 Click on the point. It now has two handles at an equal distance from the point, with a straight dashed
line between them.
6 Click to adjust any other points that you want to change in your design.
7 Right-click to deselect the function.
Edit Points is highlighted again.
8 If desired, click the Convert Points to Symmetric again and repeat.
For more information on how to adjust Bezier Lines, see “Edit a Bezier Line” on page 224.

Convert to Point Line

Use Convert to Point Line to change the selected Bezier Line to a Point Line.
The change takes place immediately.
The Bezier lines in a Column cannot be changed to a Point Line. See “Draw a column with Bezier Curves” on
page 297.

Shortcut
■ Keys: Alt, H, CP, CL

Change a Bezier Line to a Point Line

1 Click on an object created in Bezier Mode.
The Bezier lines in a Column cannot be changed to a Point Line.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design 345

 2 Click the Home tab.
3 In the Convert Points drop-down menu in the ribbon bar, select Convert to Point Line.
The line changes to a standard Point Create line immediately.

Curved points are added to the line when it is converted. If you change your mind, use Undo rather than
converting back.
4 If desired, select another object and click Convert to Point Line again to repeat.

Convert to Bezier Line

Use Convert to Bezier Line to change the selected Point Line to a Bezier Line. The change
takes place immediately.
A smoothly drawn line with the minimum of points is more likely to produce a good result.

Shortcut
■ Keys: Alt, H, CP, CC

Change a Point Line to a Bezier Line

1 Click on an object created in Point Mode.
This is an object that was created with Quick Create, Freehand Create or drawn
by placing points in Point Create.
2 Click the Home tab.
3 In the Convert Points drop-down menu in the ribbon bar, select Convert
to Bezier Line. The line changes to a Bezier line immediately.
If you change your mind, use Undo rather than converting back.
The number of points in the Bezier line will depend on the number of points in
the original line. Delete points and adjust the handles on the remaining points
to optimize the Bezier line.
If desired, select another object and click Convert to Bezier Line again to
repeat.

Delete
Use the Delete drop-down menu on the Edit tab to delete one
or more holes or emboss lines from the currently selected area, or one or more MultiWave
lines from the currently selected MultiWave Fill area.

Delete Hole
Use Delete Hole to delete one or more holes from the currently selected area. Right-
click when you have finished deleting holes.

Shortcuts
■ Edit Tab, Object:
■ Keys: Alt, E, D, H

346 mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design

 Delete a Hole in an Area
1 Click on a fill area containing one or more holes.
2 Click the Edit tab.
3 In the Delete drop-down menu, click Delete Hole .
4 Click the hole you wish to delete. The hole is removed.
5 Right-click to deselect the function.
The Delete Hole icon is only available for objects that can have holes deleted.
6 If desired, click the Delete Hole icon again and repeat.

Delete Emboss Line

Use Delete Emboss Line to delete one or more embossed lines from the currently
selected area. Click any node point on the line to be deleted. Right-click when you have
finished deleting emboss lines.

Shortcuts
■ Edit Tab, Object:
■ Keys: Alt, E, D, E

Delete an Embossed Line on an Area

1 Click on an area containing one or more embossed lines.
2 Click the Edit tab.
3 In the Delete drop-down menu, click Delete Emboss Line .
4 Click a node point on the line you wish to delete. The embossed line will be deleted.
5 Right-click to deselect the function.
The Delete Emboss Line icon is only available for objects that can have embossed lines deleted.
6 If desired, click the Delete Emboss Line icon again and repeat.

Delete MultiWave Line

Use Delete MultiWave Line to delete one or more MultiWave lines from the currently
selected MultiWave Fill area. Click any node point on the line to be deleted. Right-click
when you have finished deleting MultiWave lines.

Shortcuts
■ Edit Tab, Object:
■ Keys: Alt, E, D, W

Delete a MultiWave Line from a MultiWave Fill Area

1 Click on a MultiWave Fill area containing one or more MultiWave lines.
2 Click the Edit tab.
3 In the Delete drop-down menu, click Delete MultiWave Line .
4 Click a node point on the line you wish to delete. The MultiWave line will be deleted.
5 Right-click to deselect the function.
The Delete MultiWave Line icon is only available for objects that can have MultiWave lines deleted.
6 If desired, click the Delete MultiWave Line icon again and repeat.

Break Apart
Use Break Apart to break apart a fill area with a border into a separate line and fill area.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design 347

 Use this feature to duplicate individual parts of an area, or for fine adjustments. For
example, use it to change the stitch length of an Appliqué placement line from the default
of 2.0mm.

Shortcut
■ Keys: Alt, E, B

Break Apart an Area with a Border into a Line and a Fill

1 Click the Edit tab.
2 Click on a fill area with a border.
Note that in the FilmStrip the area is listed as a single item, e.g. Pattern Fill.
3 Click Break Apart . The selected area will be separated into a fill and a line, together with color
commands if the line is a different color.
4 If desired, select another fill area and click Break Apart again to repeat the process.

Reverse Functions
Reverse Column End to End
Reverse the order of all the points defining a column so that the start becomes the end,
and vice versa.
This option is only available when a column is selected.

Shortcut
■ Keys: Alt, E, R, E
Reverse Column Side to Side
Swap each pair of points within a column.
Thus, if a column started with a left point and ended with a right point, then all right
points would be swapped to become left points. The column would then start on the right
and end on the left.
This option is only available when a column is selected.

Shortcut
■ Keys: Alt, E, R, S
Reverse Line
Reverse the order of the points defining a line so that the start becomes the end, and vice
versa.
This option is only available when a line is selected.

Shortcut
■ Keys: Alt, E, R, L

Select a Block of Objects

The select functions on the Home tab allow you to select a block of objects. A selected
block of objects can be resized, rotated, mirrored, moved, copied and cut. You may find it

348 mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design

 easier to select a block when you have selected colors to display and/or changed the
range of objects that are visible.
When a block has been selected, it has a selection box around it on the work area. The
selection box has blue handles which are used to resize, rotate and flip the block.
Flip Vertical Handle

Resize
Handle

Flip
Rotate
Horizontal
Handle
Handle
Center of
Rotation

The handles are blue because you can freely manipulate the selection without changing density or stitch
length in the objects. This is because the stitches are only generated when you use Export Embroidery.
Click and drag inside the block to move it. Click and drag the square corner handles to
resize the block. Hold down the Ctrl key as you click and drag to resize proportionally.
Hold down Shift to resize from the center. Click and drag the round rotate handle to
rotate the block freely. Click and drag the center of rotation to rotate around a different
point. Click the triangular handles to flip the block horizontally or vertically .
When making a selection, only objects that are completely enclosed by the selection line will be included in
the selection. You will often need to cross Running stitches to make a selection. These objects would not be
included because you have not completely enclosed them.

Inserting or Pasting a Block

When a new selection is added to a design by paste or one of the insert functions, it is
automatically selected as the current block and Box Select is activated.

Deselecting a Block
Click the work area outside a block to deselect it. The selection box around the block will
disappear. Right-click to deselect a block and also turn off the current select function.

Select Last Visible

Use Select Last Visible on the FilmStrip to select the last object that has not been
hidden by Color Select, any of the object Filters, or the End slider.
Use Select Last Visible to ensure that new objects that you create appear at the end of your design.

Shortcut
■ FilmStrip:

mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design 349

 Box Select
With Box Select , click and drag to draw a rectangle around the area you want to select.
When you lift the pen or release the mouse button, the block will show you the extent of
your selection. Right-click to deselect. Only objects that are completely enclosed by the
selection line will be selected.

Use Add to Selection with any select function to increase the area of selected objects, or use Remove
From Selection to make the currently selected area smaller.
Box Select is also activated automatically when a block is pasted into a design.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab, Select; Status Bar:
■ Keys: Alt, H, B

Use Box Select

1 If desired, use the FilmStrip, Draw Range sliders, Filters and color worksheet to hide objects so that it
is easier to see the required objects.
2 Click the Box Select icon .
3 Click and drag to draw a rectangle around the required objects.
4 Lift the pen or release the mouse button when the required objects are enclosed. They will become
the current selection, indicated by a rectangle with blue handles.
5 If you want to make a new selection, click outside the current selection to deselect it. Then draw a
new box around the required objects.
6 Right-click to cancel the Box Select tool, which will also deselect any selected objects.

Point Select
With Point Select , click a series of points to create an irregular outline of straight or
curved lines around the desired area. Click Point Select and the pointer changes to the
Point select pointer . Click a series of points to create an irregular outline of straight or
curved lines around the desired area, using Shift+click to place a square (straight line)
point. Click and drag to reposition an existing point. Click Delete to remove the last–
placed point. Right-click when the area is complete. The selection box will show you the
extent of the block. Point Select may be easier to use than Freehand Select for precise
selections. Click to deselect. Only objects that are completely enclosed by the selection
line will be selected.

Use Add to Selection with any select function to increase the area of selected objects, or use Remove
From Selection to make the currently selected area smaller.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab, Select; Status Bar:
■ Keys: Alt, H, FP

Use Point Select

1 If desired, use the FilmStrip, Draw Range sliders, Hide Object Types buttons and color worksheet to
hide objects so that it is easier to see the required objects.
2 Click Point Select . The pointer changes to the Point pointer .
3 Click to place the first point for the selection. A yellow node appears.

350 mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design

4 Click to place a series of points around the desired area.
As you click the third point on the line, the line becomes closed (it becomes a loop). As you place more
points the line adjusts itself.
The line may ’swing’ while you place points. Just carry on, you can adjust it afterwards.
5 Use Shift+click to place square nodes for straight lines.
6 Move the pointer over one of the nodes on the line. The pointer changes to the Move Node
pointer . Adjust the node as desired.
When the Move Node pointer is active you can adjust existing nodes.
If you click while the Point pointer is active, another point will be added to the line.
7 When your line is as desired, right-click to surround the area with a selection box.
8 Right-click to deselect Point Select.

Freehand Select
With Freehand Select , click and drag to draw an irregular outline around the desired
area. When you lift the pen or release the mouse button, the area is closed automatically
with a straight line between the last pointer position and the start position. The block will
show you the extent of your selection. Right-click to deselect. Only objects that are
completely enclosed by the selection line will be selected.

Use Add to Selection with any select function to increase the area of selected objects, or use Remove
From Selection to make the currently selected area smaller.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab, Select; Status Bar:
■ Keys: Alt, H, FS

Use Freehand Select

1 If desired, use the FilmStrip, Draw Range sliders, Hide Object Types buttons and color worksheet to
hide objects so that it is easier to see the required objects.
2 Click the Freehand Select icon .
3 Click and drag to draw a line around the required objects. The objects inside the line will become the
current selection, indicated by a rectangle with blue handles.
4 The line is closed automatically in a straight line between your start point and end point. If you are
not close enough to your start point then you could leave out some desired objects by accident.
5 If you want to make a new selection, click outside the current selection to deselect it. Then draw a
new line around the required objects.
6 Right-click to cancel the Freehand Select tool, which will also deselect any selected objects.

Select All Visible

Select All Visible is a one-click function that selects all visible objects in the design.
Right-click to deselect.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab, Select; Status Bar:
■ Keys: Alt, H, SA

mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design 351

 Use Select All Visible
1 Use the FilmStrip, Draw Range sliders, Hide Object Types buttons and color worksheet to hide objects
so that only the required objects are visible. Alternatively, for selecting a single object for adjustment,
click the desired object in the FilmStrip, either right-click the FilmStrip and click Display Only Selected
so that only the chosen object is visible, or click Only Selected in the Edit tab.
2 Click the Select All Visible icon.
3 The currently visible objects will become the current selection, indicated by a rectangle with blue
handles.
4 Right-click to cancel the Select All Visible tool, which will also deselect any selected objects.

Select None
Use Select None to deselect all of the objects in the work area, including any outside
the hoop.
Use the color worksheet and the Draw Range to select which objects are visible in the
current design. This is useful to isolate particular objects, especially if they are more than
one color, or you only wish to apply a function to part of an area.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab, Select; Status Bar:
■ Keys: Alt, H, SN

Replace Selection
Use Replace Selection to replace the currently selected objects with the new selection.

Replace a Selection
1 Place several objects on the work area.
2 Use Box Select (or another of the selection tools) to select some of these objects.
3 With Replace Selection selected, click Box Select and select some different objects.
The new selection replaces your old selection.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab, Select:
■ Keys: Alt, H, RS

Add To Selection
Use Add to Selection to add the new selection to the currently selected objects.

Add to a Selection
1 Place several objects on the work area.
2 Use Box Select (or another of the selection tools) to select some of these objects.
3 With Add to Selection selected, click Box Select and select some different objects.
The new selection is added to your old selection.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab, Select:
■ Keys: Alt, H, A

352 mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design

 Remove From Selection
Use Remove from Selection to remove the new selection from the currently selected
objects.

Remove from a Selection

1 Place several objects on the work area.
2 Use Box Select (or another of the selection tools) to select some of these objects.
3 With Remove From Selection selected, click Box Select and select some of the objects within
your selection.
The new selection is removed from your old selection.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab, Select:
■ Keys: Alt, H, RF

Multiple Select and Groups

Multiple Select
Use multiple select to select more than one object at a time.
In the FilmStrip, hold down the Ctrl key and click the desired objects. A selection box will
be placed around the selected objects. Alternatively, use one of the multiple select tools in
the Select area.
The selected objects are surrounded by a selection box with a solid outline, and blue
handles. Lettering, SuperDesigns and inserted embroideries retain their orange (Group)
handles. The whole selection can be scaled, rotated and mirrored.

If you click outside the selection box, the designs will become separate. Use Undo , or select them again
to recreate the multiple selection.

Grouping Selected Objects

In mySewnet™ Digitizing, you can edit objects individually, in a selected block, or in
groups which remain as a selection after saving. To reshape or change the properties of an
individual object inside a group, select it on the FilmStrip.

When a design including groups is loaded using Insert or Open , all sections will be grouped
together, ready for moving, resizing and so on.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design 353

 Group
Use Group to make a more permanent group of all the currently selected objects. Use
Group to group the objects permanently, or to make a temporary Group while moving or
editing them.
A group can be modified in the same way as a selection.
You can move, resize, mirror and rotate it.
Group can only be used in conjunction
with one of the selection tools.
The grouped objects are surrounded by a
selection box with a solid outline, and orange
handles. The group can be scaled, rotated and
mirrored.
If you click outside the selection box, and then click one
of the objects within the group, the objects will still be
grouped.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab, Group:
■ Keys: Alt, H, G; Right-click FilmStrip, G

Ungroup
Use Ungroup to split the currently selected group into the objects which make it up.
Ungroup can only be used when a group is selected.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab, Group:
■ Keys: Alt, H, U; Right-click FilmStrip, N

Select Similar from Visible

Use Select Similar from Visible to select all visible objects with similar properties (i.e.
the same name in the FilmStrip); for example, select all Radial Fill areas, or all Satin Lines.
It will select all Pattern Fills, whether or not they have a border, but not select Pattern Fill
Appliqué areas at the same time as Pattern Fill.

Shortcuts
■ Edit Tab; FilmStrip Context Menu:
■ Keys: Alt, E, M, V; Right-click FilmStrip, V

Select Similar from Group

Use Select Similar from Group to select all objects with similar properties (i.e. the same
name in the FilmStrip) that are in the same Group.
Objects with similar properties that are in a different Group, or in no Group will not be selected.

