First things first
You don’t need experience to start using your software. You can simply open a design and send it to machine for ‘stitchout’. And this is the best place to start. As you gain experience, you will be able to ‘read’ designs and identify which are good and which may cause problems.
Sample designs & artwork
Your software contains many ready-to-stitch designs, samples and projects. These can be found in the installed Design Library. The most valuable thing when starting out as a new user, is to spend some time exploring these designs and getting to know what’s available. See Browse designs.
There are also artwork files for use as digitizing backdrops. These are installed to your Pictures folder. See also Import images.
You can only open CDR files if you have an approved version of CorelDRAW installed and linked to Hatch. Other graphic formats can be read via CorelDRAW. Refer to your installed CorelDRAW. See also ... https://wilcom-hatch.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002027887-What-file-formats-does-Hatch-Embroidery-read-and-write-
There are many other sources of ready-made embroidery designs which you can purchase online and adapt as you wish. Just be aware of any copyright issues that may be attached to designs you find on the web.
Rules of good embroidery
Keep the following points in mind when looking at embroidery designs, both your own and others:
- Stitches are neat, smooth and even
- Design looks good – shapes, colors, balance
- Shapes are filled with correct fill and outline stitches
- Stitches are angled to match shapes
- Shapes are stitched correctly – no unwanted gaps
- Details are clearly defined
- Lettering is clear and easy to read.
The stitchout should also have the following characteristics:
- The design sews efficiently on the machine
- The fabric does not pucker around stitched areas
- The design is free of loose ends.
Good embroidery quality starts with good design. You then need a good quality machine to stitch it out. But even that is not enough if you do not use the correct fabric, threads, backings, tension, and so on. Consult your machine manual for advice and get as much advice from other embroiderers as you can.
