Embroidery Designs Guide

If you are interested in converting computer generated images, camera digitized files and clip arts into machine embroidery designs, you have reached the right place. I have been getting a few requests on queries related to converting pictures into embroidery designs and I hope that this post gives some insight into the process.

After doing some research, we found one software that is easy to install, easy to use and most important - easy to understand. Just THREE steps required! Design Authority is a home machine embroidery software, which needs Windows 98, Pentium III computer to work with. The final output can be exported to Brother(.pes), Elna(.sew), Janome(.sew), Melco(.exp), Tajima(.dst), Toyota(.10O), Barudan(.hduxx), Happy(.tap), Sunstar(.sst), Pfaff(.ksm), Juki(amsm3), Mitsubishi(,1xx), Komtekct(.cem) There is a section on free downloadable embroidery designs, where you can download samples of standard fill, advanced fill and photostitch embroideries! (You could also go to Diana portrait to see the art of photostitch hand embroidering.) The ship you see next to this post is a free standard fill embroidery design converted from a picture and is available in all machine formats.

Antonia Valentine is a classic machine embroiderer recognised by the Australian Textile Arts and Surface Design Association Inc. After exploring various categories of hand and machine embroidery designs, she finally focused on freestyle machine and digital embroidery often enhanced with hand stitches too! Her tryst with artista embroidery began right here. Her embroidery photographs manipulated on the computer were often used as inspiration in the design process.

Her works are displayed at AStitch Design. Check out the garden collection. They are beautiful especially the tulips, poinsettia and the daffodils. All of them are artista and are digitised in Bernina © Artista software. They can be downloaded as Artista v2 and Artista v3. The information on machine embroidery techniques would come in handy here.

There are also quite a few free embroidery designs available at ‘AStitch’. You can scroll down and click on “Freebies”.

Free embroidery designs are available at SewVac. All these designs are artista and can be freely downloaded using the Art 3.0, Art 2.0, Art 1.0 formats, Sew format for Janome/New Home or the Pes format for Deco. All the embroidery patterns have been done using the Artista 3.0 digitizing software.

Of all the free embroidery downloads, I liked this symmetrical one next to the post. The colour combinations and design structure are excellent giving it an attractive look.

Dear Internet Friend, I have a question for you: Give me one difference between the two seals in the picture beside this post…..Give up!…..The correct answer: The one on the left is a computer drawn image, the one on the right is an artista embroidery design.

Second question: What is the relationship between the two? The answer: The seal on the right emerges once you run the Artista 4.0 embroidery digitizing software through the seal on the left.

If you want to learn about the Artista 4.0 embroidery digitizing software tutorial by Heather Snow, you must visit SecretsOf.com (Go to Everything for Embroidery, click on Tutorials and choose Bernina Artista Tutorials). The information on embroidery design software would come in handy here.

I was searching for some unusual embroidery designs in Google when I came across this interesting lady and her website. Her name is M. A. Klein and her works hang in many corporate, public and private collections including the Library of Congress, Washington, DC, and in churches and community buildings.

Klein used to design and manufacture needlecraft kits sold throughout the United States under the labels of Hanson Handcrafts, Monterey Bay Needleworks (Designs by Mary-Alice) and Sunbow, Inc. At the same time she was raising seven girls and one boy, all teenagers at that time!

Since 1979, she began to concentrate on one-of-a-kind textile wall hangings in mixed-media fiber collage which combine collage (applique), acrylic painting, embroidery (both hand and machine), and quilting. Occasionally she adds needleweaving, drawn threads, beads and such.

Quite an unique stuff, indeed!

I felt it a different experience to view her embroidery designs and other works of art, not only because of their one-of-a-kind design but because each of them seemed to convey some meaning that resonated from her heart. The designs seemed to be real life episodes experienced by Klein translated onto her embroidery works. Especially the Watering Hole, which currently hangs inside the Library of Congress, is a must see! So simple, yet so beautiful. Among other works that I especially liked were Religious Works, Story Time and People & Children.

What do you think about her site? Which of Klein’s embroidery designs are your favorites? Just click on the “Contact” link at the bottom of this page to send me your thoughts.