354 mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design

 Shortcuts
■ Edit Tab; FilmStrip Context Menu:
■ Keys: Alt, E, M, G; Right-click FilmStrip, U

Modify a Block of Objects

Move a Block of Objects
Move a selected block using click and drag, or nudge. Click inside the block and drag it to
the required position, or use the arrow keys to nudge it into place. When a block is moved,
movement stitches are inserted before and after the block to connect it to the previous
and following objects.
If you accidentally move the center of rotation, simply click and drag inside the selection box again.

How To Move a Block of Objects

1 Click anywhere inside the selection and drag it to the required position. The rectangle around the
selection will be dragged with the pointer.
2 Lift the pen or release the mouse button to drop the selection in place. The selected objects will be
redrawn in their new location.
3 Alternatively, use the arrow keys to nudge the selection into position, then click outside the block to
place it.
4 When you move a selection, you may sometimes move the center of rotation by accident. Simply
release the center of rotation, then click and drag the selection as usual. The center of rotation will
snap back to the center of the selection when you drop the selection in its new position.

Resize a Block of Objects

Click and drag one of the blue square corner handles to resize. Hold down Ctrl as you click
and drag to resize proportionally.

How To Resize a Block of Objects

1 If you want to keep the selected objects in proportion, hold down the Ctrl key.
2 Click and drag any of the square resize handles.
3 Lift the pen or release the mouse button, and then release the Ctrl key if you used that to keep the
proportions. The selection will be redrawn at its new size.

Mirror a Block of Objects

Mirror a block of stitches vertically or horizontally using the blue flip handles on the block
selection box.

Horizontally Flip Block

Click the Flip Horizontal handle to mirror a block horizontally.

Vertically Flip Block

Click the Flip Vertical handle to mirror a block vertically.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design 355

 Rotate a Block of Objects
Click and drag the rotation handle to rotate the block freely to any angle.
Flip Vertical Handle

Resize
Handle

Flip
Rotate
Horizontal
Handle
Handle
Center of
Rotation

If desired, move the center of rotation before rotating the block.

The selection box around the block is rotated around the center of rotation. The block will
be redrawn in its new position.

Move the Center of Rotation

The center of rotation is initially shown in the middle of the block. Click on or within
the center of rotation, then drag it to any position in the design. This changes the pivot
point around which the block rotates.
When the block is moved or resized, the center of rotation is returned to the center of the block.

Rotate 45 Degrees
Use Rotate 45 to rotate the selected block of objects in 45 degree steps. If desired,
move the center of rotation before rotating.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab:
■ Keys: Alt, H, R4

Modify Block
Use Modify Block to open the Modify Block dialog, where you can show and change
the size, rotation and skew of the currently selected block.
If no objects are selected, the whole design will be modified.

Shortcuts
■ Tools, Home Tab:
■ Keys: Alt, H, M, M

356 mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design

 Modify Block
Use the Modify Block dialog box to show and change the
size and rotation of the currently selected block.
Modify the currently selected block as desired, then click OK
to show your changes in the work area.

Click Undo to reverse your changes.

Size
Height and Width %
Show and change the height and width percentage of
the currently selected block.
The size in millimeters to which the block will be changed is
shown to the right.

Proportional
Use this option to keep the relative Height and Width in proportion when either is
changed.

Rotate
Angle
Enter an angle, from 0 to 359 degrees, in the Angle box. The preview shows the selected
angle.

If desired, move the center of rotation before rotating.

Resize a Bicycle Design

1 Click File, New , or File, New Window , and in the Choose Design Type page of the
ExpressDesign Wizard select Load Existing Design, then click Next. In the Open Existing design page,
click Load a Design , browse to the folder Documents\mySewnet\Samples\Digitizing\Edo, and
load the file 'Bicycle’.
2 Ensure the Home tab is selected, and click Box Select .
3 Click and drag to draw a rectangle around the bicycle.
4 Release the mouse button and the bicycle is surrounded by a
selection box with blue handles.
The blue handles indicate that when the size of the design is changed it
will be resized. The stitches are recalculated to maintain the original
density.
5 Note the number of stitches in the design. You can see this in the
Information area on the Design panel.
6 Click Modify Block . The Modify Block dialog box appears.
7 In the Size section, ensure Proportional is checked, then change
Height percentage to 75%.
The Width percentage will increase by the same amount.
8 Click OK. The bicycle decreases in size, and the number of stitches is
reduced from 23606 to approximately 17842.
9 Left-click outside the select box to deselect the design.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design 357

 Scale to Fit Hoop
Use Scale to Fit Hoop to resize the design in the work area proportionally, to fit within
the boundaries of the hoop, centered in the hoop. This is useful to resize a whole design to
fit in a different hoop, although you need to consider whether to change settings or stitch
types. For example, if you enlarge a design, it may be beneficial to add a pattern to wide
satin columns.
The whole design will be resized, including hidden areas.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab, Modify Block:
■ Keys: Alt, H, M, S

Change Design Size

Use the Change Design Size dialog box to alter a design
automatically to a new size, allowing for the stitch objects used.
Resize the design to the desired width or height, then click OK to
show your changes in the work area.

Click Undo to reverse your changes.

It is not possible to resize the design to a size greater than the
selected hoop. If a larger size is entered, the design will be scaled to fit the selected hoop,
and a warning message displayed. To enlarge the design more, select a bigger hoop
before using Change Design Size.

Size
Enter the desired Width or Height in millimeters.
Select Width or Height to select the dimension to use when resizing.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab, Modify Block:
■ Keys: Alt, H, M, C

Cut, Copy and Paste Objects

Once objects have been selected with Box Select, Point Select, Freehand Select or Select
All Visible, they can be cut and copied. Only objects that are completely enclosed by the
selection line will be selected. The selection of objects on the clipboard can be pasted as
many times as desired in the Design window, or into a separate mySewnet™ Digitizing
window.

Cut a Block of Objects

Use Cut to cut out the selected objects and place them on the clipboard. The selection
can then be pasted back in.

Use Delete to remove a block of objects from the design. See “Delete” on page 336.

358 mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design

 Shortcuts
■ Home Tab:
■ Keys: Ctrl + X; Alt, H, CU; Right-click FilmStrip, T

Copy
Use Copy to Copy the selected objects to the clipboard, without affecting the current
selection. The selection can then be pasted back in. If no objects are selected, the whole
design will be copied.
Use Copy Embroidery to copy the whole design to another mySewnet™ Embroidery Software module.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab:
■ Keys: Ctrl + C; Alt, H, CO; Right-click FilmStrip, C

Paste a Block of Objects

Use Paste in the Home tab to paste the objects on the clipboard back into the design,
or into a separate mySewnet™ Digitizing window. The first object in the block is placed in
the same position on the work area after the selected object or the last visible object in
the design.
Color Changes are only transferred if they are within the copied block. If there are no Color
Changes in a pasted block then all the objects will use the thread color already in use
where the block is pasted.
Embroideries that have been copied from other mySewnet™ Embroidery Software modules may not be
pasted into mySewnet™ Digitizing, because they are not copied as objects. However, you may use Insert
Embroidery to import embroideries from other mySewnet™ Embroidery Software modules, and you
can move a design from mySewnet™ Digitizing to another mySewnet™ Embroidery Software module with
Copy Embroidery .

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab, Paste drop-down:
■ Keys: Ctrl + V; Alt, H, PA; Right-click FilmStrip, P

Paste Into Center

Use Paste, Paste Into Center in the Home tab to paste the objects on the clipboard into
the center of the work area. The first object in the block is placed after the selected object
or the last visible object in the design.
Color Changes are only transferred if they are within the copied block. If there are no Color Changes in a
pasted block then all the objects will use the thread color already in use where the block is pasted.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab, Paste drop-down:
■ Keys: Ctrl + Shift + V; Alt, H, P, PI

mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design 359

 Paste and Replace
Use Paste and Replace in the Home tab Paste drop-down to paste the objects on the
clipboard, replacing the currently selected objects.
Color Changes are only transferred if they are within the copied block. If there are no Color Changes in a
pasted block then all the objects will use the thread color already in use where the block is pasted.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab, Paste drop-down
■ Keys: Alt, H, P, PR

Paste Into New Window

Use Paste Into New Window in the Home tab Paste drop-down to paste the objects on the
clipboard into a new window.
Color Changes are only transferred if they are within the copied block. If there are no Color Changes in a
pasted block then all the objects will use the default thread color.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab, Paste drop-down
■ Keys: Alt, H, P, PW

Clipboard Block
When objects are copied they are placed on the Clipboard Block
(usually called the clipboard). The selection of objects on the
clipboard can be pasted as many times as desired within
mySewnet™ Digitizing.

Duplicate
Use Duplicate to make a copy of the selected objects, which is automatically pasted on
the work area below and to the right of the original and after the selected objects in the
stitch sequence.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab:
■ Keys: Alt, H, DU; Right-click FilmStrip, I

Insert Embroidery
Use Insert Embroidery to insert any embroidery into the current design.

To insert an .edo or .can design outline file, use Insert . See “Insert” on page 163.
An inserted embroidery is automatically converted to stitch objects and placed as a group.
The first object in the group is placed after the selected object or the last visible object in
the design. The group can be moved, resized, mirrored, rotated, copied or cut.
Embroideries are inserted at the size they were created.

360 mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design

 To open an embroidery as a design, use File, New to start a design with no picture, and Insert
Embroidery to convert an embroidery to a design.
To see the name of an embroidery, position the arrow pointer over the desired thumbnail.
A label showing the file name will appear.
The following embroidery file formats may be loaded: Bernina (.art version 1, 2, 3),
Brother/Baby Lock/Bernina PEC (.pec), Brother/Baby Lock/Bernina PES (.pes version 2 - 11),
Compucon/Singer PSW (.xxx), Husqvarna Viking / Pfaff (.vp4, .vp3 and .vip), Husqvarna
(.hus, .shv and .dhv), Janome (.jef and .sew), Melco (.exp), Pfaff (.pcs), Tajima (.dst) and
Toyota (.10*).
Files that hold color information, such as .vp4, .vp3, .vip, .hus, .shv, .dhv, .pcs, .pes, .jef, .sew
and .xxx, are shown in the nearest match to the colors in which they were created for the
selected Thread Range (set in mySewnet™ Configure). For files that do not store colors,
such as .dst, .exp and .10?, the embroidery will be shown in a default color sequence.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab:
■ Keys: Alt, H, IE

How to Insert an Embroidery

1 Click the Insert Embroidery icon . The Open dialog box will appear.
2 Browse to the desired embroideries folder.
3 Use the scroll bars to view all the embroideries within the folder.
4 Click on an embroidery to select it, then click Open to insert the embroidery into the work area.

The embroidery is converted to a group of objects and placed in the center of the work area.
Use Ctrl + click in the Open dialog box to insert multiple embroideries. Each embroidery will be inserted as
a separate group. Use Reveal Groups to view the inserted groups.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design 361

 Insert Lettering
Use Insert Lettering to insert lettering from any mySewnet™ Embroidery Software font
into the current design. The first object in the inserted character is placed after the
selected object or the last visible object in the design. The character is also placed as a
group so that it can be moved, resized, mirrored, rotated, copied or cut. Characters are
inserted at the selected size relative to the 'A' character in the font.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab:
■ Keys: Alt, H, IL

Insert Lettering in a Design

1 In the Home tab click the Insert Lettering icon and the Insert Lettering dialog box will appear.
2 Click the drop-down arrow next to the font Category and select the desired category.
3 Click the drop-down arrow next to the font name and select the desired font. The available characters
in the font will be highlighted in the table.
Only characters that have been created for the font may be selected.
4 Click the desired character and it will be shown highlighted.
5 Click Insert. The character will appear on the work area as a group, so you can adjust it as desired.
Alternatively, double-click to insert the character.
6 Repeat to place additional characters as desired.
Subsequent characters are placed to the right of the previous character, creating a line of text that can be
selected, moved and adjusted as desired.

362 mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design

 Insert SuperDesign
Use Insert SuperDesign to insert a SuperDesign from the
SuperDesign sets available in mySewnet™ Digitizing.
SuperDesigns are special designs that can be resized with
constant stitch density. Some SuperDesigns are
multicolored, and the stitch type and style for many can be
changed. Alter the size, proportions, stitch type and thread
color.
Choose a Style for certain SuperDesign sets, for example the
Animals 1 set contains Natural, Sepia and Line styles.
SuperDesign sets are grouped into categories. Each set contains 9
SuperDesigns. The SuperDesign gallery shows thumbnails of all the
SuperDesigns in the currently selected SuperDesign set.

Shortcuts
■ Home Tab:
■ Keys: Alt, H, IS

Insert a SuperDesign
1 In the Home tab, click Insert SuperDesign . The Insert SuperDesign dialog box opens.
2 Search for a SuperDesign in the Search box (see “Search for a SuperDesign” on page 363), or choose a
SuperDesign Category from the drop-down Category menu. The preview will show the first design
set in that category.
Select a single Category, or browse All categories.
3 Click the drop-down arrow below the Category list, and choose a SuperDesign set, then click a design
to select it.
4 Set the Size in millimeters as desired, from 5mm to 200mm. This sets the height of the SuperDesign,
and the width is set proportionally.
5 Click Insert. The SuperDesign is inserted in the work area as a Group, leaving any existing
SuperDesigns unchanged.

Search
You can search for a SuperDesign by name, folder name, or keyword.
Enter the desired text in the Search box and press Enter. Click Clear Search to remove the
search text, and use the drop-down menu to reuse previous searches.
Click Clear Search before browsing SuperDesigns by Category.

Search for a SuperDesign

1 In the Home tab, click Insert SuperDesign to open the Insert SuperDesign dialog box.
2 Enter a search term in the Search box, for example ’christmas’, and press Enter. A gallery of search
results appears by the pointer.
3 Scroll down to view all of the Christmas designs. Alternatively, click the drop-down menu in the
dialog box to view the Christmas designs.
These are from Christmas categories, and single designs with a Christmas theme.
4 Note that the SuperDesign Category drop-down menu is not available. Click the Clear Search button
below the Search box. The most recently used category becomes available.
5 In the Search box enter ’dog’, then press Enter.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design 363

 Besides 18 household pets, there are also three pictures of a sausage in a roll (a hotdog). Searching may
sometimes produce unexpected results!
6 Click the Clear Search button to return to Category view.
7 In the Search box enter ’lion’,
then press Enter. There are ten
different Lion designs.
8 Place the pointer over the first
four lions in turn.
The first three are part of the
Animals set in the Appliqué
Category, and the fourth is from
Tassels. They are all named Lion.
You can search on Category or
SuperDesign name.
9 Place the pointer over the last
six lions.
All of these lions are from Zodiac, and are named Leo. The term "Lion" is from the keywords for these
SuperDesigns.
10 Click to select the first Leo, then click Insert. The lion is inserted as a group in the work area.
The Search function finds all varieties of a particular SuperDesign, there is no need to click the Style option
for a SuperDesign set individually when using Search. In the example above, the appliqué lions using Satin
Line, and the two styles of Motif Line are found.

Insert ExpressDesign
Use Insert ExpressDesign to create a new design in the ExpressDesign Wizard. Use
ExpressDesign into Rectangle to create a new design that is a best-fit to a rectangular
area you draw, and use ExpressDesign into Hoop to create a new design that is a best-
fit to the currently selected hoop.
Insert ExpressDesign is used to add new design elements to an existing design, but can also be used to
create the first part of a new design, or used repeatedly to compose a design from elements created in the
ExpressDesign Wizard.
See “Insert ExpressDesign” on page 97.

364 mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design

 Notes and Settings
Notes
Click Notes to display the Notes, then click
Edit to change the Notes for the currently
selected design. The Notes dialog will appear.
The Notes dialog allows free text and keywords to be
added to the Notes for the selected design. Type
additional Notes in the Notes box.
Use Ctrl+Enter to start a new line of text.
Up to 2000 characters can be entered in the Notes.

