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Stitch Toolbox

Free tool

Pre-flight check

Drop a file and see what a digitiser would check before stitching it: where the density piles up, which stitches will break thread, which jumps will leave loose thread, and whether it fits your hoop.

About this tool

What is measured

Every finding comes from the stitch data itself, not from the file's header. Density is counted as needle penetrations per square millimetre in a 1 mm grid: a single satin column measures about 2.5 on its rails, a tatami fill about 1, and six or more means two layers are stacked. Stitch lengths are measured between consecutive needle-downs; the 0.3 mm limit is where the needle re-enters the hole it just made and shreds the thread, the 12.1 mm limit is the longest movement a DST record can hold and close to what most home machines allow. Jumps over 12 mm without a trim, more than 12 colour changes, more than 2 colour changes per 1,000 stitches and more than one trim per 150 stitches are flagged because each costs machine time or leaves loose thread.

How to read a red result

A warning is a measurement, not a verdict on the design. Long jumps are fine in a design meant to be hand-trimmed. A dense spot the size of an eye is fine on twill and a problem on a t-shirt. The report shows the numbers and where they are so you can decide with the fabric in mind; the guides linked below explain each one.

What to do next

Short stitches, redundant jumps and same-colour blocks can be fixed with the cleanup tool. Density problems cannot be fixed by a tool that only sees stitches; they need the digitiser or, for a scaled design, a resize with density correction from the original size. Hoop problems are solved by rotating, resizing within about 20 percent, or splitting the design.

Limits

  • Density is counted per cell, so a design digitised with deliberate double layers (a satin border over a fill, an appliqué tack-down under a satin) shows red along those edges by design.
  • The check does not know your fabric or stabiliser. Thresholds are the values commercial designs use on stable woven fabric.

How to use it

  1. 1

    Drop the file

    Any of the 22 readable formats. It is decoded on your device.

  2. 2

    Read the verdict

    A score and a list of findings, each with the count, the threshold it was measured against and why it matters.

  3. 3

    Look at the heatmap

    Red cells are where six or more needle penetrations land in one square millimetre, which is two layers stacked. Zoom in to see which object is responsible.

  4. 4

    Check the hoop

    Pick your machine brand to see which hoops the design fits with 3 mm clearance, and whether rotating it helps.

Questions

What density counts as too much?

The check counts needle penetrations per square millimetre. A single satin layer measures 1 to 2.5 on its rails and a tatami fill about 1. Five or more in one cell means two layers are stacked there, which is where thread builds up, the needle deflects and the fabric pulls in.

Why 0.3 mm for short stitches?

Below about 0.3 mm the needle goes back into the hole it just made. The thread has nowhere to lie, the fibres shred, and on most machines that is where breaks happen. Most digitising software removes them automatically; converters that scale designs down create them.

Why 12.1 mm for long stitches?

Tajima DST cannot record a movement over 12.1 mm, and most home machines cap stitches near 12.7 mm. Longer stitches are written as a jump plus a stitch, which leaves a loose loop of thread on top of the fabric.

Does a warning mean the file is broken?

No. It means a specific thing is worth a look. Long jumps are normal in a design that is meant to be hand-trimmed; a dense spot in a 3 mm eye is fine on twill and a problem on a t-shirt. The report gives the numbers so you can decide with the fabric in front of you.

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