Online Rummaging - Digitizing Lesson 1

Back Digitizing - Lesson 1
Have you acquired a Singer EU, Poem, Huskygram (same machine, marketed under different brands)? You know....there are hundreds of FREE designs in various formats on the internet, which you can just download and convert to .csd format; using a conversion program such as our favorite, Buzz Tools. Then all you need to do is sew them out! You may or may not have done that already. Yet here you are wishing to learn to digitize your own designs! Welcome to the club! The Poem Poets is a growing group of around 400 individuals who share your desire, and itch to "create" and learn. So, let's begin!

First let's get your machine ready to sew. Hoop some practice cloth in your 4x4 hoop (a medium tear-away backing is fine). The inner ring needs to be positioned so that the little white guide is on the opposite side of the hoop magnet. Your material does not need to be stretched tight like a drum. Just press the inner ring down straight and that usually is the right amount of tension. Line-up the magnet on the hoop with the attchment area on the front of the machine. You may need to move it around a bit until it snaps in firmly.

Load your bobbin thread (coming out Counter Clockwise) into the bobbin case. Then pull the thread backward (clockwise) and slip the thread into the slit at the top of the bobbin case. Once in the slit, pull the thread forward and wind around the curly-Q. Insert the bobbin case and make sure the side case-lever is closed. The bobbin compartment door can be left open for now.

Next, comes threading your machine. Insert the upper thread cassette (with the hole toward the front of the machine). The thread first does a loop around the guide toward the front, then travels backward and loops around the rectangle shaped bar. The thread then comes back toward the front, down through the top front guide (on the right side of the machine,) and finally down to the lower guide, and into the needle. Whew! Thread goes east to west through the needle.

Using the turning wheel on the left rear side of the machine (under the sliding cover), lower and raise the needle into the fabric while holding the end of the thread. This will bring your bobbin thread up to the top. Pull on the loop of bobbin thread until it is completely on top.

Take both threads in hand and pull to the front of the hoop. Secure the threads around the white hoop guide. Great! Now you are all set to sew a design.

Assuming your software is working....

How can you read these tutorials and practice at the same time? When you first bring up the digitizing program, practice pressing and holding down the Ctrl key, and then pressing the ESCAPE key. This will allow you to toggle back and forth. To get back to the other program again just double click on the icon in the status bar (lowest part of your screen.) Let's pick a thread color. Go to "Function" and then to "Thread Colors". Click on a darker shade, and then on "OK".

Next, click on "Fill" in the menu bar and select (click on) "Manual".

Ready to 'Create'? Check your screen bottom where it says "Changing start of design. Enter the first point." Click somewhere near the top of your 'virtual hoop', inside the dashed outline. This anchors your manual stitch. Look down in the lower right. See "L:"? It stands for stitch "Length". Move your mouse around and watch all the settings change. Practice moving your mouse to precise lengths (like 5.2) and then click to anchor your stitch. Some people can measure stitch lengths by eye after a while.
Next, check the screen bottom for "A:" (stitch angle) and move your mouse down and out until you get a 250 angle, then click

Wonderful!
Now bring your mouse up and at a 50 angle, then click. Angles will be fun to work with. See how easy it is to use them? In the lower left corner are the X & Y coordinate readings, interesting to look at, but really not used that much by the average digitizer (so don't worry about mastering that aspect).

Well...now, just look at the lovely mess you've made on your screen! Time to clean it up.

Press the Escape key on your keyboard to 'unanchor' your mouse. Click on "Edit" and then select "Delete Stitch". From the point you were at, one stitch was deleted forever. In the lower left of your screen it will say the number of stitches deleted. Go ahead and delete all the stitches, one at a time. Later we'll delete groups of stitches...but for now it's just the simple basics.

Good. Now that you have an empty hoop again, let's mess it up some more. Kids have their finger paints and we have a mouse and virtual reality!

Go to "Fill" and select "Fill Stitch".
Are you ready for more fun?

Click on your hoop (you don't need to hold the mouse key down after your click). Move your mouse around in circles. Do you feel powerful? Why, you can control where you go and where you click!
Bring your mouse out at a 90 degree angle and click. Not much different from manual stitch, is it?

