Embossed fills

Embossed fill is a decorative fill stitch used to fill wide and large areas with patterned stitching while keeping the appearance of a solid field. The pattern is repeated along a grid. You can change grid settings for greater variation.


Use Object Properties > Fill > Embossed to create decorative patterns of needle penetrations while keeping the appearance of solid stitching. Choose from a pattern library.

Use Digitize > Digitize Closed Shape to create closed shapes using either outline or fill stitching. Left-click for corner points, right-click for curves.

Apply embossed fill

To preset Embossed fill, open the Object Properties docker with no objects selected. Any closed line digitizing tool is available for use. Double-click to edit existing objects. The Object Properties > Fill tab opens. Select Embossed Fill. You can choose from many patterns.

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Embossed fill settings

Embossed fill settings can be controlled in a similar way to Motif fill settings, both via the Object Properties docker and interactively on screen. The docker allows you to control pattern size, spacing, and orientation by the same settings as motif fill. It also allows you to control the stitch density via Stitch values.

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Pattern size

You can change pattern size to obtain less densely patterned effects. The Size setting doesn't affect spacing between patterns.

Pattern spacing

The Spacing setting determines distance between patterns. You have independent control over horizontal (X) and vertical (Y) spacings. The Spacing field does not affect pattern size.

 

Pattern orientation

You can change pattern orientation for different effects. Try different angles in the Rotation Angle field.

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Pattern layout

In addition to object properties, you can adjust pattern layouts interactively. Lay out patterns on-screen by using ‘guide motifs’ to scale, space, transform and offset the entire pattern.

Click Layout. Sample and guide patterns appear in the design window. There are three blue guide patterns. Other sample patterns appear in yellow. Each guide pattern lets you change different elements of the layout:

  • Use the left guide pattern like any object to move, rotate, and skew patterns. Click twice to access rotation handles.
  • Use the top guide pattern to change row spacing and row offset.
  • Use the right guide pattern to change column spacing.
  • All guide patterns can be used to adjust pattern scale by dragging sizing handles.
  • Press <Enter> to confirm changes. All patterns in the fill change accordingly.
  • Zoom in and adjust selected guides to achieve the effect you require.

Use Select > Reshape to adjust object outlines, stitch angles, start and end points, curved lines, etc.

Use Edit Objects / Digitize > Add Stitch Angles to add stitch angles to selected closed objects with or without holes.

Grid orientation

As an alternative to using the the layout guides to control grid orientation, you can use stitch angle to control pattern orientation.

Where this feature really comes into its own, however, is in combination with multiple stitch angles. When activated, the grid adjusts to orientate itself to the stitch angles defined within the object.

The difference is that embossed fills can be applied to objects with turning stitches creating three dimensional, turning pattern effects which can’t be achieved by embossed fill alone.

If the object you are working with does not contain turning stitches, you can generally add them with the Add Stitch Angles tool. See also Stitch angles.


 

Embossed fill & Florentine effect

You can also combine Embossed fill with Radial fill or Florentine in the Effects tab to contour patterns around a digitized guideline. See also Curved fills.