Your first design

This quickstart takes you from an empty canvas to an exported machine file. It touches each major step once; follow the links for the detail.

Prefer to watch?

The patch tutorial video runs through this whole flow on a real design.

1. Set your hoop

Before you draw, turn on a hoop frame that matches the machine and hoop you’ll stitch on. The dashed hoop outline keeps your design inside the safe sewing area.

A hoop frame on the canvas — the dashed outline marks the safe sewing area.

2. Draw a shape

Pick a create tool from the bottom of the toolbar and make your first object:

• Shape for a quick rectangle, ellipse, star or polygon — drag on the canvas to place it. See Shapes.
• Pen (B) to draw a custom Bézier path — click to place anchors, click-drag for curves.

Placing a first object on the canvas.

3. Assign a stitch type

With the object selected, open the Stitches tab in the side panel and choose a stitch style. As a starting point:

• Satin column for lettering and borders.
• A fill (tatami/parallel) for larger areas.
• Running or bean for outlines and detail.

Each stitch type has its own settings — spacing, width, underlay and so on. See the Stitch types overview.

Choosing a stitch style in the Stitches tab and adjusting its settings.

4. Pick a thread colour

In the thread bar at the bottom, choose a brand palette (Madeira, Isacord, Robison-Anton, Sulky, Gunold or Brother) and click a swatch to colour your selected object. Working from a real brand library means what you see matches what you’ll sew. See Thread palettes.

Applying a brand-palette swatch to the selected object.

5. Preview the stitch-out

Switch to Simulation view and play it back to watch the design sew in order — a quick way to catch problems before you commit thread and fabric. See View modes.

The design mid-playback in Simulation view.

6. Resize if you need to

Scale the design and the stitches regenerate at the correct density — no thin gaps or pile-ups. See Density & resizing.

7. Save and export

• Save (Ctrl S) keeps your editable design as an .ostch file.
• File → Export writes a machine file (PES, DST, JEF, VP3, EXP, XXX or HUS).

See Exporting.

File → Export, with the machine-format list and export options.

Always test-sew

Test every design on scrap material before running it on a finished or valuable item. You are responsible for confirming a design suits your machine, hoop and materials.