Keywords
Select Keywords for the design from the list, then
click Add to add them to the Notes for the design.

Add Notes to a Design

1 Click Notes . The Notes are selected in the Notes and Settings pane.
2 To edit the Notes, click Edit .
3 In the Notes text box make your desired changes to the Notes.
Use Ctrl+Enter to start a new line of text.
4 To add Keywords, select the keyword from the category heading or subcategory in the scrolling list.
Then click Add.
Double-click to expand the folders until the desired keyword is highlighted. (Alternatively click on the +
sign.)
5 Click OK to save your amended Notes and added keywords.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design 365

 Settings
Click Settings to display the Settings, then click
Edit to change the Settings for the currently
selected design. The Settings dialog will appear.
Use Ctrl+Enter to start a new line of text.
Up to 2000 characters can be entered in the
Settings.
When you wish to store the settings for an area, use the ’Show
a text summary for these options ’ option on the Favorites
tab of the Fill Area and Line properties dialog.
Use Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V to Copy and Paste the text to the
Settings dialog.

Add Settings Information to a Design

1 Select the design for which you want to amend the settings. The design will be highlighted.
2 Click Settings .
3 Click Edit .
4 In the Settings text box make your desired changes to the Settings.
Use Ctrl+Enter to start a new line of text.
5 Click OK to save your amended Settings.

Undo and Redo

Undo
Use Undo to reverse the last action. Unlimited Undos are possible. Every time you click
on Undo, the previous action is reversed. If you are not satisfied with the result of the
Undo, click Redo.
To remove an area that was not the last created, select it, then click Delete .
The Zoom commands cannot be reversed using Undo.

Shortcuts
■ Quick Access Toolbar:
■ Keys: Ctrl + Z

Redo
Use Redo to reverse the last action that was undone by Undo. If you are not satisfied
with the result of the Redo, click Undo.

Shortcuts
■ Quick Access Toolbar:
■ Keys: Ctrl + Y

366 mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design

Fill and Satin Patterns
Set the Fill Pattern number for fill areas, satin areas and columns. When a pattern fill area is
first created, for example by converting from another stitch type, the initial setting is
pattern 3. Standard satin uses Pattern 0, which is not available for Pattern Fill areas.
Patterns in categories other than Standard are recommended for use in relatively large fill areas, as they
have repeating patterns which work well when 'tiled' together. Pattern 36 produces a 'satin effect' fill stitch.
The first four patterns in the Gradient & Lace category (253-256) are recommended for multicolor gradient.
Patterns 257 to 264 provide banded fill patterns that combine with crosshatch parallel fills to create a
weave effect for lace designs. Set Spacing for the parallel fill at 2.4mm to combine with Pattern 257, 2.8mm
to combine with Pattern 258, and so on.
Animals 1 — Patterns 37 to 48

Arrows — Patterns 49 to 60

Circles 1 — Patterns 61 to 72

Circles 2 — Patterns 73 to 84

Climate — Patterns 85 to 96

mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design 367

 Diamonds — Patterns 97 to 108

Gradient & Lace —

Patterns 253 to 264

Hearts — Patterns 109 to 120

Leisure 1 — Patterns 121 to 132

Mosaic 1 — Patterns 133 to 144

Mosaic 2 — Patterns 265 to 276

People — Patterns 145 to 156

368 mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design

Plants & Flowers 1 —
Patterns 157 to 168

Polygons — Patterns 169 to 180

Rope & Chains —

Patterns 181 to 192

Squares 1 — Patterns 193 to 204

Squares 2 — Patterns 205 to 216

Standard 1 — Patterns 1 to 12

Standard 2 — Patterns 13 to 24

mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design 369

 Standard 3 — Patterns 25 to 36

Transport — Patterns 217 to 228

Waves 1 — Patterns 229 to 240

Waves 2 — Patterns 241 to 252

370 mySewnet™ Digitizing Editing a Design

 Preferences 17
Use Preferences to set stitch length for single and motif stitches, and color tolerance
and screen options. When these are changed, the new settings will be remembered when
mySewnet™ Digitizing is closed and reopened.

Shortcut
■ File Menu:

General Preferences
Choose whether or not to use color tolerance, and the stitch length for single stitches
when broken up.

Color Tolerance
Selecting the Color Tolerance option causes the Color Tolerance dialog to appear when
any of the QuickStitch™ or QuickTrace functions are used. It allows parts of a picture to be
selected for filling or tracing according to how similar they are in color to the chosen color.
This option is initially selected.

Single Stitches
Break Up
Select Break Up to break long Single Stitches into Running Stitches at the length set in
Maximum Stitch Length.

Maximum Stitch Length

Set the maximum Single Stitch length from 1 to 12mm in steps of 1mm. The initial setting
is 6mm.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Preferences 371

 Single Stitches will be broken up into stitches of this length, unless the setting is altered in the properties
box.

Creating Stitches Preferences

Select whether or not to automatically add tie stitches, the maximum stitch length for
motifs, and the stitch length for Felting Needle color effects.

Tie Off Before and After Trims

Select this option to automatically add a tie stitch before and after a Trim.
When this option is not selected, no ties are automatically added.
This option is initially selected.

Minimum Gap to Add Trim

Set the minimum gap between objects to automatically add a trim.

Maximum Stitch Length for Motif

Set the maximum length of motif stitches used in motifs from 1 to 20mm in steps of
0.1mm. The initial setting is 2mm.

Felting Needle Color Effect

Set the stitch length for Felting Needle stitches. These settings are used whenever a felting
needle color is selected in mySewnet™ Digitizing.

Break Up
Break up Felting Needle stitches into a preset minimum length.

Stitch Length
Set the stitch length for Felting Needle stitches from 0.1mm to 6.0mm in steps of 0.1mm.
The initial setting is 0.4mm.

372 mySewnet™ Digitizing Preferences

 Printing 18
In different parts of the program you can print a design template, a picture background, or
a drawing.

Print: Design Window

Use the Print options for the Design window to choose what to print. Any combination of
embroidery worksheet, plan view and an individually printed picture can be selected.
The Print Setup button presents a Print Setup dialog box, where you specify the printer
and its connection.

Print worksheets
Choose scale, grid & flip

Select information

Print a plan of the project

Print the background picture

Select measurement units

Preview the printout

At least one of the main print options, Print Worksheet, Print Plan View or Print Picture, must be selected or
there will be nothing to print. If none of these options is selected, the Print button will be grayed out
(unavailable).

Shortcuts
■ QuickAccess Toolbar:

Print
Click Print to open the Print page and print the project. See “Print” on page 376.

Worksheet
Select whether to print a worksheet, and the information to be printed on the worksheet,
such as the Dimensions, Color Information, Notes and Technical Information. In addition,
the scale may be altered and a grid turned on or off.

Print Worksheet
Select this option to print a worksheet for the embroidery. Use the Worksheet Options to
alter the appearance and contents of the printed worksheet.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Printing 373

 Design Scale
Select 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% scaling when printing your embroidery. This is how large
the embroidery will print compared to the real size of a stitched out embroidery. Use a
reduced Design Scale if you want to ensure that the worksheet fits on one page. Use the
Print Preview on the right to see how many pages will be printed.

Grid
This determines whether or not a grid will be printed with the embroidery. If you turn this
off you will still get a rectangle representing the hoop.

Flip design for felting or reverse embroidery

Flip the embroidery for being stitched in reverse, or for felting effects.

Print Information
This determines what additional information is printed. All items are selected initially.

Dimensions
The size of the embroidery and the stitch count.

Hoop
The hoop used for the embroidery.

Color Information
The sequence of thread colors used and, if available, the thread specification (range and thread
number). Stop Commands and their text (where present) are also shown.

Decoration Information
Information on the decorations used in mySewnet™ Embroidery, and their size, color and
number.

Notes and Settings

Any notes or settings that are included with the embroidery.

Export Options
The Export options used for the embroidery, as set in the Export dialog box.

Technical Information
The distance of each edge of the embroidery from the center of the embroidery.

Plan
Select whether to print a Plan View, and choose how to print the embroidery when you
print the plan view. Use the plan view as a guide for aligning the embroidery to the
picture.

Print Plan View

Select this option to print a plan view of the picture, with either the whole embroidery or
the alignment stitches printed over the picture. When stitching out, use the plan view as a
guide for aligning the embroidery to the picture.

374 mySewnet™ Digitizing Printing

Print Whole Embroidery
The whole embroidery will be printed on the plan view. If there are alignment stitches
under the embroidery, they may be obscured by the embroidery.

Print Alignment Stitches Only

Only the alignment stitches (if present) in the first color block in the embroidery will be
printed. If the alignment stitches will be obscured by the rest of the embroidery, choose
Print Alignment Stitches Only. Otherwise, it is generally better to choose Print Whole
Embroidery.

Picture
Print Picture
Select this option to print a page that shows only the picture.
When you are ready to print the picture onto printable fabric or an iron-on transfer, select
only this option. That is, deselect Print Worksheet and Print Plan View. This is so that you
can load your printer with the printable fabric or transfer, without printing the worksheet
or plan view first.
The picture can optionally be flipped and/or have the colors faded by 50%.

Flip Picture for Iron-On Tee Shirt Transfer

Use this option if you are printing onto iron-on transfer paper, instead of printing directly
onto the fabric. This is typically used for transferring the picture to a tee-shirt. Using iron-
on transfer paper flips the picture, so use this option to flip it back again, ensuring that the
picture is correctly orientated when it is ironed onto the tee-shirt.

Fade Picture
Use this option to fade the picture by 50%, if desired. This will make the threads stitched
over the picture stand out.
Fade Picture affects both the plan view and the individually printed picture.

Align Picture To
Use this option to position the printed picture on your printable fabric or transfer paper. If
you have a small picture, you can use this option to conserve the printable media by
moving the printed picture to the top or bottom of the page. Alternatively, use center
alignment to make hooping up easier.
Choose from Center, Top or Bottom. Use Print Preview to verify the size and position if you
have already printed on the other part of the media.

Units of Measurement
Set the Units of Measurement for the Dimensions and Technical Information to mm or
inches, as desired.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Printing 375

 Print Setup
Click the Print Setup button to see the Print Setup dialog box that is used to select the
printer, what paper to use and the paper orientation.

Print Setup
This is displayed when you click the Print Setup button in the Print dialog box. Use Print
Setup to select the destination printer and its connection.

Printer
Select the printer you want to use.

Paper Size
Select the size of paper that the embroidery is to be printed on.

Paper Source
Some printers offer multiple trays for different paper sources. Specify the tray here.

Orientation
Choose Portrait or Landscape. Generally, you should not need Landscape for the standard
hoop sizes as the embroidery is rotated automatically by the print process when you print
an embroidery that uses a Rotated hoop.

Properties
Displays a dialog box that provides additional printing choices, specific to the type of
printer you have selected.

Print
Print the embroidery displayed on the mySewnet™ Digitizing preview. Other information,
such as the Dimensions, Color Information, Notes and Technical Information is printed
depending on the choices made in Page Setup. The scale may also be altered and a grid
turned on or off in Page Setup. If possible, the hoop will be printed with the same
orientation as on the screen. If a horizontal hoop is too wide to fit on the paper at the

376 mySewnet™ Digitizing Printing

Design Scale chosen in Page Setup then the hoop will be rotated 90 degrees when it is
printed.
The Print dialog box appears, where you may specify number of copies, the destination
printer, and other printer setup options.

Printer
Select the printer you want to use.

Properties
Displays a dialog box where you can make additional choices about printing, specific to
the type of printer you have selected.

Print to File
When this option is checked, you will be prompted for a file name after you click OK. The
print job will then be saved with the file name you specify and can be sent to the printer at
a later time.
This is an advanced Windows® printing option.

Print Range
Select the range of pages you wish to print.

Copies
Select the number of Copies you wish to print. If you choose to print more than one copy,
you can choose to Collate the copies.

mySewnet™ Digitizing Printing 377

 Quick Reference Guide 19
Design Window
Ribbon Tabs
File Tab/Menu
New Clear the screen ready to create or load a new design.
Ctrl + N
New Window Open an additional mySewnet™ Font Digitizing window.
Ctrl + Shift + N
Open Open an existing design, replacing the design on the screen.
Ctrl + O
Save Save the design with the same name.
Ctrl + S; Alt, 2
Save As Save the design under a new name.
Ctrl + Shift + S; Alt, 3
Export Save the embroidery in the current window as a flattened .vp4 file, or in
an alternative embroidery format.
Ctrl+ E; Alt, 4
Export Appliqué Save or print appliqué outlines ready for cutting by a fabric cutter or
Pieces INSPIRA™ Cutwork Needles.
Ctrl + Shift + E
Send Send the selected embroidery to the mySewnet™ Cloud, or to the
connected machine or computer.
Ctrl + K
Print Set printing options, preview and print the selected design(s) and
background.
Preferences Set the stitch and screen options.

Configure Open mySewnet™ Configure.

Exit Close the current window and prompt to save new and changed
designs.
Alt + F4
Recent Open recently used designs.

Home Tab
Clipboard
Copy Copy the selected objects to the clipboard, without affecting the
current selection.
Ctrl + C; Alt, H, CO, CO
Copy Embroidery
Copy the design as an embroidery for use in another mySewnet™
Embroidery Software module.
Ctrl + Shift + C; Alt, H, CO, CE

378 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Quick Reference Guide

 Paste Paste the objects on the clipboard back into the design.
Ctrl + V; Alt, H, P, PA
Paste Into Center
Paste the objects on the clipboard into the center of the work area.
Ctrl + Shift + V; Alt, H, P. PI
Paste and Replace
Paste the objects on the clipboard, replacing the currently selected
objects.
Alt, H, P, PR
Paste Into New Window
Paste the objects on the clipboard into a new window.
Alt, H, P, PW
Cut Cut out the selected objects and place them on the clipboard.
Ctrl + X; Alt, H, X
Duplicate Make a copy of the selected objects, which is automatically pasted on
the work area below and to the right of the original.
Ctrl + D; Alt, H, DU
Delete Delete the selected object or the last object in the design.
Delete; Alt, H, DE
Select
Box Select Select a block of objects by drawing a rectangle.
Alt, H, B
Freehand Select Select a block of objects by drawing a line around the required objects.
Alt, H, FS
Point Select Select a block of objects by clicking a series of points to create an
irregular outline of straight or curved lines around the required
objects.
Alt, H, FP
Select All Visible Select all visible objects as a single block.
Ctrl + A; Alt, H, SA
Select None Deselect all of the objects in the work area, including any outside the
hoop.
Ctrl + Shift + A; Alt, H, SN
Replace Replace the currently selected designs with the new selection.
Selection Alt, H, RS
Add To Add the new selection to the currently selected designs.
Selection Alt, H, A
Remove From Remove the new selection from the currently selected designs.
Selection Alt, H, RF
Group Group selected objects together so they may be moved, resized or
scaled and rotated together.
Alt, H, G
Ungroup
Ungroup a selected group so that each object may edited
independently.
Alt, H, U

