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 Believe it or not, the most important part of a design is the preparation that is done prior to using the computer. Spending time plotting out the sewing sequence, identifying stitch types and choosing stitch control factors will greatly simplify the on-screen part of the digitizing job.
The first step is to sit back, get comfortable, and analyze the design from start to finish. Ask yourself these questions:
- Is it suitable for embroidery?
- What will it be sewn on?
- What is the ideal size?
- How many colors are in the design?
- What is the logical sew order?
- Are there any special features or focus points?
- Which details will work? Which ones won’t?
- Are there any special challenges?
The second step in planning a design is to break it down by color. The intent is to sew each color completely before moving on to the next one. However, that is not always possible due to the way the design is layered. Therefore, after breaking it down by color, continue breaking it down by layer.
When possible, it is desirable to digitize the largest elements of a design first as they provide more stability and act as an “anchor”. When practical, work from the largest elements down to the smallest elements. As every design is different, that may not always be possible, but it should be a basic rule-of-thumb. Keep in mind that a large element can affect smaller elements around it, but rarely will a small element affect larger ones that are nearby.
After analyzing and breaking down the design, the next step is to build a roadmap for the digitizing. This involves choosing the sew sequence, stitch types, stitch directions, stitch patterns, underlays, overlaps, push-pull compensation methods, etc. All of this information should then be written down and used as a guide to follow while digitizing. If done properly, this will improve the efficiency of the job, while decreasing editing.
When building your design roadmap one of the toughest, yet most critical issues to decide on is the sewing order of the design, which is referred to as PATHING. Essentially, you are going to define the path that the sewing will follow from the beginning to the end of a design.
New Digitizers tend to focus more on how the software works, more than on how a machine sews, thus pathing is not even a word in their vocabulary. They simply start applying stitch types to design elements and hope for the best. Sometimes they get lucky, but more often that not, they get frustrated.
One of the most common pathing mistakes (especially for lettering) is to treat a design like you are reading a paragraph, which means left to right, up to down. Sewing sequence has nothing to do with reading sequence. For embroidery, the pathing process should take these issues into consideration as a priority:
- Stabilize the fabric as quickly and efficiently as possible.
- Minimize color changes
- Minimize trims and jumps
- Create a layered, 3D effect
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