Bring your mouse upward at a 90 degree angle, and click again. Excitement building? Move another 90 degrees and click again.

Now you have four click points on your screen. Here comes the magic! Press your ENTER key on your keyboard. Wha-la! The connection is made to the first anchor point. Your square is completed and ready to fill with a angled pattern of stitches.

Oh look! Check the lower left of your screen. It knows where you are and guides you to what to do next. It wants to know where you want the very first stitch of your fill pattern to start. Okay, we can do that!

Just point your mouse at the lower left point of your square and click. Check the lower left part of your screen once again. Now it wants to know where you want the last stitch to end....a piece of cake!

What power! Click in the upper right corner of your square. Now what is it saying in the lower left part of the screen? It is asking for 'Digitize stitch angle point 1'. Did that sound a bit like techo-babble at first glance?
What it's looking for this time is for you to show it how to calcuate the angle your stitches will flow. That's right....you just click an anchor point.
So place your mouse near the upper left corner of the square, and click.

Whoa, boy....pull your mouse toward the lower right corner of the square. Check below and see what the "A:" (stitch angle) is reading. Ok, click the mouse.
Holy cow! Did you see what you did? Your first fill pattern!
Your homework for today is to make grundles of squares. You are going to be so creative! Change the angle of your fills. Make bunches of squares with bunches of angles. When you are absolutely comfortable with the process, it's time to try one more thing. Go to "File", select "New" and say "No' to save changes (unless you really want to save it.)

You need to hoop a new piece of material. Go to "Fill" and select "Fill Values". You'll see the screen with a Spacing (density) setting, Length (stitch length) and Min. Length (smallest stitch you want the machine to make.) These are the default settings; "normal" settings for nice embroidery generally. Dare to be great! Change the defaults to different numbers, write the numbers down for each square you make (change settings first, then make a square). Later you can transfer the setting numbers you wrote down, and write them on the cloth, next to that particular square. Save the cloth for future reference.

Make squares until you are blue in the face! Check out what the machine can do with all kinds of different densities and angles. You'll love it!
When you have filled up your hoop, go to "File" and select "Sew".

The machine does a couple of processes to make sure that all your stitches are inside the dashed outline, and calculates it's strategy of how it will go about sewing your wonderful 'test squares' out. When all systems are a "GO", press the start button. The machine sews a few anchor stitches and then stops so you may clip those long thread tails that you hooked into the white hoop clip. Press Start again and watch the magic!