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Quick Reference Guide 379

 Rotate 45 Rotate the selected block of objects by 45 degrees.
Alt, H, R4
Modify Block Show and change the size and rotation of the currently selected block.
Alt, H, M, M
Scale to Fit Hoop
Resize the design in the work area proportionally to fit within the
boundaries of the hoop.
Alt, H, M, S
Change Design Size
Alter the design automatically to a new size allowing for the stitch
objects used.
Alt, H, M, C
Points
Edit Points Use Edit Points to enable the moving and editing of an object’s points
if another function is being used.
Return; Alt, H, E
Insert Points Add a new point to the currently selected line.
Ctrl + Shift + D; Alt, H, IP
Delete Points Delete points from the currently selected line.
Ctrl + D; Alt, H, DP
Convert Points
and Bezier Lines
Convert Points to Corner
Change the selected point in a Bezier line to a Corner point.
Alt, H, CP, CP
Convert Points to Smooth
Change the selected point in a Bezier line to a Smooth point.
Alt, H, CP, CT
Convert Points to Symmetric
Change the selected point in a Bezier line to a Symmetric point.
Alt, H, CP, CS
Convert to Point Line
Change the selected Bezier Line to a Point Line.
Alt, H, CP, CL
Convert to Bezier Line
Change the selected Point Line to a Bezier Line.
Alt, H, CP, CC
Insert
Insert Insert outline designs (.edo and .can files) into the current design by
name or number.
Alt, H, IN
Insert Insert embroidery files by name or number.
Embroidery Alt, H, IE
Insert Lettering Insert lettering from mySewnet™ Embroidery Software fonts.
Alt, H, IL
Insert
ExpressDesign

380 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Quick Reference Guide

 ExpressDesign into Rectangle
Create a design automatically to fit in the selected area.
Alt, H, IR, IR
ExpressDesign into Hoop
Create a design automatically to fit in the hoop.
Alt, H, IR, IH
Insert Insert a SuperDesign from the SuperDesign sets available in
SuperDesign mySewnet™ Digitizing
Alt, H, IS
Hoop
Change Hoop Choose the hoop size you wish to use in mySewnet™ Digitizing.
Ctrl + H; Alt, 6; Alt, H, H; Alt, V, H
Life View Show how an embroidery exported from the project will look in 3D
with real-world perspective. Create a picture or video of your design.
Ctrl + L; Alt 9; Alt, H, L
Design Player Play through the stitches in the embroidery as if they were being
stitched from an exported embroidery. Create a picture or video of
your design.
Ctrl + J; Alt 0; Alt, H, J

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Quick Reference Guide 381

 Quick Create Tab
Command
Color Change Insert a Color Change after the currently selected object.
Alt, Q, C, C
Pick Color
Choose a color from the background picture to set a new thread
color.
Alt, Q, C, P
Quick Colors
Click one of the Quick Colors to set a new thread color.
Fill Area and Line
Fill Create a fill.
No Fill
No fill type is selected.
Alt, Q, F, N
Pattern Fill
Create a fill area with small stitches in a repeating pattern.
Alt, Q, F, P
Motif Fill
Create a fill area with one or two motif stitches in a repeating
pattern.
Alt, Q, F, M
Shape Fill
Create a fill area where the stitching lines follow one of 75 shapes,
using motif lines if desired.
Alt, Q, F, S
Radial Fill
Create a fill area that radiates out from the center.
Alt, Q, F, R
Spiral Fill
Create a fill area that follows a spiral path from the center.
Alt, Q, F, L
QuiltStipple Fill
Create a stippled fill area.
Alt, Q, F, Q
Contour Fill
Create a fill area that follows the contours of the outline.
Alt, Q, F, C
Crosshatch Fill
Create a crosshatched fill area.
Alt, Q, F, X
Curved Crosshatch Fill
Create a curved crosshatched fill area.
Alt, Q, F, H
MultiWave Fill
Create a MultiWave fill area.
Alt, Q, F, U

382 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Quick Reference Guide

 Echo Fill
Create an Echo fill area.
Alt, Q, F, E
Line Create a line or border.
No Border Line
No border line is placed around the Fill Area.
Alt, Q, L, N
Running Stitch
Create a border of running stitches (small consecutive stitches).
Alt, Q, L, R
Double Stitch
Create a border of double stitch (small stitches going forward,
followed by small stitches going backward).
Alt, Q, L, D
Double Zigzag
Create a line of small stitches going forward, followed by zigzag
stitches going backward.
Alt, Q, L, Z
Triple Stitch
Create a border of triple stitch (small three-part stitches, each
composed of one stitch going forward, one going backward then
one going forward).
Alt, Q, L, T
Satin Line
Create a border of satin stitches of constant width.
Alt, Q, L, S
Motif Line
Create a border of motif stitches.
Alt, Q, L, M
Appliqué Use appliqué for the area.

Select Appliqué Fabric

Open the Appliqué Selection dialog box to select an appliqué
fabric.
Alt, Q, A, F
QuickStitch™ Fill the selected area with stitches automatically.
Alt, Q, Q
QuickStitch™ + Fill the selected area with stitches and create holes automatically.
AutoHole Alt, Q, H
Shape Select one of 75 shapes to draw as a fill area with or without a
border, or as a closed line, on the work area.
Alt, Q, S; Alt, Q, P
Enhance
QuickStitch™ Insert a hole automatically in the selected fill area.
Hole Alt, Q, U
Emboss Line

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Quick Reference Guide 383

 Freehand Emboss Line
Draw one or more embossed lines of needle points over the
selected object(s).
Alt, Q, E, F
Point Emboss Line
Place points to define one or more embossed lines of needle points
over the selected object(s).
Alt, Q, E, P
MultiWave Line

Freehand MultiWave Line

Draw one or more MultiWave lines within the selected MultiWave
Fill object.
Alt, Q, W, F
Point MultiWave Line
Place points to define one or more MultiWave lines within the
selected MultiWave Fill object.
Alt, Q, W, P
Trace
Trace

Double Trace
Create a layer of double stitch, with running stitch where necessary,
automatically following the selected line.
Alt, Q, T, D
Quadruple Trace
Create a layer of running and a layer of triple stitches automatically
following the selected line.
Alt, Q, T, Q
Satin Line Trace
Create satin stitches of fixed width automatically following the
selected line.
Alt, Q, T, S
Motif Line Trace
Create a line of motif stitches automatically following the selected
line.
Alt, Q, T, M
Satin Area
QuickStitch™ Create a satin area automatically in the selected area.
Satin Alt, Q, K
QuickStitch™ Create a multiple part satin area automatically in the selected areas.
Multiple Satin Alt, Q, M
Options

384 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Quick Reference Guide

 Fill Area and Open the options dialog for the fill area and line.
Line Alt, Q, OF
Satin Area Open the options dialog for the satin area.
Alt, Q, OS
Quick Create from Create a design using the current background picture.
Background Alt, Q, B

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Quick Reference Guide 385

 Freehand Create Tab
Command
Color Change Insert a Color Change after the currently selected object.
Alt, R, C, C
Pick Color
Choose a color from the background picture to set a new thread
color.
Alt, R, C, P
Quick Colors
Select one of the 32 Quick Colors.
Single Stitch Insert Single Stitches of variable length.
Alt, R, N
Alignment Stitch Insert an alignment stitch.
Alt, R, G
Stop Insert a Stop after the currently selected object.
Alt, R, P
Fill Area and Line
Fill Create a fill.
No Fill
No fill type is selected.
Alt, Q, F, N
Pattern Fill
Create a fill area with small stitches in a repeating pattern.
Alt, R, F, P
Motif Fill
Create a fill area with one or two motif stitches in a repeating
pattern.
Alt, R, F, M
Shape Fill
Create a fill area where the stitching lines follow one of 75 shapes,
using motif lines if desired.
Alt, R, F, S
Radial Fill
Create a fill area that radiates out from the center.
Alt, R, F, R
Spiral Fill
Create a fill area that follows a spiral path from the center.
Alt, R, F, L
QuiltStipple Fill
Create a stippled fill area.
Alt, R, F, Q
Contour Fill
Create a fill area that follows the contours of the outline.
Alt, R, F, C

386 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Quick Reference Guide

 Crosshatch Fill
Create a crosshatched fill area.
Alt, R, F, X
Curved Crosshatch Fill
Create a curved crosshatched fill area.
Alt, R, F, H
MultiWave Fill
Create a MultiWave fill area.
Alt, R, F, U
Echo Fill
Create an Echo fill area.
Alt, R, F, E
Line Create a line or border.
No Border Line
No border line is placed around the Fill Area.
Alt, Q, L, N
Running Stitch
Create a border of running stitches (small consecutive stitches).
Alt, R, F, R
Double Stitch
Create a border of double stitch (small stitches going forward,
followed by small stitches going backward).
Alt, R, F, D
Double Zigzag
Create a line of small stitches going forward, followed by zigzag
stitches going backward.
Alt, R, F, Z
Triple Stitch
Create a border of triple stitch (small three-part stitches, each
composed of one stitch going forward, one going backward then
one going forward).
Alt, R, F, T
Satin Line
Create a border of satin stitches of constant width.
Alt, R, F, S
Motif Line
Create a border of motif stitches.
Alt, R, F, M
Appliqué Use appliqué for the area.

Select Appliqué Fabric

Open the Appliqué Selection dialog box to select an appliqué
fabric.
Alt, R, A, F
Create Freehand Fill an area with stitches by drawing a line around it.
Area or Line Alt, R, R
Enhance

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Quick Reference Guide 387

 Freehand Hole Cut out holes within the selected fill area, by drawing outlines to
define the holes.
Alt, R, H
Freehand Draw one or more embossed lines of needle points over the
Emboss Line selected object(s).
Alt, R, E
Freehand Draw one or more MultiWave lines within the selected MultiWave
MultiWave Line Fill object.
Alt, R, W
Column
Freehand Satin Draw an outline to create a satin area.
Area Alt, R, T
Satin Column Place alternate points to define a column of satin.
Alt, R, S
Feathered Satin Place alternate points to define a column of feathered satin.
Alt, R, D
Richelieu Bars Place alternate points to define a column of Richelieu bars (short
sections of satin perpendicular to the direction of the column).
Alt, R, B
Tapered Motifs Place alternate points to define a line of motifs that vary in size
according to the width of the column.
Alt, R, M
Options
Fill Area and Open the options dialog for the fill area and line.
Line Alt, R, OF
Satin Area Open the options dialog for the satin area.
Alt, R, OS
Column Open the options dialog for the column. Choose from: Satin
Column, Feathered Satin, Richelieu Bars and Tapered Motifs.
Alt, R, OC

Point Create Tab

Command
Color Change Insert a Color Change after the currently selected object.
Alt, P, C, C
Pick Color
Choose a color from the background picture to set a new thread
color.
Alt, P, C, P
Quick Colors
Select one of the 32 Quick Colors.
Single Stitch Insert Single Stitches of variable length.
Alt, P, N
Alignment Stitch Insert an alignment stitch.
Alt, P, G

388 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Quick Reference Guide

 Stop Insert a Stop after the currently selected object.
Alt, P, P
Fill Area and Line
Fill Create a fill.
No Fill
No fill type is selected.
Alt, Q, F, N
Pattern Fill
Create a fill area with small stitches in a repeating pattern.
Alt, P, F, P
Motif Fill
Create a fill area with one or two motif stitches in a repeating
pattern.
Alt, P, F, M
Shape Fill
Create a fill area where the stitching lines follow one of 75 shapes,
using motif lines if desired.
Alt, P, F, S
Radial Fill
Create a fill area that radiates out from the center.
Alt, P, F, R
Spiral Fill
Create a fill area that follows a spiral path from the center.
Alt, P, F, L
QuiltStipple Fill
Create a stippled fill area.
Alt, P, F, Q
Contour Fill
Create a fill area that follows the contours of the outline.
Alt, P, F, C
Crosshatch Fill
Create a crosshatched fill area.
Alt, P, F, X
Curved Crosshatch Fill
Create a curved crosshatched fill area.
Alt, P, F, H
MultiWave Fill
Create a MultiWave fill area.
Alt, P, F, U
Echo Fill
Create an Echo fill area.
Alt, P, F, E
Line Create a line or border.
No Border Line
No border line is placed around the Fill Area.
Alt, Q, L, N

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Quick Reference Guide 389

 Running Stitch
Create a border of running stitches (small consecutive stitches).
Alt, P, L, R
Double Stitch
Create a border of double stitch (small stitches going forward,
followed by small stitches going backward).
Alt, P, L, D
Double Zigzag
Create a line of small stitches going forward, followed by zigzag
stitches going backward.
Alt, P, L, Z
Triple Stitch
Create a border of triple stitch (small three-part stitches, each
composed of one stitch going forward, one going backward then
one going forward).
Alt, P, L, T
Satin Line
Create a border of satin stitches of constant width.
Alt, P, L, S
Motif Line
Create a border of motif stitches.
Alt, P, L, M
Appliqué Use appliqué for the area.

Select Appliqué Fabric

Open the Appliqué Selection dialog box to select an appliqué
fabric.
Alt, P, A, F
Create Point Area or Line
Fill an area with stitches by placing points around it.
Alt, P, R
Enhance
Point Hole Cut out holes within the selected fill area, by placing points to
define the holes.
Alt, P, H
Point Emboss Place points to define one or more embossed lines of needle points
Line over the selected object(s).
Alt, P, E
Point MultiWave Place points to define one or more MultiWave lines within the
Line selected MultiWave Fill object.
Alt, P, W
Satin Area
Point Satin Area Place points to create a satin area.
Alt, P, T
Enhance
Satin Column Place alternate points to define a column of satin.
Alt, P, S

390 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Quick Reference Guide

 Feathered Satin Place alternate points to define a column of feathered satin.
Alt, P, D
Richelieu Bars Place alternate points to define a column of Richelieu bars (short
sections of satin perpendicular to the direction of the column).
Alt, P, B
Tapered Motifs Place alternate points to define a line of motifs that vary in size
according to the width of the column.
Alt, P, M
Options
Fill Area and Open the options dialog for the fill area and line.
Line Alt, P, OF
Satin Area Open the options dialog for the satin area.
Alt, P, OS
Column Open the options dialog for the column. Choose from: Satin
Column, Feathered Satin, Richelieu Bars and Tapered Motifs.
Alt, P, OC

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Quick Reference Guide 391

 Edit Tab
Display Range
Draw Previous Step through the color blocks in reverse order.
Color Block Alt, E, P
Draw Next Color Step through the color blocks one at a time.
Block Alt, E, N
Display All Display all objects and commands in the design.
Objects Alt, E, A
Draw Range The upper slider bar sets the Draw From Start object. The lower
slider bar sets the Draw To End object. Move the appropriate slider
bar to change the start or end object. Objects are not displayed
when the color block containing the objects is hidden.
Only Selected Show only the currently selected object.
Alt, E, Y
Only From Start Show only the currently visible objects from the start to the
selected object.
Alt, E, S
Only To End Show only the currently visible objects from the selected object to
the end of the design.
Alt, E, E
Hide Object Types
Lines Show and hide Running, Double and Triple Stitches, Tapered Motifs
and Motif Lines.
Alt, E, HL
Fills Show and hide pattern fill areas, motif fill areas and shape, radial,
spiral, QuiltStipple, contour and crosshatch fill areas.
Alt, E, HF
Satin Areas Show and hide satin areas.
Alt, E, HA
Columns Show and hide Satin Columns, Richelieu bars, feathered satin and
satin lines.
Alt, E, HC
Single Stitches Show and hide Single Stitches and Alignment Stitches.
Alt, E, HS
Stops and Show and hide Color Change and Stop commands.
Colors Alt, E, HP
Groups Show and hide Groups and all their contents.
Alt, E, HG
Appliqués Show and hide Appliqué areas.
Alt, E, HQ
Object
Delete

Delete Hole
Delete one or more holes from the currently selected area.
Alt, E, D, H

392 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Quick Reference Guide

 Delete Emboss Line
Delete one or more embossed lines from the currently selected
area.
Alt, E, D, E
Delete MultiWave Line
Delete one or more MultiWave lines from the currently selected
MultiWave fill area.
Alt, E, D, W
Break Apart Break a complex object into its constituent parts.
Alt, E, B
Reversal

Reverse Column End to End

Reverse the order of all the points defining a column so that the
start becomes the end and vice versa.
Alt, E, R, E
Reverse Column Side to Side
Swap each pair of points within a column.
Alt, E, R, S
Reverse Line
Reverse the order of the points defining a line so that the start
becomes the end, and vice versa.
Alt, E, R, L
Manage My Fills Load new pictures for fill patterns, export an existing My Fill pattern
as a picture and delete unwanted My Fills.
Alt, E, F
Select Similar from Visible
Select all visible objects with similar properties.
Alt, E, M, V
Select Similar from Group
Select all objects with similar properties that are in the same Group.
Alt, E, M, G
Properties Display the properties for the selected object.
Alt, E, O
Global Change the properties of all visible objects of a selected type.
Properties Alt, E, G

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Quick Reference Guide 393

 View Tab
Grid
Show Grid Show or hide the background grid, and set its size.
Show Grid: Alt, V, G; Size: Alt, V, S
Get Length Measure the distance between any two points on the work area.
Alt, V, L
Background
Edit Background Load, create or edit a background picture in mySewnet™ Draw & Paint
Alt, V, E
Fade Use the slider to Hide, Fade or Show the background image.
View Mode
3D View View objects as embroidery stitches.
Ctrl + T; Alt, V, 3
2D View View objects as individual stitches with no shading.
Ctrl + R; Alt, V, 2
Object View View the outline of the objects in the design.
Ctrl + R; Alt, V, O
Hoop
Change Hoop Choose the hoop size you wish to use in mySewnet™ Digitizing.
Ctrl + H; Alt, 6; Alt, H, H; Alt, V, H
Panels
Show Design Show the Design Panel.
Panel Alt, V, D
Show FilmStrip View the Filmstrip.
Alt, V, F

Help Tab
Help Topics List help topics.
F1; Alt, L, H
About mySewnet™ Display module information, version number and copyright.
Font Digitizing Alt, L, A

394 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Quick Reference Guide

Design Window — FilmStrip
FilmStrip Items
Thread Color Bar
The color bar shows the color of each object, even when the Color Changes are hidden.

