Converting a hand-drawn sketch to an embroidery ready file can be amazing, too, especially at the thought of seeing your art embroidered on a hoodie or tote bag. Many people think the task is too technical to be able to really understand, but a good service for embroidery digitizing will make it easier to understand. Here, we will walk you through the entire process in a clear and friendly manner. Anyone will be able to follow along without confusion.
Start with a Clean Drawing Before Getting Embroidery Digitizing Services
The most important thing you need to start with is a clean drawing. Seriously, the clearer the lines look, the clearer and more precise the stitches tend to look. If your sketch has smudges or faded pencil lines, the embroidery machine likely won't complete the actual stitching with precision. When you scan the drawing or photograph it for your artwork, ensure that every line looks clearly visible. You want really bright lighting so the paper doesn't have dark spots.
When it gets sent to embroidery digitizing services, they will have to use good lines to generate accurate stitches. If the picture is blurry or of poor quality, the artwork is more likely to be stitched with inaccurate spacing or be a little wrinkly. Usually, taking a few minutes to make the initial sketch look neat can make a lot of difference in the final product.
Clean Up Your Artwork for Stitching
Take a close look for those tiny details before sending in your drawing. Very tiny lines or very thin shading or details usually are not going to stitch out well, as there is only so much the embroidery thread can copy, being that thread has its own textures and can't replicate every tiny pencil stroke. There is no need to redraw the entire picture; just clean up any bits of clutter that won't stitch out.
Most embroidery digitizing services will also mention tiny details too that can possibly cause some trouble. They may tell you to take out some little dots or tighten up a few loose lines, and they will be simple things that will help the final stitch-out look neat and clean at the end.
Choose a Good Digital Format
In order for your artwork to go into the embroidery digitizing service, it must be shared in a clear digital format. A PNG or JPG is usually sufficient as long as the lines look sharp. You do not have to worry about upping the art file into a more advanced file format, unless the digitizer specifically requests that. What is more important is that you just give the embroidery digitizing services the file with enough clarity to see every shape distinctly.
Transforming Your Drawing Into Stitches
This then leads into the part when the digitizer stitches your artwork to life in thread. From here they will pick which stitch types improve the features of each area. For example, satin stitches are good for outlines and lettering; fill stitches can be used for bigger shapes; and the running stitch is appropriate for details that are thin.
An experienced provider of embroidery digitizing services would then also modify stitch density, stitch direction, layering, etc. If too many stitches are packed together, the fabric can pucker, and if they are too far apart, it can look empty. They also decide the sequence that stitches the design, so the design will not move while the machine is sewing. All these little decisions all have an impact on what the final look will be.
Inserting the Sample Fabric for Clean Results
When the file is finally ready, it is recommended to do a test stitch. Use a fabric as similar as possible to what you will use later, as it will allow you to discover potential problems like uneven outlines or strange gaps in between letters or detailed portions of the design. If you see anything that does not look right in the sewing already, it is easy enough to communicate your observations back to the embroidery digitizing services, and they can make any adjustments and send the revised file back to you.
Testing is really important for small lettering or detailed drawings because sewing thread does not behave with any authority like drawing with pencil.
Prepare for the Final Stitch
After adjustments, you will get the final file in the proper format for your machine. Verify that the size, hoop area, and fabric are appropriate. Once you settle on stabilizer and thread colors, it's time to start actual stitching of your design.
Final Thoughts
Digitizing hand-drawn art is not as difficult as it appears. If you have a clean sketch, the proper amount of prep work, and help from reputable embroidery digitizing services, your very own art can be turned into a stitched piece that has its own meaning.