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High-Tech: Embroidery Terminology |
| N A N C Y Z I E M A N | |
Help! What is it? |
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| Embroidery Terms | Does this sound familiar? You're in a class, seminar or demonstration on exciting new high-tech sewing equipment and the teacher or salesperson is speaking to you in what sounds like a foreign language. Suddenly your eyes glaze over and your mind begins thinking about cleaning closets, finishing that quilt you started last year, or even worse, chocolate. Help is on the way with this user-friendly glossary of computerized machine embroidery terms. |
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| Conversion software | Programs such as Buzz Tools, that read information (other than from a card) and translate it from one sewing machine format to another. For example, if there is a design on the Internet, a disk or CD in the Bernina format that you want to stitch on a Pfaff machine, you can use conversion software to reformat it. |
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| Converter Box | A converter box acts like a translator from one memory card format to another, via computer. Various companies offer this technology under names like the Amazing Box™ from Amazing Designs, Magic Box™ from Oklahoma Embroidery, Universal Embroidery Translator™ from Baby Lock and DreamMaker™ from Elna. These converter boxes are programmed to translate designs from memory cards in other formats or from a hard drive, disk, or CD and write the design to a blank card. |
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| Customizing (editing) | Manipulating an embroidery design using rotation, mirror imaging, merging one design into another or resizing. This process often requires separate software such as Amazing Designs Smart-Sizer® Gold, that helps you re-digitize a design so that the stitch type, count and density look correct after manipulating it. |
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Digitizing  |
The process of taking artwork from any source, including your original drawings, and turning it into a language that a computerized embroidery machine can translate into stitches. Digitizing combines the machine's running, satin and fill stitches to create the embroidered design. How you put your design together using various color selections and stitch styles is what makes digitizing both a science and an art. When you purchase a design card, disk or CD you are paying for the design itself and for the complex process of digitizing this design. If you love a challenge or want to stitch out custom logos or your own designs as part of a home business, you'll need to learn digitizing. Note from Nancy: I have two strong recommendations. First, before you try digitizing, closely watch professionally digitized designs stitch out. Study how the stitches underlay and fill, and the order of each set of stitches. Then take a digitizing class. Second, learn and respect the copyright laws. Before digitizing school, team, or company logos; pictures from magazines or books, photos or artwork, make sure you have permission and are not infringing on someone's copyright. While your motivation may be innocent, the consequences could be costly. |
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| Disks and CDs | Storage mechanisms for embroidery designs. CDs hold more information than disks and generally can be read by both PCs and Macs, the two major computer platforms. |
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| Download | Transferring a file from the Internet to your computer. A file can hold anything from a complete software program to a single embroidery design. There are many designs of varying quality available on the Internet. In simple terms, if you see a design on the Internet you want, download it to a disk (or writeable CD), open it with your sewing machine software, and put it on a blank memory card. Your particular computer and sewing machine system may require other steps, but this is the basic path. |
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| Embroidery Unit | The machine part that holds and guides the hoop so you can embroider. Embroidery units are usually a removable part of the sewing machine, although some units are built in. Depending on your needs and expectations you can purchase embroidery-only machines or combination sewing/embroidery machines. |
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| Format | Machine-specific readable information. Embroidery formats have extensions such as .CSD for Singer Embroidery Unlimited, .DST for Tajima, .GNC for GN (Great Notions) Scalable, .HUS for Viking, .PCS for Pfaff, .PES for Bernina, Baby Lock, and Brother, .PSW for Singer, and .SEW for Elna and Janome. |
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| Hardware | The physical parts of a computer--monitor, chip boards, processor, disk drive, etc. If you want to use CDs, downloaded Internet designs or original artwork, you must have a computer, cables to connect it to your sewing machine, and sewing machine software to tell the hardware what to do. When you buy disks, software, or other add-ons it is important that they're compatible with your existing hardware. |
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| Hoop (noun) | A plastic frame that attaches to the embroidery unit to hold the fabric taut while stitching. Generally speaking, you want the smallest hoop that will accommodate your design in order to keep the fabric taut. Larger designs are becoming more popular so you'll want several hoop sizes. |
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| Hoop (verb) | The process of placing the fabric and/or stabilizer into the embroidery hoop. One of the most common reasons for a poorly stitched design is improper hooping. |
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| Memory Card | A computerized, machine-format- specific card that fits directly into your sewing machine and works with the built-in computer to stitch out designs. Cards can be purchased with designs already on them or you may purchase blank cards to transfer designs from disks, CDs, the Internet or your computer, using hardware and software for your specific machine. Cards aren't interchangeable unless you have a converter box or conversion software. |
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| Readable/Writeable CD | Compact discs (CDs) that can be read and saved to using a CD reader/writer drive. Most recent model computers came with a built-in CD-ROM drive that allows the computer to read CDs. (CD-ROM means Compact Disc Read Only Memory.) However, the latest technology, the reader/writer drive, allows the computer to write (transfer data) to CDs, as well as read them. Writable CDs are handy for storing embroidery designs. Some CDs are writeable only once, others can be used over and over. |
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| Software | Language-specific coding programs or applications the hardware uses to perform various tasks. Programs are stored on disks, cards and CDs. Software and upgrades to existing programs can be downloaded from the Internet, either free or for a fee. |
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| Scanner | An optical device that takes a computer-readable picture of artwork and brings it into the computer memory so you can digitize the design with your software. If you want to embroider a design using artwork from a source not already stored in your computer, on a card or disk/CD, you must input the design into the computer using this tool. Some embroidery machines require a specific scanner, others will work with any scanner. |
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| System Requirements | What your computer's hardware and software, operating together, can support. System requirements are printed on software packages, design disk cards and packs, CDs and other computer accessories. You need to know what your system can and cannot support, as sometimes a system isn't capable of handling new software without adding memory or disk space. Note from Nancy: I recommend starting to machine embroider with cards or disks/CDs before you move on to digitizing, customizing and downloading. Not only will it be less frustrating and more satisfying, you'll have a better understanding of the various embroidery parts and how functions build on and interact with each other. I also urge you to ask all the questions of teachers and salespeople you feel necessary for you to understand this technology. |
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Nancy Zieman, host of public television's Sewing With Nancy®, invites
your questions and ideas. Write to her at:
Sewing With Nancy® is sponsored in part by Sew News. |
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