Object
Each object is represented graphically. Markers are shown for Color Changes, Alignment
Stitches and Stops. A Color Change also shows a thread sample. All other object types
show the shape of the objects as black outlines.

Object Type
The name of the object type is shown.

Layout Order
Move Forwards Bring one step closer to the front of the design.

Move Backwards Bring one step closer to the back of the design.

Move to Front Place at the front of the design.

Move to Back Place at the back of the design.

Reveal Groups Switch between viewing the objects within Groups in the FilmStrip,
and seeing only the Group heading rows in the FilmStrip.
Select Last Visible Select the last object that has not been hidden by Color Select, any
of the object Filters, or the End slider.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Quick Reference Guide 395

 FilmStrip Context Menu
Display Only Show only the currently selected object or group of objects.
Selected
Display Only From Display only the visible objects from the start of the design to the
Start selected object. Hence, all objects after the selected object are
hidden.
Display Only To Display only the visible objects from the selected object to the end
End of the design. Hence, all objects before the selected object are
hidden.
Display All Objects Display all objects and commands in the design.

Cut Cut out the selected objects and place them on the clipboard.
Ctrl + X
Copy Copy the selected objects to the clipboard, without affecting the
current selection.
Ctrl + C
Paste Paste the objects on the clipboard back into the design.
Ctrl + V
Duplicate Make a copy of the selected objects, which is automatically pasted
on the work area below and to the right of the original.
Delete Delete the selected object or the last object in the design.
Del.
Insert Color Insert a Color Change after the currently selected object. The Color
Change Selection dialog box appears so you can choose the new color.
Insert Stop Insert a Stop after the currently selected object.

Group Group selected objects together so they may be moved, resized or

scaled and rotated together.
Ungroup Ungroup a selected group so that each object may edited
independently.
Select Similar Select all visible objects with similar properties.
from Visible
Select Similar Select all objects with similar properties that are in the same Group.
from Group
Properties Show the properties dialog box for the selected object.

Global Properties Show the properties dialog box for the selected type of object, to
change the properties of all visible objects of that type.
Layout Order
Move Forwards
Bring one step closer to the front of the design.
Ctrl + [; Alt, L, F

396 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Quick Reference Guide

 Move Backwards
Bring one step closer to the back of the design.
Ctrl + ]; Alt, L, B
Move to Front
Place at the front of the design.
Ctrl +Shift + [; Alt, L, N
Move to Back
Place at the back of the design.
Ctrl + Shift + ]; Alt, L, C

Design Window — Design Panel

Design Information
Stitch Count : The Stitch Count of the embroidery.
Height : The Height of the embroidery.
Width : The Width of the embroidery.
Colors : The number of colors in the embroidery.

Color Select
A worksheet panel showing the color blocks in the design. It is used to change the thread
color and add thread or needle effects, show which color blocks are visible and turn the
display of color blocks on and off.
Use Design Property Colors to show or hide thread colors in the Color Select area that
are part of an object’s property; for example, colors in multigradient density fill areas or
satin columns.

Notes
Enter up to 2000 characters in the Notes for information and keywords about the design.

Settings
Enter up to 2000 characters in the Settings for information on the techniques used for the
design.

Edit
Click Edit to update the Notes or Settings by using the dialog box.

Clipboard Block
The Clipboard Block shows the current selection that can be pasted into the work area.

Overview Window
The overview window gives a small overview of the whole work area for the current
embroidery and background.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Quick Reference Guide 397

 Toolbars
Quick Access Toolbar
Insert Insert an existing design into your current project.
Ctrl + I; Alt, 1
Save Save the design with the same name.
Ctrl + S; Alt, 2
Save As Save the design under a new name.
Ctrl + Shift + S; Alt, 3
Export Save the design in the current window as a flattened .vp4 file, or in an
alternative embroidery format.
Ctrl+ E; Alt, 4
Print Print the selected design(s) and background. To set page options, use
File, Print.
Ctrl + P; Alt, 5
Change Hoop Choose the hoop size you wish to use in mySewnet™ Digitizing.
Ctrl + H; Alt, 6; Alt, H, H; Alt, V, H
Undo Undo the last action.
Ctrl + Z; Alt, 7
Redo Redo the previously undone action.
Ctrl + Y; Alt, 8
Life View Show how an embroidery exported from the project will look in 3D
with real-world perspective.
Ctrl + L; Alt, 9; Alt, H, L
Design Player Play through the stitches in the embroidery as if they were being
stitched from an exported embroidery.
Ctrl + J; Alt, 0; Alt, H, J

Status Bar
Use the Select Tools on the Status Bar to select objects in your design.
Edit Points Use Edit Points to enable the moving and editing of an object’s points
if another function is being used.
Box Select Select a block of objects by drawing a rectangle.

Freehand Select Select a block of objects by drawing a line around the required objects.

Point Select Select a block of objects by clicking a series of points to create an

irregular outline of straight or curved lines around the required
objects.
Select All Visible Select all visible objects as a single block.
Ctrl + A
Select None Deselect all of the objects in the work area, including any outside the
hoop.
Ctrl + Shift + A

398 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Quick Reference Guide

Use the Zoom Commands on the Status Bar to navigate around designs.
Zoom
Zoom To Increase magnification of an area of the design.
Rectangle Ctrl + 0
Zoom To Fit Fit work area to screen.
Ctrl + 9
100%
Display picture at 100% magnification.
Ctrl + 1
200%
Display picture at 200% magnification.
Ctrl + 2
400%
Display picture at 400% magnification.
Ctrl + 3
800%
Display picture at 800% magnification.
Ctrl + 4
75%
Display at 75% magnification.
Ctrl + 5
50%
Display at 50% magnification.
Ctrl + 6
25%
Display at 25% magnification.
Ctrl + 7
Zoom Out Decrease magnification.
Ctrl + -
Zoom In Increase magnification.
Ctrl + =

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Quick Reference Guide 399

 Design Window — Font Control Panel
Create or Edit Font Start or modify a font or SuperDesign set.

Save Save any changes to the selected font or SuperDesign set.

Ctrl + S
Export As EDO Save the current font character or SuperDesign file as an EDO file to
load into mySewnet™ Digitizing or insert into another font or
SuperDesign set.
Size Options Set the recommended minimum and maximum size for the font or
SuperDesign set.
Universal Properties Standardize the use of object types within a font, change all objects
of one type to another type, define the objects that can be edited in
other modules, and compress the font.
Multiple Character Duplicate a range of characters within your font.
Copy
Move Guidelines Move the guidelines and baseline for the font.

Show Font Grid Show or hide the dotted grid for designing characters.

Snap to Grid Force points to snap to position according to the font grid spacing.

Navigation Insert a Navigation object required for Space characters.

Font Background Choose any of the TrueType® and OpenType® fonts installed on your
computer as a background for creating a font.
Insert Points on Add points to straight lines that have few points on them, to improve
Straight Lines kerning and results with curved line types.

Create / Update Thumbnails

Select Create / Update Thumbnails to generate thumbnails automatically from
SuperDesigns.

Character Set
Select the desired character set from the drop-down list.
Select the character or SuperDesign to be created or edited from the table of characters or
SuperDesigns.

Use Previous Page and Next Page to view the previous and next pages of characters in the font.

400 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Quick Reference Guide

Nearest Point
Bottom Left to Select character that joins bottom left to bottom right.
Bottom Right
Top Left to Top Select character that joins top left to top right.
Right
Bottom Left to Top Select character that joins bottom left to top right.
Right
Top Left to Bottom Select character that joins top left to bottom right.
Right

Thumbnail
Open Picture Open an image file to use as a thumbnail for the current
SuperDesign.
Save Picture Save an image file used as the thumbnail for the current
SuperDesign.

Preview Size
Use the slider to set the font display size and the size used for Export As EDO, or Export
Embroidery.

Help
Show help for the control panel.

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Quick Reference Guide 401

 Index
Numerics Arrows — Patterns 49 to 60 ..........................367
2 Cutwork Needles .......................................... 316 Ascender ................................................................ 63
2D View ................................................................ 133 ASCII......................................................................... 63
3D View ................................................................ 133 AutoHole
4 Cutwork Needles .......................................... 316 QuickStitch™ +.........................................211
45 Degree Rotate ............................................. 356 Automatically
Remove Background Color .................114
A Tie Off Between Areas...........................372
Abbreviation B
Thread Name........................................... 137
About......................................................................... 2 Back Up
Acquire Picture.................................................. 194 Font File........................................................ 10
Add SuperDesign File ....................................... 13
Background Picture.............................7, 11 Background.........................................................134
Quick Color Theme................................ 199 Name...........................................................192
Add To Selection............................................... 352 Quick Create from...................................207
Advisor ................................................................. 117 Remove Main Only.................................114
Align Picture To ................................................. 375 Size...............................................................191
Alignment Wizard...............................................187–192
Stitches ................................................. 81, 92 Background Color .............................................114
Alignment Stitch Style.................................... 182 Automatically Remove .........................114
Alignment Stitches .......................................... 182 Current........................................................114
Crosses....................................................... 182 Pick...............................................................114
Alignment Stitches Only................................ 375 Remove All Areas ....................................114
Angle .......................................................... 236, 247 Background Colors
Background Picture..................... 189, 195 Remove Multiple.....................................115
Block Rotation......................................... 357 Background Picture....................................... 7, 11
Fill ................................................................ 236 Backwards
Fill Pattern................................................. 236 Move..................................................150, 337
For Satin Areas ........................................ 342 Bar
Angle Line Scroll............................................................149
Delete......................................................... 342 Thread Color...................................149, 395
Last.............................................................. 342 Zoom...........................................................161
Angle Lines............................................... 340, 342 Bars
Animals 1 — Patterns 37 to 48.................... 367 Richelieu ....................................................305
Animated Demo ............................................... 157 Baseline ..............................................4, 23, 39, 63
Apart Baseline Fonts ...................................................... 14
Break........................................................... 347 Basic Character Set............................................. 17
Appliqué..............................30, 81, 84, 184, 197 Basic Color Order ..............................................113
Fabric................................................ 181, 184 Bells........................................................................164
Options...................................................... 124 Bezier Mode ................................................ 76, 223
Appliqué Pieces Convert Points .........................................344
Export......................................................... 172 Black Lines ...........................................................115
Appliqué Selection .......................................... 184 Block
Area Clipboard...................................................360
Get Length Of.......................................... 153 Deselect .....................................................349
Make Block from Visible....................... 351 Draw Next..................................................144
Traveling Stitches Outside.................. 238 Draw Previous ..........................................144
Types .............................................................76 Horizontally Flip ......................................355
Area and Line Properties ..................................83 Insert or Paste ..........................................349
Area Properties ....................................................83 Make from Visible Area .........................351
Area Sensitivity ............................. 115, 120, 123 Modify.........................................................357
Areas ........................................................................94 Rotation Angle.........................................357
Fill ...................................................................77 Vertically Flip ............................................355
Motif Fill........................................................77 Block Letter G ....................................................... 33
Move Origin ............................................. 342 Block of Objects
Move Start and End Points ................. 341 Copy ............................................................359
Remove All Background Color .......... 114 Cut................................................................358
Satin.....................................................79, 146 Mirror ..........................................................355
Tie Off Between Automatically ......... 372 Modify.........................................................355
Arrow Keys.......................................................... 340 Move............................................................355

402 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Index

 Nudge ........................................................ 355 Character Table .................................................... 42
Paste ........................................................... 359 Check Nearest Point Font................................. 71
Resize ......................................................... 355 Choose
Rotate......................................................... 356 Design Type ................................................ 99
Select.......................................................... 348 New Thread Color.........................140, 201
Blue ............................................................. 141, 202 Object to Edit ...........................................340
Blue Handles ...................................................... 349 Picture...............................................101, 193
Border Thread Colors ...........................................112
Express.................................................. 96, 99 Choose Picture
Satin Width..................................................90 Background Wizard................................187
Type ............................................................ 122 Circles 1 — Patterns 61 to 72........................367
Border Properties Circles 2 — Patterns 73 to 84........................367
Satin............................................................ 323 Click and Drag in FilmStrip ............................336
Borders Climate — Patterns 85 to 96 .........................367
Satin...............................................................81 Clipboard Block .................................................360
Bottom ................................................................. 375 Close ...........................................................................2
Bottom Left Corner.......................................... 183 Closed Border73, 315, 317, 319, 321, 324, 327
Bottom Right Corner....................................... 183 Color ........................................................................ 32
Boundaries Automatically Remove Background 114
Between Color Areas ............................ 105 Background ..............................................114
Strong Color............................................. 105 Bar ................................................................149
Boundaries Between Color Areas............... 105 Change Existing Thread .............137, 179
Box Select............................................................ 350 Choose New Thread.....................140, 201
Break Apart......................................................... 347 Commands................................................147
C Current Background ..............................114
Edit...............................................................200
Camera................................................................. 194 False.............................................................115
Cap Height.............................................................63 Information...............................................374
Category...................... 244, 245, 251, 277, 325 Last Thread................................................152
Curved Crosshatch Fill.......................... 273 Models ..............................................141, 202
Font............................................................. 362 Order ...........................................................113
Center Paste ............................................................201
Paste Into .................................................. 359 Pick.....................................................135, 179
Center Alignment............................................. 375 Pick Background .....................................114
Center Motifs 1 and 2 ..................................... 246 Select...........................................................397
Center of Rotation ................................. 355, 356 Selection ..........................................112, 137
Central Point ............................................ 324, 327 Strong Boundaries .................................105
Change Thread...........................120, 122, 140, 201
Color ................................................. 135, 179 Thread Preview..............................115, 118
Existing Thread Color.................. 137, 179 Color Areas
Fill Properties........................................... 217 Distinctive Boundaries..........................105
Hoop........................................................... 109 Remove All Background.......................114
Object Settings ....................................... 335 Color Bar...............................................................395
Satin Area Properties .................. 289, 291 Color Block
Sequence of Objects................... 150, 336 Draw Next..................................................144
Stitch Angle for Satin Areas................ 342 Draw Previous ..........................................144
Thread........................................................ 113 Color Change............................................135, 179
Change All To..................................................... 113 Insert .................................................152, 336
Change Design Size......................................... 358 Marker.........................................................137
Character........................................................ 42, 63 Properties ..................................................180
Editing...........................................................42 Color Change and Stop...................................336
Insert .......................................................... 362 Color Selection Dialog ....................................137
Samples ........................................................33 Color Tolerance ........................................203, 371
Select Nearest Point Version .................43 Off................................................................... 75
Sets.................................................................16 On................................................................... 74
Character Set Color Tolerance and QuickStitch™ ..............204
Basic...............................................................17 Color Tolerance and QuickTrace ..................204
Cyrillic 1 ........................................................20 Color Worksheet................................................142
Cyrillic 2 ........................................................20 Colors ............................................................ 25, 397
Extended......................................................18 Choose Thread.........................................112
Hiragana 1 ...................................................21 Dialog Box .................................................201
Super-Extended.........................................19 Number of .................................................112
Western 1.....................................................20 Remove Multiple Background ...........115
Western 2.....................................................20 Column .................................................................296
Western 3.....................................................20 Continuous ...............................................296
Western 4.....................................................20 Create Satin...............................................296