Back

	Load your bobbin thread (coming out Counter Clockwise) into the bobbin case. Then pull the thread backward (clockwise) and slip the thread into the slit at the top of the bobbin case. Once in the slit, pull the thread forward and wind around the curly-Q. Insert the bobbin case and make sure the side case-lever is closed. The bobbin compartment door can be left open for now.
	Next, comes threading your machine. Insert the upper thread cassette (with the hole toward the front of the machine). The thread first does a loop around the guide toward the front, then travels backward and loops around the rectangle shaped bar. The thread then comes back toward the front, down through the top front guide (on the right side of the machine,) and finally down to the lower guide, and into the needle. Whew! Thread goes east to west through the needle.
	Using the turning wheel on the left rear side of the machine (under the sliding cover), lower and raise the needle into the fabric while holding the end of the thread. This will bring your bobbin thread up to the top. Pull on the loop of bobbin thread until it is completely on top.
	Take both threads in hand and pull to the front of the hoop. Secure the threads around the white hoop guide. Great! Now you are all set to sew a design.
Assuming your software is working....
	How can you read these tutorials and practice at the same time? When you first bring up the digitizing program, practice pressing and holding down the Ctrl key, and then pressing the ESCAPE key. This will allow you to toggle back and forth. To get back to the other program again just double click on the icon in the status bar (lowest part of your screen.) Let's pick a thread color. Go to "Function" and then to "Thread Colors". Click on a darker shade, and then on "OK".
	Next, click on "Fill" in the menu bar and select (click on) "Manual".
	Ready to 'Create'? Check your screen bottom where it says "Changing start of design. Enter the first point." Click somewhere near the top of your 'virtual hoop', inside the dashed outline. This anchors your manual stitch. Look down in the lower right. See "L:"? It stands for stitch "Length". Move your mouse around and watch all the settings change. Practice moving your mouse to precise lengths (like 5.2) and then click to anchor your stitch. Some people can measure stitch lengths by eye after a while. Next, check the screen bottom for "A:" (stitch angle) and move your mouse down and out until you get a 250 angle, then click
	Wonderful! Now bring your mouse up and at a 50 angle, then click. Angles will be fun to work with. See how easy it is to use them? In the lower left corner are the X & Y coordinate readings, interesting to look at, but really not used that much by the average digitizer (so don't worry about mastering that aspect). Well...now, just look at the lovely mess you've made on your screen! Time to clean it up.
	Press the Escape key on your keyboard to 'unanchor' your mouse. Click on "Edit" and then select "Delete Stitch". From the point you were at, one stitch was deleted forever. In the lower left of your screen it will say the number of stitches deleted. Go ahead and delete all the stitches, one at a time. Later we'll delete groups of stitches...but for now it's just the simple basics.
	Good. Now that you have an empty hoop again, let's mess it up some more. Kids have their finger paints and we have a mouse and virtual reality! Go to "Fill" and select "Fill Stitch". Are you ready for more fun?
	Click on your hoop (you don't need to hold the mouse key down after your click). Move your mouse around in circles. Do you feel powerful? Why, you can control where you go and where you click! Bring your mouse out at a 90 degree angle and click. Not much different from manual stitch, is it?
	Bring your mouse upward at a 90 degree angle, and click again. Excitement building? Move another 90 degrees and click again.
	Now you have four click points on your screen. Here comes the magic! Press your ENTER key on your keyboard. Wha-la! The connection is made to the first anchor point. Your square is completed and ready to fill with a angled pattern of stitches.
	Oh look! Check the lower left of your screen. It knows where you are and guides you to what to do next. It wants to know where you want the very first stitch of your fill pattern to start. Okay, we can do that!
	Just point your mouse at the lower left point of your square and click. Check the lower left part of your screen once again. Now it wants to know where you want the last stitch to end....a piece of cake!
	What power! Click in the upper right corner of your square. Now what is it saying in the lower left part of the screen? It is asking for 'Digitize stitch angle point 1'. Did that sound a bit like techo-babble at first glance? What it's looking for this time is for you to show it how to calcuate the angle your stitches will flow. That's right....you just click an anchor point. So place your mouse near the upper left corner of the square, and click.
	Whoa, boy....pull your mouse toward the lower right corner of the square. Check below and see what the "A:" (stitch angle) is reading. Ok, click the mouse. Holy cow! Did you see what you did? Your first fill pattern! Your homework for today is to make grundles of squares. You are going to be so creative! Change the angle of your fills. Make bunches of squares with bunches of angles. When you are absolutely comfortable with the process, it's time to try one more thing. Go to "File", select "New" and say "No' to save changes (unless you really want to save it.)
	You need to hoop a new piece of material. Go to "Fill" and select "Fill Values". You'll see the screen with a Spacing (density) setting, Length (stitch length) and Min. Length (smallest stitch you want the machine to make.) These are the default settings; "normal" settings for nice embroidery generally. Dare to be great! Change the defaults to different numbers, write the numbers down for each square you make (change settings first, then make a square). Later you can transfer the setting numbers you wrote down, and write them on the cloth, next to that particular square. Save the cloth for future reference.
	Make squares until you are blue in the face! Check out what the machine can do with all kinds of different densities and angles. You'll love it! When you have filled up your hoop, go to "File" and select "Sew".
	The machine does a couple of processes to make sure that all your stitches are inside the dashed outline, and calculates it's strategy of how it will go about sewing your wonderful 'test squares' out. When all systems are a "GO", press the start button. The machine sews a few anchor stitches and then stops so you may clip those long thread tails that you hooked into the white hoop clip. Press Start again and watch the magic!