1. What do you look for first in a design?  Generally it is the subject matter.  Since there are now so many designs on the internet and on brand specific memory cards, there is hardly a subject matter that hasn't been digitized!  Now it is a matter of finding that perfect subject done with quality.

2. Are you settling for mediocre to poor designs?  I certainly hope not; you have invested so much in your equipment that it is a shame if you are settling for less than the high quality that you deserve and should expect.  Why spend your time and money stitching poor quality designs?  Everything you spend thread, backing, fabric or garments, but especially your valuable time in creating projects should be of the highest quality!  After all, would you spend good money on anything less than high quality if you purchased an embroidered garment from a department store?  I bet not!

3. Does this mean you are limited to purchasing only the expensive memory cards for your machine?  NO!  Many of the newer memory cards that sell for a high dollar lack the artistic flair and quality that many after-market designers are now producing.  Never assume that the machine manufacturers are putting out only high quality--some of them are not, instead, opting to produce quantity rather than quality.  Ask yourself the following: "Will I feel proud to wear the designs in this set?"  "Do these designs fit in my wardrobe, home decor or lifestyle?"  "Is there someone special I would use these designs for?"

4. The best design sets offer a variety of uses.  While some offer stand alone designs only, there are many more uses for theme or coordinated sets where you can create ensembles for linens or entire outfits.

       You may think that it's easy to tell a good design from a bad one; this isn’t necessarily so!  This has nothing to do with motif preference.  We're going to look beyond the "pretty picture" that may entice you to purchase a design.  All design images are not as they appear.  There are many designs on the internet that may rate #1 in artistic value.  However, how many times have you been disappointed with a design purchase?  The actual design stitched out generally looks at least 50% better than the image on the package or the web site. 

Take a moment to ask yourself these questions:

• Have you had a design look worse than the image you chose to purchase from?  Is "Too often." your answer?

• How many times have you stitched your design purchases?  If the answer is once or never, did you really need that design?

• If you did stitch your purchase, did it meet your expectations?  If not, did you feel cheated?

• How many of the "freebies" that you have spent hours downloading do you feel are worth your time and supplies to stitch out?  Would you be proud to present any of them as a gift or wear them on a garment yourself?  Remember; if you tell someone that "I stitched this myself" shouldn't it be something to wear with a sense of pride?

Following are some of the things we should all look for before purchasing any design:

1)      Subject or Artistic Value vs. Quality Construction; Although artistic value is highly important, it is equally important that the design both stitches easily and is well constructed to prevent it from raveling out over time.  These qualities are not always visible.  It isn't a matter of jump stitches alone.  Remember; every time you clip a jump you weaken the design!  There are, of course, some designs that will require a minimal number of jumps because of the design style.  However, far too often there are unnecessary jumps in many designs that should not be there and could be preventable if a bit more thought had gone into them in the digitizing stage.

2)      Density; No design should be overly dense or sparse.  This, of course, depends on the design itself.  An open airy design will feel less dense than an enclosed one.  Denser designs are much harder to stabilize and are frequently limited to heavier fabrics that they will stitch well on, regardless of stabilizing methods.

3)      Color Changes; Most designs can be artistically accomplished with minimal color changes if the designer recognized how to use stitch direction to enhance the beauty of thread shading.  Other, more realistic designs may require more color sequences to allow for shading.  However, there isn't any reason to use numerous color sequences to incorporate 1 color into a design, which usually results in numerous jump stitches.

4)      Fabric Puckering; No design should cause puckering if the correct stabilizer is used.  If there is puckering on well stabilized fabric there's a problem that will stay with the garment until it is worn out.  Using alternating stitch directions on adjoining parts is the key to preventing puckers.

5)      Good Color Balance; Color that is well balanced is another important aspect to look for.  Look at the design, does it seem to appear heavier in places that it should?  It is most likely color placement that is the culprit!

6)      Cost; The more artistic, realistic detail there is, in a well constructed design, the more it will cost.  All the elements above must be used each time a designer works on any piece.  Most designers strive to improve technique with each endeavor.  Ask yourself this:  Would you rather have thousands of mediocre designs or fewer quality designs.  It would bankrupt anyone to try to purchase everything you see and purchase on impulse!  The guide to use is much the same as making any purchase: how often will you use or wear it?  If the answer is "only once" it a very costly purchase!

Most qualified designers will offer free sample that represent their work.  "They may/may not offer a "freebie" for every set they do.  Any time a designer offers a sample of their work, download and stitch it out before making a purchase.  Rarely will you find a design in their collection that will not stitch equally well or better.  The samples I offer are generally the least desirable of a set.  After all, those of us who are working at this, not playing, cannot afford to give away our best designs.  Instead we try to give you a design that you may evaluate the quality of our work. 

Some of us do have earlier efforts that we would like to retire due to less than perfect results.  Why don't we?  I can only speak for myself--I do have one set done over 2 years ago in less than desirable software with limited control.  I tried retiring it, but due to demand brought it back with a warning that it does not represent my present work.

When I started this "lesson" I thought that the quilt motif I chose would be simple to do; was I ever wrong!  Any designer who does geometric designs well has my utmost respect!  The "good" version of this design took me over 24 hours; over a 2 week period to perfect.  The "bad" version will look somewhat the similar finished, but only at a glance!  It's your "lesson" to decide which is of higher quality!  Decide which you would rather purchase; the difference may be paying a little more per set; this part of the lesson is how much your time is worth per hour?

I don't want to reveal too much and spoil your learning experience.  Please, take the time to stitch both of these out for yourself.  You will experience a real eye opener if you give these 2 techniques your full attention!  You can learn a lot just by watching them stitch.  Be sure to note the stitch count & actual sewing time on both!

Ignore the default colors used to create this design.  I encourage you to use colors of your choice to stitch these out.  You will learn more by studying the image and deciding for yourself what colors will give this design good color balance.

I hope that this design lesson will help you choose your design purchases more wisely in the future.  Enjoy stitching your lessons and you may even decide to put the "better" motif on a project!  I look forward to, and encourage, your feedback on this!

Sandy Carter

IMPORTANT; Copyright information, please read and comply:

       Sandy Carter takes great care in producing quality designs for your use.  However, Sandy Carter is not responsible for the quality of any design that has been altered in any manner, such as resizing, rotating, etc.  In addition, Sandy Carter will replace any file that was defective when it was received and has not been tampered with or altered in the process of use after receiving, for up to 30 days after the date of purchase.

       Further, Sandy Carter will be not be responsible for any damages to sewing software or equipment, garments, fabric, or any other related item not mentioned which are required to produce machine embroidery designs.

       The contents of this tutorial were compiled and written by Sandy Carter, of Thread Artist Design.  The overall contents and most techniques were developed and are owned by Sandy Carter.  Exceptions that may apply are for software screen images, or product information that is public knowledge that was used to enhance this tutorial for educational purposes; other product names and images are owned by their respective manufacturers.

       The licensed user of this tutorial shall not copy, share, sell or trade any portion of the material contained herein at any present or future time.  This means that you may not share this tutorial, or any part thereof, with an embroidery class or loan it to any other person/s.  If you violate the terms that Sandy Carter hereby sets forth on this tutorial, you will be guilty of copyright infringement and may be prosecuted under any, or all, State and Federal Copyright protection laws which apply.

 Home Embroidery Basics, Bonus; Sandy Carter, Copyright 2004