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Index 403

 Column Properties..............................................87 Picture for Fabric .....................................189
Command Crop Box...............................................................195
Insert Color..................................... 152, 336 Crop Picture
Insert Stop ...................................... 152, 336 Load Picture Wizard ...............................195
Commands .......................................................5, 81 Crosses
Color and Stop ........................................ 147 Alignment..................................................182
Insert .......................................................... 336 Place on Picture.......................................182
Using .......................................................... 179 Crosshatch
Compensation.............................................. 26, 89 Curved ........................................................271
Fill ................................................................ 236 Fill ................................................................... 78
Satin Area.................................................. 292 Crosshatch Fill Properties...............................266
Compress ...............................................................49 Current Background Color.............................114
Consistency ...........................................................25 Curved...................................................................261
Constant Width Satin...................................... 119 Curved Crosshatch Fill............................. 79, 271
Context Menu.................................................... 396 Properties ..................................................271
Continuous............................................................39 Curved Lines .......................................................341
Continuous Column........................................ 296 Custom Color............................................141, 202
Continuous Fonts................................................15 Cut
Continuous Satin.................................... 298, 310 Block of Objects ......................................358
Contour Objects .......................................................358
Fill ...................................................................78 Cutwork ................................................................316
Contour Fill Options ........................................ 264 Cutwork Needle.......................................140, 316
Control Panel Cutwork Needle Line .......................................171
Font............................................................. 400 Cyrillic 1 Character Set ...................................... 20
Control Points.......................................................69 Cyrillic 2 Character Set ...................................... 20
Convert ...................................................................48
Object Types ...............................................94 D
Convert Points................................................... 344 Database ................................................................ 63
Convert Points to Corner............................... 344 Decoration Information..................................374
Convert Points to Smooth............................. 344 Delete..........................................................114, 282
Convert Points to Symmetric....................... 345 All..................................................................114
Convert to Bezier Line .................................... 346 Angle Lines ...............................................342
Convert to Point Line...................................... 345 Emboss Line..............................................347
Convert to Satin Area...................................... 298 Font File........................................................ 10
Copies Hole .............................................................346
Print Number........................................... 377 My Fill Pattern ..........................................282
Copy Object ...............................................152, 336
Block of Objects...................................... 359 Point ............................................................343
Color ........................................................... 200 Quick Color Theme.................................201
Embroidery .............................................. 165 Wave Line ..................................................347
Multiple Characters..................................50 Demo.....................................................................157
Objects....................................................... 358 Density.................................................................... 89
Copy Diacritic by Character.............................51 Fill Properties............................................237
Copy Diacritic by Shape....................................51 Gradient .................................237, 258, 299
Copy Lower to Upper Case ..............................51 Normal..............................................237, 257
Copy Upper to Lower Case ..............................51 Radial Fill....................................................255
Corner Miter..........................................................29 Satin Area ..................................................292
Corner Mitering ................................................ 219 Satin Border ..............................................323
Create Shape Fill..........................................250, 276
Designs ...................................................... 162 Descender.............................................................. 64
Embroideries ..............................................95 Deselect Block....................................................349
Freehand............................................75, 314 Design
QuickStitch™ and QuickTrace74, 184, 203 Aids ................................................................ 22
QuickStitch™ Satin Area....................... 285 Choose Type ............................................... 99
Satin Column........................................... 296 Considerations........................................... 25
Create / Update Thumbnails ...........................44 Edit...............................................................333
Create Cursor ..................................................... 310 Fit to Hoop ................................................109
Create Freehand Area or Line ...................... 217 Information.................118, 120, 123, 157
Create Point Area or Line............................... 218 Load.............................................................126
Creating Load Existing .................................... 96, 100
Fonts................................................................ 6 Load with Drag and Drop ....................165
SuperDesigns ............................................... 6 Open Existing...........................................126
Creating Fonts ......................................................36 Scale ............................................................374
Creating Shapes...................................................75 Transfer Elements ...................................164
Crop With no Picture................................ 96, 100
Picture........................................................ 103 Design at Different Sizes .................................. 95

404 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Index

Design Information ......................................... 397 Outline....................................217, 219, 288
Design Player..................................................... 155 Previous Color Block ..............................144
Video Speed............................................. 159 Range ..........................................................144
Design Property Colors .................................. 180 Draw a Circle in Bezier Mode ........................223
Design Size ......................................................... 109 Draw a Flower using Bezier Curves ............227
Enter ........................................................... 111 Draw Range.........................................................392
Design Size and Creating Embroideries......95 Drop Shadow with Two Colors....................... 32
Design Underlay............................................... 117 Dual Thread.........................................................138
Design Window...................................................... 2 Duplicate..............................................................360
FilmStrip .................................................... 395 E
Font Control Panel................................. 400
Designing Fonts...................................................14 Echo
Designing with mySewnet™ Digitizing.......72 Fill ................................................................... 78
Designs Echo Area.............................................................279
Create......................................................... 162 Echo Fill.......................................................278, 279
Find ............................................................. 128 Echo Lines............................................................279
Grouping................................................... 353 Edge
Manage...................................................... 162 Feathered .................................................... 92
Open........................................................... 163 Edit
Open Recently Used ............................. 165 Choose Object .........................................340
Save............................................................. 166 Color ............................................................200
Step Through........................................... 334 Design.........................................................333
View ............................................................ 133 Object Outlines .......................................339
Desktop Shortcuts ................................................ 1 Page.............................................................392
Detail Level in Picture ..................................... 115 Quick Color Theme.................................201
Details Select Object ............................................334
Interior ....................................................... 107 Edit a Bezier Line ...............................................224
Diacritic Edit Background................................................134
Copy...............................................................51 Edit Points............................................................340
Diagonal Corners Editing
Echo Fill ..................................................... 280 Characters ................................................... 42
Diamond Editing Fonts......................................................... 36
Curved Crosshatch Fill.......................... 271 EDO
Diamonds — Patterns 97 to 108 ................ 368 Export As...................................................... 40
Different Sizes.......................................................95 EDO File .................................................................. 40
Digital Camera................................................... 194 Effects............................................................ 32, 138
Digitize Hand Stitch ...............................................182
First SuperDesign......................................12 Special .......................................................... 91
Letter A ........................................................... 8 Emboss
Other Characters......................................... 8 Freehand....................................................220
Other SuperDesigns ................................12 Point ............................................................220
Digitizing Emboss Line
Characters and SuperDesigns ..............67 Delete..........................................................347
Dimensions ........................................................ 374 Embroideries
Direct USB Connection .................................. 175 Design Size and Creating....................... 95
Direct USB Settings ......................................... 177 Insert ...........................................................360
Display Embroidery
All................................................................. 151 Copy ............................................................165
All Objects ................................................ 144 Express...................................................96, 99
From Start....................................... 145, 151 Navigate.....................................................160
Selected........................................... 145, 151 On Heavy Knit Fabric . 89, 237, 257, 323
To End .............................................. 145, 151 On Linen......................... 89, 237, 257, 323
Distance On Satin.......................... 89, 237, 257, 323
Between Secure Points ........................ 316 On Thick Fabric ............ 89, 237, 257, 323
Double Stitch On Twill......................................................... 89
Properties ................................................. 317 Print Whole ...............................................375
Double Stitch - Stop - Satin .........84, 124, 197 Enclosed Shapes in Picture............................107
Double Trace...................................................... 214 End ........................................................................... 91
Double with Zigzag Return .......................... 319 End Marker ................................................340, 341
Double Zigzag................................................... 319 End Point....................................................324, 327
Drag and Drop to Load Design ................... 165 End Point for Area.............................................341
Draw Enter Angles
All Objects ................................................ 144 Curved Crosshatch Fill ..........................272
Back to Start Point ............. 217, 219, 289 Enter Design Size ..............................................111
Freehand Mode ...............................75, 205 Enter Size .............................................................110
Next Color Block..................................... 144 Existing Design

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Index 405

 Load .....................................................96, 100 Curved Crosshatch .................................271
Open........................................................... 126 Echo........................................... 78, 278, 279
Existing Thread Color............................ 137, 179 MultiWave ................................................... 78
Exit.............................................................2, 41, 177 Multiwave..................................................276
Expand ................................................................. 105 Point ............................................................218
Expand Pixel-Thin Lines ................................. 115 Prefer ...........................................................117
Expander QuickStitch™.............................................210
Outline Finder ......................................... 105 QuiltStipple................................................. 78
Explorer................................................................ 165 Radial ............................................................ 77
Export......................................................... 167, 281 Satin Effect ........................................ 91, 367
Export Appliqué Pieces.................................. 172 Shape ............................................................ 77
Export as EDO.......................................................40 Spiral ............................................................. 78
Export Options.................................................. 374 Fill + AutoHole
Express Border.............................................. 96, 99 QuickStitch™.............................................211
Options...................................................... 122 Fill + Border........................................................... 30
Express Embroidery ................................... 96, 99 Fill and Satin Patterns ........................................ 90
Options...................................................... 112 Fill Area
Express Trace................................................. 96, 99 Properties Dialog ...................................... 83
Options...................................................... 119 Traveling Stitches Around ...................238
ExpressDesign Wizard .......................................96 Fill Area Fonts ....................................................... 31
Insert From ..................................................97 Fill Areas ................................................................. 77
Stitch Objects Created ............................82 Fill Options
Extended Character Set ....................................18 Contour ......................................................264
QuiltStipple...............................................261
F
Radial ..........................................................255
Fabric .................................................................... 117 Shape ..........................................................250
Appliqué ................................................... 181 Spiral ...........................................................257
Embroidery on Heavy Knit89, 237, 257, Fill Pattern............................................................367
323 Fill Properties
Embroidery on Thick..89, 237, 257, 323 Change .......................................................217
Rotate and Crop Picture ...................... 189 Density .......................................................237
Fabric Advisor.................................................... 117 Options.......................................................236
Fabric and Stitch Type Options ................... 117 Pattern ........................................................234
Fade Picture........................................................ 375 Fill Stitches...........................................................146
False Color........................................................... 115 FilmStrip ...........................................148, 181, 395
Favorites .................................................................85 Choose Object .........................................340
Feather Click and Drag..........................................336
Both Sides................................................. 304 Context Menu ..........................................396
Top............................................................... 304 Items..................................................148, 395
Feather Both Sides........................................... 302 Move Up and Down...............................336
Feather One Side.............................................. 302 Options.......................................................151
Feathered Select Object ............................................149
Edge...............................................................92 Find
Feathered Satin................................................. 302 Designs.......................................................128
Feathers Outlines......................................................105
Fleur de Lys .............................................. 309 Thread.........................................................138
Felting Needle ................................................... 140 Finder and Expander .......................................105
Felting Needle Color Effect........................... 372 Finish ...........................................................111, 126
File First Visible Object ..................................150, 337
Back Up................................................. 10, 13 Fit Design to Hoop............................................109
Formats........................................................... 4 Fit Motif To Line
Name .......................................................... 163 Curved Crosshatch Fill ..........................273
File Menu............................................................. 378 MultiWave Fill.......................252, 277, 326
File Tab ................................................................. 378 Tapered Motifs.........................................309
Files Fit To Hoop ............................................................ 98
Font.................................................................. 4 Fit To Rectangle ................................................... 97
Managing.....................................................36 Fleur de Lys
Managing Font and SuperDesigns.....67 Feathers......................................................309
Sample............................................................ 1 Flip Block
SuperDesign ................................................. 4 Horizontally ..............................................355
Files of Type........................................................ 163 Vertically ....................................................355
Fill Flip design for felting or reverse embroidery374
Angle ...................................................32, 236 Flip Picture for Iron-On Tee Shirt Transfer 375
Areas................................................................ 5 Foam
Contour ........................................................78 Puffy.............................................................138
Crosshatch...................................................78 Font........................................................... 38, 45, 64

406 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Index

 Category.................................................... 362 Height and Width......244, 245, 252, 278, 326
Character Table..........................................42 Curved Crosshatch Fill ..........................274
Create New..................................................54 Tapered Motifs.........................................309
Creating and Editing................................36 Help
Files .................................................................. 4 Font Page...................................................401
Name .......................................................... 362 Help Tab................................................................394
New.................................................................. 6 Hide Object Types.............................................146
Reopen Partially Completed................... 9 Hiragana 1 Character Set ................................. 21
Font Control Panel ........................................... 400 Hole
Font File Delete..........................................................346
Back Up.........................................................10 QuickStitch™.............................................212
Delete............................................................10 Home Tab.............................................................378
Managing.....................................................67 Hoop......................................................................374
Font Properties.....................................................50 Change .......................................................109
Fonts Fit Design to..............................................109
Baseline ........................................................14 Fit To .............................................................. 98
Continuous..................................................15 Splitting......................................................169
Designing ....................................................14 Hoop Group ........................................................110
Fill Area .........................................................31 Hoop Size.............................................................110
Nearest Point ..............................................14 Horizontal Offset................................................. 46
Satin...............................................................31 Horizontally Flip Block.....................................355
Format How To
JPEG ............................................................ 105 Change Object Settings .......................335
Formats of Files ...................................................... 4 HSL ...............................................................141, 202
Forwards Hue Saturation Luminance (HSL)
Move................................................. 150, 337 Color Model ....................................141, 202
Freehand ............................................................. 204
I
Create with........................................75, 314
Emboss ...................................................... 220 Identifying Start and End Points.................... 43
Fill + Border.................................................30 Import ...................................................................282
Select.......................................................... 351 Inches ....................................................................153
FreeHand Area or Line.................................... 217 Include Secure Points ......................................316
Freehand Create ........................................75, 205 Included in My Hoops .....................................110
Freehand MultiWave Line ............................. 221 Information
Freehand Satin Area.............................. 288, 290 Color ............................................................374
Fur Design...........................118, 120, 123, 157
Feathered Satin....................................... 302 Print .............................................................374
Technical ....................................................374
G Insert......................................................................163
Gap ......................................................... 64, 69, 246 Character ...................................................362
Minimum .................... 251, 273, 277, 325 Color Command............................152, 336
Get Length.......................................................... 153 Commands................................................336
Getting Started ...................................................... 1 Embroideries ............................................360
Global Properties ......................................92, 152 ExpressDesign............................................ 97
Glossary ..................................................................63 Point ............................................................343
Glow in the Dark............................................... 157 Select Object ............................................333
Gradient Stop Command .............................152, 336
Multicolor ....................................... 240, 300 Insert Lettering ..................................................362
Gradient — Patterns 253 to 264 ................. 368 Insert or Paste Block.........................................349
Gradient Density .......................... 237, 258, 299 Insert Points on Straight Lines ....................... 51
Green .......................................................... 141, 202 Interior Details ...................................................107
Grid.............................................................. 134, 374 Iron-On Tee Shirt Transfer ..............................375
Grid and Snap......................................................... 3 J
Grid Snap................................................................22
Group.......................................................... 152, 354 Join Neatly...........................................................219
Curved Crosshatch Fill.......................... 273 Joining Point..................................................14, 39
Grouping Selected Objects .......................... 353 JPEG Format........................................................105
Groups K
Using .......................................................... 353 Kern....................................................252, 278, 326
Guidelines.........................................................4, 23
Curved Crosshatch Fill ..........................274
H Kerning ............................................................64, 69
Hand Stitch Effects........................................... 182 Keys
Handles are Blue............................................... 349 Left and Right Arrow .............................340
Hearts — Patterns 109 to 120...................... 368 L
Heavy Knit Fabric ..................89, 237, 257, 323
Height................................................................... 397 Lace

