My work has purchased StitchArtist Level 3 to digitize logos and artwork for clients. I am a graphic design major and have no experience with embroidery software. Is there someone that can help me or a book to reccomend that will show me how to learn embroidery from the beginning?

Ellen K.

Heather B.
Hi, Ellen. Welcome to the embroidery world! Your question sounds two fold. If you need help specifically learning the StitchArtist software, I'd recommend signing up for our (Embroidery.com's) free learning course. Here's a link to that (simply look for and click on the orange "subscribe" button to sign up):
https://www.embroidery.com/Learn-StitchArtist.ec
You will receive the first lesson in your email within 1 day of signing up and one per day after that.
Learning about embroidery in general is a larger question. If there are specific things you are wanting to learn, let me know so I can point you in the right direction. Otherwise, I can recommend to you our Embroidery Basics DVD as a good place to start:
https://www.embroidery.com/product.ec?productsetID=92609&efid=4522
Sincerely,
~Heather
[email protected]

Cynthia B.
I have the "starter" version of Embrilliance and am ready to upgrade. Besides the utilities available in my current software, here is a list of what I'm looking for:
- Eliminate under-stitching so that the pattern is not so bulky.
- Need save the Sulky colors for transfer to my embroidery machine.
- I have a scanner and would like to digitize photos and other images.
Do you have an upgrade that satisfies my criteria?
Thanks

Darin Andersen
Answer 1: The Embrilliance add-on module optimizes a design and eliminates unnecessary stitches is called Density Repair Kit .
Answer 2: I may need to research this since most formats do not save the exact thread used in the design file, but rather the relative color pallet. What format does your embroidery machine read? Do you have designs that come up with the thread brand colors?
Answer 3: You can create your own designs with Stitch-Artist. However, it will not automatically convert a scanned image into an embroidery file. Although some programs claim to do this, the results are inconsistent at best or downright bad. I would recommend downloading the trial version of Stitch-Artist and subscribing to the free "Stitch-Artist - Lets learn this together" e-class.

Cynthia B.
Thank you for the prompt reply.
- I have the Embrilliance Essentials software. Can it be upgraded to the DRK or do I have to buy the program as a standalone?
- I have a Janome 11000 embroidery/sewing machine which reads designs as jef. In general, it will convert 5-6 different brands of thread. I use Sulky almost exclusively and if I have a design on my USB, I can save the colors to my USB stick or to my emb. machine. It seems redundant to set the Sulky colors in your software (only so I can see what they look like) and then have to reset them in my emb. machine when I upload a design.
Please adivse,
Sam

Kirsten S.
Hi Cynthia, Essentials doesn't really upgrade to DRK, meaning there isn't an upgrade price. Instead you would buy DRK and then it would seamlessly be added to your Embrilliance window, so that you don't have multiple program windows to open, but you do have all of the software. Essentials also has some help regarding eliminating under stitching. If you combine two different designs so that they overlap, the software automatically removes the stitches that are hidden by the overlap. Essentials also automatically re-calculates stitches for you when you re-size a design. It also allows you to disable that recalculation if you wish. If you want to do more in density than those things cover, then DRK is what you will want.
I agree that it seems redundant to save the colors in Embrilliance and have them disappear and need to be re-selected when you take the design to your machine. I wonder why that would happen. When I save a design from Embrilliance with my selected colors in my PES format, and put that saved file in my machine, the colors (at least their names; my screen is monochromatic) are preserved in the file. Do you find that not to be the case with your Janome?

Darin Andersen
All embrilliance modules can be used independently. If you have more than one, then they are combined into one program. You mentioned that you have Essentials. So when you by DRK additional menu items will be added to Embrilliance. Regarding the thread colors: What happens now when you set the colors to Sulky in Embrilliance and then save a JEF file? When you open the file on your Janome 11000 does it retain the thread names or the color pallette?

Mary K.
I want to scan a design and then have it digitized so I can embroider it. Which one do I need to buy to accomplish this?? My niece wants me to embroider her logo I and not sure if I can get the jpeg of the art work.
Thanks
Mary

Kirsten S.
Hi Mary K. StitchArtist does not have scanning software or a scanner included, but if you already have the ability to scan, you can take your scanned image into StitchArtist and digitize it. However, it is important to note that StitchArtist is not an auto-digitizing software like PhotoStitch. It allows you to select which type of stitches to use and define all your own shapes.

Barrie K.
Can you please tell me what this product is. This level 1 and 2 together. Or is this level 2 only and then I have to do a different order for level one. Can you please tell me which one this is. There a listing that had both level 1 and 2 thanks

Heather B.
Hi, Barrie. Do you already own Stitch Artist? If so, you'll want to pick the appropriate upgrade. For instance, if you own level 1 and want to upgrade to level 2, you'll pick "Upgrade Level 1 to Level 2 STITCHARTISTUPGRADE1-2". If you own level 1 and want to upgrade to Level 3, you would pick "Upgrade Level 1 to Level 3".
If you do NOT already own Stitch Artist, pick whichever level you are interested in, dis-regarding the upgrades. So, you would pick from the following products:
Level 1 STITCHARTIST1
Level 2 STITCHARTIST2
Level 3 STITCHARTIST3
(FYI, Level 2 includes Level . Level 3 includes Level 1 and Level 2).
I hope this helps clarify.
~Heather
[email protected]

Carol F.
Help please.... I have been looking at Essentials, Enthusiast, and Stitch Artist programs. I have been using another program Buzz Edit for about 8 years but want to move up. Just not sure where to start with these programs.
Thank you

Kirsten S.
Hi Carol,
I've been looking at Buzz Edit to see what sorts of things it does in order to best answer your question (I haven't used that program). If there are particular things you want to do, and want to know which Embrilliance program will do that, please tell me and I'll look it up.
Meantime, here is my summary:
The Embrilliance program that edits stitch files is Essentials. It is usually the first program people buy. I would recommend it with any other Embrilliance product. It comes with 13 fonts and lets you add and remove color stops, add lettering, rotate, flip, merge, copy, split for multiple hoopings or repositional hoops, convert between formats, for starters.
If you are more into creating from pre-digitized files, you will want Enthusiast. It has something similar to Buzz's Auto-wreath, and a scatter function which is really fun - it takes a design and flips, rotates and sizes it in various copies to fill your hoop. Enthusiast also lets you edit individual stitches, without actually being digitizing software.
If you want to create your own designs from scratch, you will want StitchArtist, which comes in three levels, and each level of StitchArtist is included in the next one, and an effort is made to let you add on with out re-buying what you already have.
If you have more questions now than before, I'll do my best to answer.

Carol F.
Thank you Kirsten, that does help alot. One of the programs I really want is the Density reduction program. Essentials sounds like what I have been using. I want to try my hand at digitizing. Is the learning curve for Stitch Artist very long?

Kirsten S.
Carol, I think the learning curve for StitchArtist is significantly reduced when you have some background working with embroidery and embroidery files already, which you have. I had that, and no digitizing to speak of when we rolled out the 22-day Learn This Together course for StitchArtist (which you can sign up for any time, by the by). By the end of the course, I could actually make designs. So I'd say if you work at it every weekday, you could be comfortable with it in under a month.
madison i.
thanks shared this.