Getting started
This walkthrough takes a design from an empty workspace to a checked machine file. Use a simple sample for the first pass; learning the workbench is easier when the artwork is not fighting you.
1. Open or create a project
Start from one of these sources:
- saved workspace project;
- blank project;
- recipe card for a common workflow;
- SVG artwork;
- PNG/JPEG/WebP reference image for tracing;
- PES/PEC/DST stitch stream for inspection or reuse;
- TTF/OTF font asset.
The project is the editable source. A machine file can be imported or exported, but it is not the authoritative design document.
2. Set the physical context
Set up the real sewing conditions before making detailed edits:
- choose the hoop and safe stitch area;
- choose the machine/output target;
- choose the fabric profile;
- record stabilizer, backing, patch, appliqué, or other material requirements;
- set or review the thread list.
These choices affect warnings, preview confidence, worksheet notes, and export review. A dense fill on canvas and a dense fill on knit are not the same problem.
3. Build the sewing plan
Check more than the finished picture:
- object list;
- stitch preview;
- thread blocks;
- sequence and start/progression choices;
- jumps and trims;
- construction stops;
- warnings;
- export target.
For material-sensitive work, review the order as well as the picture. Hats/caps may favor bottom-up and center-out progressions; large fills, knits, towels, and patches can have their own sequencing tradeoffs. For imported stitch files, remember that the original editable design objects may not be present. For imported raster images, the picture is only a locked tracing reference until you create embroidery objects on top.
4. Make edits at the highest safe level
Prefer object edits when the object exists. Use stitch-level repair only when the source is a manual stitch block or when an object-level change cannot express the fix.
Source order:
project source -> preview and checks -> machine export
Do not patch the exported machine file if the project source can be fixed.
5. Inspect before export
Before export, confirm:
- hoop match;
- fabric assumption;
- thread order;
- stops, trims, and jumps;
- unresolved warnings;
- output format;
- project version.
Preview and simulation explain risk; a test sewout confirms the choices on the real fabric, stabilizer, thread, needle, and machine.