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Index 407

 Richelieu Bars .......................................... 305 Match Placement Line................... 85, 125, 198
Tapered Motifs ........................................ 307 Maximum Recommended Stitch Length
Lace — Patterns 253 to 264.......................... 368 Satin............................................................... 79
Large Lettering.....................................................29 Measure
Last Background ..............................................153
Angle Line................................................. 342 Embroidery ...............................................153
Thread Color ............................................ 152 Measurement Units..........................................375
Visible Object ................................ 149, 339 Measurements
Last Visible Units ............................................................153
Select.......................................................... 349 Menu
Layout Order.................................. 150, 337, 395 File................................................................378
Left and Right Arrow Keys............................. 340 FilmStrip Context....................................396
Left Taper................................................... 324, 327 Start ..................................................................1
Leisure 1 — Patterns 121 to 132................. 368 Method
Length QuickTrace.................................................119
Of Area....................................................... 153 Millimeters...........................................................153
Stitch .............................................................90 Minimum Gap ................................251, 277, 325
Letter A ..................................................................... 8 Curved Crosshatch Fill ..........................273
Letter B....................................................................34 Minimum Significant Stitch Length ...........171
Lettering Mirror.............................245, 246, 252, 278, 326
Insert .......................................................... 362 Block of Objects ......................................355
Life View .............................................................. 156 Curved Crosshatch Fill ..........................274
Ligature...................................................................64 Mitered Corners................................................... 29
Limit Mitered Corners and Closed Shapes..........219
Offset.......................................................... 247 Mitered End...............................................324, 326
Line Mode
Fit Motif To.................. 252, 273, 277, 326 Draw in Tablet ............................................ 75
Properties ............................................ 52, 83 Pan ...............................................................161
Linen ..........................................89, 237, 257, 323 Modify Block .......................................................357
Lines.........................................................................94 Modify Block of Objects..................................355
Black ........................................................... 115 Monochrome Threshold.................................107
Echo ............................................................ 279 Mosaic — Patterns 133 to 144 .....................368
Expand Pixel-Thin .................................. 115 Mosaic — Patterns 265 to 276 .....................368
Motif ..............................................................81 Motif .......................................... 92, 251, 277, 325
Reduce Thick............................................ 115 Curved Crosshatch Fill ..........................273
Stitch Angle.................................... 340, 342 Fit To Line.....................252, 273, 277, 326
Straight or Curved ................................. 341 MultiWave Fill...........................................277
Load Multiwave Fill ...........................................277
Design........................................................ 126 Tapered Motifs.........................................308
Load a Picture............................................... 96, 99 Motif 1.........................................................244, 245
Load Design with Drag and Drop............... 165 Motif 2.........................................................245, 246
Load Existing Design ...............................96, 100 Motif Fill Areas...................................................... 77
Look In.................................................................. 163 Motif Fill Properties ..........................................243
Luminance ................................................ 141, 202 Options.......................................................247
Patterns ..................................244, 245, 246
M
Motif Line
Main Background Only .................................. 114 Properties ..................................................325
Main Toolbar ...................................................... 398 Quick Trace................................................216
Make Lines Straight or Curved .................... 341 Motif Lines............................................................. 81
Making Motifs
New Font........................................................ 6 Center 1 and 2..........................................246
SuperDesign Set........................................11 Tapered.......................................................307
Manage Use .....................................................251, 276
Designs ...................................................... 162 Move
My Fills ....................................................... 281 Backwards .......................................150, 337
Manage Threads ............................................... 137 Block of Objects ......................................355
Managing Center of Rotation ........................355, 356
Files ................................................................36 Forwards ..........................................150, 337
Font and SuperDesign Files ..................67 Origin ..........................................................218
Map Objects..........................................................48 Origin for Areas .......................................342
Marker .....................................................................91 Points ..........................................................340
Color Change........................................... 137 Start and End Points for Areas ...........341
End .................................................... 340, 341 To Back..............................................151, 338
Snap............................................................ 342 To Front ............................................151, 337
Start .................................................. 340, 341 Up and Down FilmStrip ........................336
Markout ..................................................................64 Move Down.........................................................113

408 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Index

Move Up .............................................................. 113 How To Change Settings......................335
Multicolor Gradient ............................... 240, 300 Last Visible.......................................149, 339
Multipart Hoops Select for Insert .......................................333
Splitting..................................................... 169 Select in FilmStrip...................................149
Multiple Background Colors ........................ 115 Select to Edit ............................................334
Multiple Character Copy...................................50 Type ...................................................149, 395
Multiple Selected Objects............................. 153 Object Outlines
MultiWave Edit...............................................................339
Fill ...................................................................78 Object Properties................................................ 88
MultiWave Fill .................................................... 276 Object Type Overview..........................................4
MultiWave Line Object Types ......................................................... 73
Freehand................................................... 221 Convert......................................................... 94
Point ........................................................... 222 Object View.........................................................134
My Fills Objects
Manage...................................................... 281 Change Sequence ........................150, 336
Remove Unwanted Patterns .............. 282 Copy ............................................................358
My Hoops............................................................ 110 Copy Block.................................................359
mySewnet Configure Created in ExpressDesign Wizard ....... 82
Show Measurements............................ 153 Cut................................................................358
mySewnet™........................................................ 173 Cut Block....................................................358
mySewnet™ Cloud Sync Tool ....................... 178 Display All..................................................144
mySewnet™ Connect...................................... 174 Filter.............................................................146
mySewnet™ Options....................................... 177 Grouping....................................................353
mySewnet™ Thread Cache ........................... 137 Mirror Block ..............................................355
MyThreadRanges ............................................. 137 Modify Block.............................................355
MyThreads ............................ 136, 137, 179, 180 Move Block................................................355
Nudge Block .............................................355
N
Paste ............................................................358
Name .......................................................................39 Paste Block ................................................359
Background.............................................. 192 Resize Block ..............................................355
File ............................................................... 163 Rotate Block..............................................356
Font............................................................. 362 Select...........................................................333
Navigate Embroidery...................................... 160 Select Block...............................................348
Navigation .............................................................23 Step Through in Order ..........................340
Nearest Point ........................................................39 Offset.....................................................................246
Character Version......................................43 Limit.............................................................247
Check Font ..................................................71 Open......................................................................163
Fonts..............................................................14 Designs.......................................................163
Neat Join ............................................................. 219 Existing Design........................................126
Needle Recently Used Designs .........................165
Cutwork..................................................... 316 Open Picture......................................................... 44
New ..........................................................................97 OpenType .............................................................. 65
New Design Optimize Stitch Length...................................171
With no Picture ................................96, 100 Options
New Font...........................................................6, 37 Appliqué ....................................................124
New SuperDesign Set........................................11 Contour Fill................................................264
New Thread Color .................................. 140, 201 Express Border .........................................122
New Window................................................. 36, 97 Express Embroidery ...............................112
Next Color Block ............................................... 144 Express Trace ............................................119
No Change.......................................................... 115 Fabric and Stitch Type...........................117
No Taper .................................................... 324, 327 Fill Properties............................................236
None FilmStrip.....................................................151
Select.......................................................... 352 Motif Fill Properties................................247
Normal Density ....................................... 237, 257 Multiwave Fill ...........................................276
Notes....................................... 128, 365, 374, 397 Picture...........................115, 120, 123, 375
Design Page ............................................. 397 Plan ..............................................................374
Nudge QuiltStipple Fill ........................................261
Block of Objects...................................... 355 Radial Fill....................................................255
Number of Shape Fill....................................................250
Colors ......................................................... 112 Spiral Fill.....................................................257
Number of Bars ................................................. 306 Worksheet .................................................373
O Order
Layout ...............................................150, 337
Object......................................................... 149, 395
Order of Stitch Types .......................................113
Choose to Edit......................................... 340 Orientation..........................................................110
Delete............................................... 152, 336
First Visible...................................... 150, 337 Print Setup ................................................376

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Index 409

 Origin.............................................................91, 340 61 to 72 (Circles 1) ..................................367
Move................................................. 218, 342 73 to 84 (Circles 2) ..................................367
Original Picture ................................................. 107 85 to 96 (Climate) ...................................367
Outline 97 to 108 (Diamonds)............................368
Draw ....................................... 217, 219, 288 Fill and Satin ............................................... 90
Finder and Expander ............................ 105 Motif Fill Properties............244, 245, 246
Outline with Running Stitch............................32 Pause Machine...................................................181
Outlines People — Patterns 145 to 156......................368
Edit .............................................................. 339 Percentage Zoom .............................................161
Find ............................................................. 105 Perspective Correction................103, 190, 196
Output Size Range...................................... 39, 40 Photochromic Threads....................................157
Overlap Start and End Points....................... 219 Photograph.........................................................105
Overlaps .................................................................27 Pick
Overshoot ..............................................................65 Background Color...................................114
Overview of Object Types .................................. 4 Color ..................................................135, 179
P Thread Color.............................................113
Picture ........................................................... 22, 134
Packing Stitches...................................................65 Acquire .......................................................194
Page Align To.......................................................375
Edit .............................................................. 392 Background Wizard................................187
Page Setup ......................................................... 373 Choose..............................................101, 193
Pan Mode ............................................................ 161 Crop .............................................................195
Paper Detail Level ...............................................115
Size .............................................................. 376 Disappearing.............................................. 68
Source ........................................................ 376 Enclosed Shapes in ................................107
Parallel Fade .............................................................375
Curved Crosshatch Fill.......................... 271 Flip for Iron-On Tee Shirt Transfer .....375
Part of a picture ...................................................68 For New Design ......................................... 96
Parts of the Window............................................. 2 Options.........................115, 120, 123, 375
Paste Original.......................................................107
Block ........................................................... 349 Part................................................................. 68
Block of Objects...................................... 359 Paste ..................................................188, 194
Objects....................................................... 358 Print .............................................................375
Paste and Replace ............................................ 360 Rotate and Crop ......................................103
Paste Color.......................................................... 201 Scan ...................................................102, 194
Paste Into Center .............................................. 359 Share ...........................................................158
Paste Into New Window................................. 360 Size................................................................. 52
Paste Picture ............................................ 188, 194 Size in Pixels..............................................127
Paste To All.......................................................... 201 Source.........................................................115
Pattern................ 244, 245, 251, 277, 292, 325 Start New Design with None ...... 96, 100
Curved Crosshatch Fill.......................... 273 View ...................................................101, 193
Fill ................................................................ 367 View for Background .............................187
Fill Properties........................................... 234 Picture and Thread Color List........................113
Remove Unwanted My Fill.................. 282 Picture Viewer ....................................................193
Pattern 36 Satin Effect Fill ......................91, 367 Pictures
Patterns Formats ......................................................194
1 to 12 (Standard 1)............................... 369 Taking up Space ........................................ 69
109 to 120 (Hearts)................................ 368 Using ............................................................. 68
121 to 132 (Leisure 1) ........................... 368 View .............................................................133
13 to 24 (Standard 2) ............................ 369 Pixel Size...............................................................127
133 to 144 (Mosaic)............................... 368 Pixel-Thin Lines ..................................................115
145 to 156 (People) ............................... 368 Place Crosses on Picture.................................182
157 to 168 (Plants & Flowers 1)......... 369 Place Points ....................................... 76, 205, 290
169 to 180 (Polygons)........................... 369 Placement Line
181 to 192 (Rope & Chains) ................ 369 Match ........................................ 85, 125, 198
193 to 204 (Squares 1).......................... 369 Plan Options .......................................................374
205 to 216 (Squares 2).......................... 369 Plan View Print ...................................................374
217 to 228 (Transport) ......................... 370 Plants & Flowers 1 — Patterns 157 to 168369
229 to 240 (Waves 1) ............................ 370 Play Demo ...........................................................157
241 to 252 (Waves 2) ............................ 370 Play My Demo ....................................................158
25 to 36 (Standard 3) ............................ 370 Point
253 to 264 (Gradient)............................ 368 Delete..........................................................343
253 to 264 (Lace).................................... 368 Emboss .......................................................220
265 to 276 (Mosaic)............................... 368 Insert ...........................................................343
37 to 48 (Animals 1) .............................. 367 Joining ...................................................14, 39
49 to 60 (Arrows).................................... 367 Secure .........................................................316

