Proofs and worksheets

A proof helps someone decide whether the design is ready. A worksheet helps someone sew it correctly.

Both come from one saved project version, so the picture, thread order, warnings, stops, and machine facts stay together.

Make a review proof

A useful proof includes:

• project and version name;
• hoop and finished dimensions;
• front preview on the chosen background;
• thread order and color blocks;
• stitch count, trims, stops, and estimated runtime;
• open warnings and approval status;
• comments attached to visible targets.

Click a comment to find its object, warning, color block, or stitch range. That is far more useful than “the left side looks odd” floating beside a screenshot.

Keep approval attached to a version

Approval records the exact project version the reviewer saw. If the project changes afterward, the old approval remains attached to the old proof and the new version returns to Needs review.

That small rule prevents a familiar production mystery: an approval that appears to cover edits nobody actually reviewed.

Prepare the machine worksheet

The worksheet is the machine-table view. It is printable, comfortable on a phone, and arranged in sew order.

It carries:

• machine, hoop, and placement;
• fabric, stabilizer, topper, needle, and bobbin notes;
• ordered thread list with spool matches;
• stitch count, blocks, trims, stops, and runtime;
• construction steps and programmed or manual pauses;
• unresolved warnings;
• project version and export identity.

A good worksheet tells the operator what happens next. Long background prose can stay in the project notes.

Map source colors to real spools

Imported RGB colors are screen colors, not promises about thread. The worksheet marks colors that still need a spool match, nearby colors that may be accidental duplicates, and source colors deliberately split across more than one thread.

Choose the real spool, keep the preview swatch as a visual clue, and record intentional exceptions. Colorways can carry customer- or fabric-specific substitutions without changing the base thread rack.

Walk the stops before export

For every stop, confirm:

1. what the machine has completed;
2. why it pauses;
3. what the operator places, trims, checks, or removes;
4. which thread or step follows;
5. whether the stop is programmed or manually managed.

If the worksheet and command stream disagree, fix the project before exporting.

Hand off one coherent job

The proof, worksheet, and machine file all name the same project version. That makes it possible to answer the questions that matter later: What was approved? What was sewn? Which threads were used? Which warnings were accepted? Which file belongs to this sample?