The Work Before the Stitching

Digital embroidery is not about pressing a button.

Each piece begins with the concept, often drawn, sometimes photographed, sometimes built from several photographs merged together to create something entirely new. And that’s where I had been running into problems.

When I combine multiple images to create one complex composition, the result can be beautifully layered. but technically challenging. Before I met the Wilcom team, I was struggling with how the software interpreted these designs. In complicated areas, particularly where tones blended or edges overlapped, the software would sometimes miss sections completely or misunderstand what I was trying to achieve. Areas would drop out. Details would be simplified too much. Stitch directions wouldn’t always enhance the form in the way I intended.

It was frustrating.

I knew what I wanted the piece to look like. I could see it clearly in my mind. But translating that layered photographic composition into a clean, stitch-ready embroidery file wasn’t always behaving as it should. I was spending hours correcting sections that didn’t quite sit right.

The Breakthrough

On Sunday morning I went to the Print Show at the National Exhibition Centre to meet the director and his team on the Wilcom stand.

That conversation changed everything.

Explaining the exact problems I was having. especially with merged photographic designs. led to a proper discussion about workflow, layering order, object handling and how the software reads complex imagery. It wasn’t that the software couldn’t do it. It was that I needed to approach the build differently.

A few adjustments in how I structured the file. A different way of separating elements before merging. A better understanding of how to guide the software so it recognises the areas I want emphasised rather than flattening or ignoring them.

Suddenly the software wasn’t fighting me.

It started doing what I had intended all along.

That quiet “oh… that’s it” moment is hard to describe, but once it happened, everything made sense. The missing areas stopped disappearing. The stitch paths flowed more logically. The complicated images retained their depth and detail instead of becoming muddled.

It felt like the fog lifting.

Technology Still Needs the Artist

The machine may stitch with precision, but it doesn’t replace the thinking. If anything, digitising complex compositions demands even more of it.

I’m still choosing stitch direction deliberately so the light moves across the surface. I’m still adjusting density to prevent distortion. I’m still thinking about how fabric behaves under heavy layering.

The difference now is that I have better control, and a deeper understanding of how to make the software work with my ideas rather than against them.

Moving Forward

As I prepare new pieces for exhibition and future shows, I feel as though I’ve stepped into a stronger phase of my practice. The designs I create by merging photographs are some of the most exciting and layered work I’ve produced, and now I can translate them into embroidery with far fewer technical battles.

All because I got up on a Sunday morning and had a conversation.

Sometimes the breakthrough isn’t a new tool. It’s new understanding.

And now, freshly cleaned machine, new needle in place, bobbin running beautifully, I’m ready to stitch the next piece with a little more confidence.

Anita