How to make custom machine embroidery designs (3 ways, and which to pick)
Digitizing software, one-click converters or a digitizer: what each way costs in time and money, what the stitch-out looks like, and when each one is the right call.
A custom machine embroidery design is a stitch file (DST, PES, JEF and the rest) made from your own art: a logo, a child's drawing, a name, a pet. There are three ways to make one. They differ less in price than in how much you have to learn and how the design sews.
1. Digitize it yourself in software
Digitizing software lets you draw every stitch object yourself: which parts are satin, which are fill, the stitch angles, the order, the underlay and the density. Options run from Ink/Stitch (free, an extension for the free drawing program Inkscape) to paid programs such as Embrilliance StitchArtist, Hatch and Brother PE-Design.
What you have to learn to get a clean stitch-out:
- Stitch types. Satin for lettering and borders, fill for big areas, running stitch for fine lines.
- Underlay. A layer of stitches under the top stitches so they don't sink into the fabric.
- Density. The gap between fill rows: about 0.25 mm, or about 0.4 mm in software that measures every second row. Too tight puckers and breaks needles, too loose shows fabric. More in fill density and its two conventions.
- Pull compensation. Thread pulls the fabric in, so shapes are drawn slightly wider than the art.
- Sequencing. The order of the pieces decides how many trims and jumps the machine makes.
Pick this if you'll make designs often and enjoy the craft. Expect a few weekends of practice before your first design sews the way you want.
2. Auto-digitize (one-click converters)
Most embroidery programs and some websites have an "auto-digitize" button that turns a picture into stitches. It's fast and it looks fine on screen, but the converter traces pixels: it doesn't plan underlay, pull compensation or the stitch order, and it treats every colour area the same way.
It can work for a large, simple shape in two or three solid colours. It usually fails on small lettering, thin lines, photos and anything under about 3 in, where the stitches pile up into a hard, puckered patch.
3. Have a digitizer make it
A digitizer builds the file by hand for your size, fabric and machine, then sews or simulates it to check. You send the art and get back every format.
Pick this if you want it to sew right the first time, or if it's a logo you'll stitch on many items. Prices depend on the size and the stitch count; see how much digitizing costs. What to send is in how to turn a logo into an embroidery file.
Side by side
| Software | Auto-digitize | Digitizer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free to hundreds of dollars, once | Usually included in software | Per design |
| Your time | Hours per design, after weeks of learning | Minutes | Minutes to send the art |
| Stitch quality | As good as your skill | Fine for big simple shapes | Built for your fabric and size |
| Best for | Hobbyists who love the craft | Quick tests | Logos, gifts, anything that must sew right |
Whatever you choose
- Decide the size first. A file is built for one size; scaling it more than about 10 to 20 % changes the density.
- Know your format. DST for commercial machines, PES for Brother and Baby Lock, JEF for Janome, VP3 for Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff. See embroidery file formats explained.
- Sew a test first. On scrap fabric with the real stabilizer: how to read a test swatch.
Try a digitizer for free
We digitize your first design free, up to 4 in: send your logo or art on the free trial page and get every format with a production sheet of thread codes within 48 hours. No card. After that, every custom design is $10 at any size.