How to Digitize Fringe and Embroidery

Learning how to create different dimensional effects with digitized embroidery software will often feel daunting. Starting with basic artwork shapes will enable you to practice the different tools within the embroidery digitizing software such as Wilcom ES. Most manufacturers will include a free tutorial class with the purchase of the software which will ease your first use experience. Making fringe with your digitized embroidery is based by learning the bobbin- and embroidery- thread placement. The fringe is created by avoiding the threads from fraying. The more washes applied to the embroidered garment, the softer the fringe thread will become.

Things You'll Need

• Scanner
• Embroidery artwork design
• Embroidery digitizing software
• Personal computer
• Embroidery thread
• Embroidery digitizing machine
• Embroidery scissors
• Peggy stitch eraser tool

Instructions

Digitizing Your Embroidery Pattern

1. Turn your finished embroidery project over to its wrong side and run your finger along the bobbin thread of the embroidery. It is important to distinguish between the bobbin- and embroidery- thread.

2. Choose your stitch type from the drop-down menu. For instance, choose a fill stitch for the inside parameter of your artwork as well as a long running stitch for blending. This process will ensure that a basic design such as a flower petal, leaf, heart or tree, will have dimensional color tones when embroidered.

3. Click on your zoom factor tool and fill in the pattern with your stitches. Keep in mind that your screen will look messy with multiple stitch-like lines running across the image.

4. Choose complementary color tone hues for your embroidery threads and apply it to your design. For example, choose two different tones of green color shades to fill a leaf or branch. Although embroidery digitizing machines differ, you will have to work within the amount of thread colors your machine will be able to produce.

5. Click on true view to remove the digitized stitches from your image. The color tones will appear to give you an accurate view of what your digitized embroidery will look like. Your software will also give you an accurate stitch count reading. High stitch counts will produce a dense digitized embroidery pattern.

Creating Digitized Fringe

1. Turn your finished embroidery project over to its wrong side and run your finger along the bobbin thread of the embroidery. It is important to distinguish between the bobbin- and embroidery- thread.

   As an alternative, use contrasting thread color tone hues for the embroidery- and bobbin- thread to help you distinguish the stitching placement made by your embroidery digitizing machine.

2. Cut the bobbin thread with your embroidery scissors. This step will disconnect the embroidery- and bobbin- thread stitch to form the fringe in the following steps. Do not snip into the embroidery thread.

3. Run your Peggy stitch eraser tool along the snipped bobbin thread. This is a tool used to erase and remove embroidery stitches. As you run the tool, the threads will be cut away. They will have a fuzz-like appearance.

4. Turn your embroidery project over again. The right side will be facing you.

5. Rub your fingernail along the embroidery thread which was connected to your bobbin thread. The thread will begin to fringe because it is no longer connected to the bobbin thread.

6. Continue to gently rub the surface fringe with your fingers and fluff it to your desired look.

References

• Youtube: Creative Digitizing Made Easy: Fruit and Flowers
• Youtube: Creative Digitizing Made Easy: Fringe and Foam
• "Digitizing Made Easy: Create Custom Embroidery Designs Like a Pro;" John Deer; 2008