410 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Index

 Select.......................................................... 350 Quality
Point Alignment Stitch................................... 183 Video ...........................................................159
Point Create...........................................................76 Quick
Point Emboss Line............................................ 311 Reference...................................................378
Point MultiWave Line...................................... 222 Quick Color Theme
Points Add ..............................................................199
Control ..........................................................69 Delete..........................................................201
Identifying Start and End.......................43 Edit...............................................................201
Move........................................................... 340 Quick Color Themes .........................................199
Move Start and End............................... 341 Quick Colors..............................................137, 180
Overlap Start and End.......................... 219 Theme...............................................138, 199
Place ..........................................76, 205, 290 Quick Create from Background ...................207
Polygons — Patterns 169 to 180 ................ 369 QuickFont
Prefer Wizard........................................................... 54
Fill ................................................................ 117 QuickFont Wizard................................................ 10
Satin............................................................ 117 QuickStitch™ .......................................................210
Preferences......................................................... 371 + AutoHole................................................211
Screen ........................................................ 371 Create with.......... 74, 184, 203, 232, 285
Preferred QuickStitch™ and Color Tolerance ..............204
Stitch Type ................................................ 117 QuickStitch™ Hole.............................................212
Preview QuickStitch™ Satin............................................285
Thread Color .................................. 115, 118 QuickTrace............................... 74, 184, 203, 213
Variegated Threads ............................... 115 Constant Width Satin ............................119
Preview Size ..........................................................44 Double Trace ............................................214
Previous Color Block ....................................... 144 Heavy ..........................................................119
Print....................................................................... 376 Light ............................................................119
Alignment Stitches Only ..................... 375 Method.......................................................119
Information .............................................. 374 Motif Line Trace .......................................216
Picture........................................................ 375 Quadruple Trace......................................214
Plan View................................................... 374 Satin Line ...................................................215
Range ......................................................... 377 QuickTrace and Color Tolerance ..................204
Setup .......................................................... 376 QuiltStipple
To File ......................................................... 377 Fill ................................................................... 78
Whole Embroidery ................................ 375 Fill Options ................................................261
Worksheet ................................................ 373
Print Sheet .......................................................... 186 R
Printer................................................................... 377 Radial Fill ...................................................... 77, 255
Print Setup................................................ 376 Range
Printing ................................................................ 373 Print .............................................................377
Properties Real Size
Change Fill................................................ 217 Background ..............................................191
Change Satin Area....................... 289, 291 Recently Used Designs....................................165
Color Change........................................... 180 Recommended Maximum
Curved Crosshatch Fill.......................... 271 Satin Stitch Length................................... 79
Double Stitch........................................... 317 Rectangle Fit To ................................................... 97
Fill Area .........................................................83 Red Green Blue (RGB) Color Model ..141, 202
Global..................................................92, 152 Redo............................................................... 46, 366
Line ................................................................52 Reduce Thick Lines ...........................................115
Motif Fill..................................................... 243 Reference .............................................................378
Motif Line.................................................. 325 Remove
Object ...........................................................88 All Background Color Areas ................114
Parallel Fill................................................. 266 Background Color Automatically......114
Print Setup................................................ 376 Main Background Only.........................114
Printer......................................................... 377 Multiple Background Colors ...............115
Running Stitch ........................................ 315 Unwanted My Fill Pattern ....................282
Satin Area.................................................. 292 Remove From Selection..................................353
Satin Border ............................................. 323 Reopen a Partially Completed
Selected Objects .......................................93 Font...................................................................9
Single Stitch............................................. 182 SuperDesign Set ....................................... 13
Triple Stitch .............................................. 321 Replace
Proportional Paste And...................................................360
Curved Crosshatch Fill.......................... 274 Replace Selection..............................................352
Puffy Foam.......................................................... 138 Reset ............................................................103, 113
Resize
Q Block of Objects ......................................355
Quadruple Trace ............................................... 214 Reveal Groups ....................................................338

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Index 411

 Reverse......................... 244, 246, 252, 278, 326 Imported Picture....................................... 68
Curved Crosshatch Fill.......................... 274 Save As..................................................................166
Tapered Motifs ........................................ 308 Save Changes to Character ............................. 40
Reverse Column End to End......................... 348 Scale to Fit Hoop ...............................................358
Reverse Column Side to Side ....................... 348 Scan
Reverse Functions............................................ 348 Picture for Background.........................188
Reverse Line ....................................................... 348 Scan Picture ..............................................102, 194
RGB.............................................................. 141, 202 Scanner.................................................................194
RGB (Red Green Blue) Value ......................... 114 Scanning ................................................................ 52
Ribbon Tabs........................................................ 378 Screen Preferences ...........................................371
Richelieu Bars .......................................... 305, 311 Script Letter B....................................................... 34
Right Arrow Key................................................ 340 Scroll Bar ..............................................................149
Right Taper................................................ 324, 327 Search
Right-Click Menu.............................................. 177 SuperDesign.............................................363
Rope & Chains — Patterns 181 to 192...... 369 Second Color ......................................................139
Rotate Secondary Colors ..............................................143
45 Degrees ............................................... 356 Secure Points ......................................................316
Block of Objects...................................... 356 Select
Move Center .................................. 355, 356 Block of Objects ......................................348
Rotate and Crop Picture ............ 103, 189, 195 Box ...............................................................350
Rotate Picture Color ........................................112, 137, 397
Load Picture Wizard .............................. 195 Freehand....................................................351
Rotation Nearest Point Character Version.......... 43
Angle .......................................................... 357 None............................................................352
Rounded Corners Object for Insert ......................................333
Echo Fill ..................................................... 279 Object in FilmStrip .................................149
Running Stitch Object to Edit ...........................................334
Outline ..........................................................32 Objects .......................................................333
Properties ................................................. 315 Point ............................................................350
Quick Trace ............................................... 119 Stop .............................................................181
Running Stitches .............................................. 146 SuperDesign............................................... 43
Select All...............................................................103
S Select All Visible.................................................351
Sample Files ............................................................ 1 Select Last Visible..............................................349
Sans Serif................................................................65 Select Similar from Group....................152, 354
Satin ..........................................................29, 89, 94 Select Similar from Visible ...................152, 354
Appliqué ..................................84, 124, 197 Selected
Areas................................................................ 5 Display ..............................................145, 151
Continuous............................................... 298 Selected Designs
Create Columns ...................................... 296 Grouping....................................................353
Embroidery On ................... 237, 257, 323 Selected Objects
Feathered.................................................. 302 Properties .................................................... 93
Fonts..............................................................31 Send.......................................................................174
Prefer .......................................................... 117 Send Dialog.........................................................174
QuickTrace Constant Width................ 119 Send Express to mySewnet™ ........................175
Recommended Stitch Length ..............79 Sensitivity ........................................115, 120, 123
Trace ........................................................... 215 Separating Satin Columns ............................... 28
Satin Area Sequence of Objects..............................150, 336
Freehand......................................... 288, 290 Serif .......................................................................... 65
QuickStitch™............................................ 285 Serifs ........................................................................ 30
Satin Area Properties ...................................... 292 Set Background
Change ............................................ 289, 291 Name...........................................................192
Satin Areas ...................................................79, 146 Set Size
Change Stitch Angle............................. 342 Background ..............................................191
Satin Border Settings.................................................................366
Width.............................................................90 Design Page..............................................397
Satin Border Properties.................................. 323 Notes ...........................................................366
Satin Borders.........................................................81 Setup
Satin Columns, Separating ..............................28 Print .............................................................376
Satin Effect Fill ............................................91, 367 Shade Number.........................................137, 180
Satin Patterns........................................................90 Shape As Fill........................................................206
Satin Stitches ..................................................... 146 Shape Fill...................................................... 77, 250
Satin Trace........................................................... 215 Shape Fill Options.............................................250
Saturation ................................................. 141, 202 Shapes...................................................................251
Save................................................................40, 166 Create............................................................ 75
Designs ...................................................... 166 Shapes in Picture...............................................107

412 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Index

Share........................................................... 155, 158 Draw Back to.........................217, 219, 289
Share Picture...................................................... 158 Starting mySewnet™ Connect......................176
Share Video......................................................... 159 Starting mySewnet™ Font Digitizing ..............1
Shared Drive Selection................................... 177 Status Bar .............................................................398
Short Traveling Stitches ................................. 182 Step Through
Shortcuts on the Desktop .................................. 1 Designs.......................................................334
Show Objects in Order......................................340
Measurements in mySewnet Configure153 Stitch......................................................................326
Show and Hide Objects ................................. 142 Alignment...................................81, 92, 182
Show Divider Contour Fill................................................264
Fabric Background................................. 189 Count ......................................118, 120, 123
Single Color Gradient ..................................... 299 Curved Crosshatch Fill ..........................274
Single Stitch ............................................. 182, 339 Hand Effects..............................................182
Properties ................................................. 182 Motif ..................................................247, 252
Single Stitches................................................... 147 MultiWave Fill...........................................278
Size QuiltStipple...............................................262
Curved Crosshatch Fill.......................... 274 Single ..........................................................182
Design........................................................ 109 Stitch Angle
Enter Design ............................................ 111 Lines ..................................................340, 342
Motif ....................................... 252, 278, 326 Satin Areas.................................................342
Paper .......................................................... 376 Stitch Angle Line ...............................................285
Picture...........................................................52 Change .......................................................342
Picture in Pixels....................................... 127 Insert ...........................................................343
Range for Output.............................. 39, 40 Stitch Count ........................................................397
Snap Stitch Length ........................................................ 90
Grid ...........................................................3, 22 Curved Crosshatch Fill ..........................272
Solar Reactive .................................................... 157 Maximum Satin ......................................... 79
Source Stitch Objects
Picture........................................................ 115 Created in ExpressDesign Wizard ....... 82
Space Character...................................................23 Stitch Options
Spacing ...................................................... 262, 264 Quick Trace................................................119
Curved Crosshatch Fill.......................... 271 Stitch Properties.................................................. 83
Echo Fill ..................................................... 279 Double........................................................317
Special Effects.......................................................91 Running......................................................315
Speed Single ..........................................................182
Video .......................................................... 159 Triple............................................................321
Spiral Stitch Type
Fill ...................................................................78 Curved Crosshatch Fill ..........................272
Spiral Fill Options ............................................. 257 Options.......................................................117
Split Order ...........................................................113
Multipart Hoops ..................................... 169 Preferred ....................................................117
Square Stitches ......................................................................5
Curved Crosshatch Fill.......................... 271 Fill .................................................................146
Square Corners Line Type...................................................... 80
Echo Fill ..................................................... 280 Packing ......................................................... 65
Squares 1 — Patterns 193 to 204 ............... 369 Running......................................................146
Squares 2 — Patterns 205 to 216 ............... 369 Satin.............................................................146
Standard Short Traveling.........................................182
Color Box Tab................................. 140, 201 Single ..........................................................147
Standard 1 — Patterns 1 to 12 .................... 369 Traveling ...................................................... 28
Standard 2 — Patterns 13 to 24.................. 369 Underlay................................................26, 66
Standard 3 — Patterns 25 to 36.................. 370 Stop........................................................................181
Start..........................................................................91 Appliqué .................................. 84, 124, 197
Display From.................................. 145, 151 Commands................................................147
Marker.............................................. 340, 341 Insert .................................................152, 336
New Design with no Picture .......96, 100 Select...........................................................181
Start a New Stop and Color Change...................................336
Font.................................................................. 6 Stops
SuperDesign Set........................................11 Two Together ...........................................336
Start and End Point Identifying......................43 Straight .................................................................261
Start and End Points Straight Line
Move for Areas ........................................ 341 Insert Points................................................ 51
Overlap ...................................................... 219 Straight or Curved Lines.................................341
Start Automatically.......................................... 177 Stretch Picture................................104, 190, 196
Start Menu............................................................... 1 Strong Color Boundaries................................105
Start Point ................................................. 324, 327 Style ............................................................... 45, 261

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Index 413

 Curved Crosshatch Fill.......................... 271 Top Left Corner ..................................................183
Echo Fill ..................................................... 279 Top Right Corner ...............................................183
Style of Alignment Stitch .............................. 182 Trace
Sunlight Double........................................................214
Light Reaction......................................... 157 Express...................................................96, 99
SuperDesign ...............................................65, 363 Motif Line...................................................216
Creating and Editing................................36 Quadruple .................................................214
Search ........................................................ 363 Satin Line ...................................................215
Select.............................................................43 Tracking.................................................................. 65
SuperDesign Files.................................................. 4 Transfer Design Elements ..............................164
Managing.....................................................67 Transport — Patterns 217 to 228 ................370
SuperDesign Set Traveling Stitches................................................ 28
Making..........................................................11 Outside of Fill Area .................................238
New................................................................11 Short............................................................182
Reopen Partially Completed.................13 Triple Stitch Properties....................................321
SuperDesigns .......................................................38 TrueType................................................................. 66
File Back Up.................................................13 Background for SuperDesign ............... 68
Super-Extended Character Set.......................19 Twill.......................................................................... 89
Sync Tool ............................................................. 178 Twin Needle ..............................................138, 139
Size...............................................................139
T Two Color Drop Shadow .................................. 32
Table of Font Characters...................................42 Two Stops Together .........................................336
Tablet Mode ....................................................... 205 Type of Font .......................................................... 38
Draw in..........................................................75 Type of Object....................................................149
Tapered Ends ........................................... 324, 326 Types of Objects .................................................. 73
Tapered Motifs .................................................. 307
Technical Information..................................... 374 U
Techniques ............................................................32 Underlay................................... 90, 236, 292, 323
Tee Shirt Transfer .............................................. 375 Bars ................................................................ 27
Theme Design.........................................................117
Colors ......................................................... 200 Stitches..................................................26, 66
Name .......................................................... 200 Undo.............................................................. 46, 366
Quick Color............................................... 199 Undo and Redo.......................................... 46, 366
Quick Colors................................... 138, 199 Ungroup .....................................................152, 354
Thick Fabric..............................89, 237, 257, 323 Units of Measurement.....................................375
Thick Lines .......................................................... 115 Universal Properties........................................... 47
Thread Unwanted My Fill Pattern...............................282
Find ............................................................. 138 Use Motif 2 ..........................................................245
Photochromic.......................................... 157 Use Motifs ..................................................251, 276
Thread and Picture Color List....................... 113 Using Commands .............................................179
Thread Change.................................................. 113 Using Groups......................................................353
Thread Color ............................................ 120, 122 Using Old
Change ............................................ 137, 179 Personal Fonts and SuperDesigns ...... 70
Choose New................................... 140, 201 Using Pictures....................................................... 68
Last.............................................................. 152
Preview ............................................ 115, 118 V
Thread Color Bar..................................... 149, 395 Variegated Threads in Preview.....................115
Thread Colors Vertical Offset....................................................... 46
Choose....................................................... 112 Vertically Flip Block ..........................................355
Threads Video
Manage...................................................... 137 Share ...........................................................159
Threshold Video Information.............................................159
Monochrome........................................... 107 Video Title ............................................................159
Tie Off View
Between Areas Automatically ........... 372 3D .................................................................133
Tie Offs ....................................................................25 Life................................................................156
Tolerance Picture...............................................101, 193
Color ................................................. 203, 371 Picture for Background.........................187
Off...................................................................75 Pictures and Designs .............................133
On...................................................................74 View Tab ...............................................................394
QuickStitch™............................................ 204 Viewer
QuickTrace................................................ 204 Load Picture..............................................194
Toolbar Picture.........................................................193
Main............................................................ 398 Visible Object
Toolbars ............................................................... 398 First ....................................................150, 337
Top......................................................................... 375 Last.....................................................149, 339

414 mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Index

W Work Area .................................................................3
Wave Line Worksheet
Delete......................................................... 347 Color ............................................................142
Waves 1 — Patterns 229 to 240 .................. 370 Options.......................................................373
Waves 2 — Patterns 241 to 252 .................. 370 Print .............................................................373
Western 1 Character Set ...................................20 X
Western 2 Character Set ...................................20
Western 3 Character Set ...................................20 x Height .................................................................. 66
Western 4 Character Set ...................................20 Z
Wheel Mouse Zoom........................................ 160 Zoom
WIA .................................................... 102, 188, 194 Bar ................................................................161
Width .......................................................... 323, 397 Commands................................................160
Satin Border ................................................90 Crop Picture ....................................104, 196
Width and Height Express Border Options ........................123
Curved Crosshatch Fill.......................... 274 Express Trace Options ...........................120
Motif ................... 244, 245, 252, 278, 326 ExpressEmbroidery Options ...............115
Window Fabric & Stitch Type Options...............118
Create.............................................................. 2 Life View .....................................................157
New................................................................36 Monochrome Threshold ......................107
Paste Into New ........................................ 360 Mouse Wheel............................................160
Window Parts.......................................................... 2 Outline Finder ..........................................105
Windows Image Acquisition .............. 102, 188 Zoom by Percentage .......................................161
Windows® Explorer.......................................... 165 Zoom Commands .............................................399
Wizard Zoom In ................................................................160
Background.....................................187–192 Zoom Out ............................................................160
ExpressDesign............................................96 Zoom To Fit..........................................................161
QuickFont ............................................ 10, 54 Zoom To Rectangle ..........................................160
Stitch Objects Created ............................82

mySewnet™ Font Digitizing Index 415