16. Wildcard Week¶

We’re almost there!!! This week I tried out the embroidery machine (and studied for finals lol)! Here are my files for the week.

Assignment¶

individual assignment:

Design and produce something with a digital process (incorporating computer-aided design and manufacturing) not covered in another assignment, documenting the requirements that your assignment meets, and including everything necessary to reproduce

Creating an Embroidery File in SewArt¶

I began by choosing a design for my embroidery. Since I was already quite consistent in my miffy theme, I chose to continue and produce yet another miffy design, using the following image:

There were a couple of options as to how to design the embroidery file (mainly between SewArt and Inkstitch), but I ultimately decided to use SewArt because of its simple UI.

I looked on Katie Chai’s documentation for reference, as she was one of the first CLS students to use SewArt during Wildcard week. Her documentation gave a brief outline of how to import images and create the stitch design file. Here is a general summary of the steps, which is also partly adapted from this website:

Download SewArt and enable the demo version (available for 30 days)
Go to File>Open and insert an image onto the blank canvas
Locate and apply the posterize tool in the upper toolbar; this limits the number of tones/colors in the image (eliminates grays/colors within a certain range)
(optional) Locate and apply the image color reduction tool; this merges colors based on the design
Click the stitch tool (shaped like a small sewing machine)

a. This will give you an option to either use Auto-Sew (stitch each color individually), or you can click on specific colors to stitch
Click Ok in the dialogue box
In the pop-up prompt, save a copy of the design as a .tif
Another prompt will pop up; save as .pes and ensure that Brother is the model used
(optional) depending on the design, you may need to change the scale factor to fit
Download the .pes file onto a USB and eject
Plug the USB into the Brother embroidery machine
Thread with the thread of choice and install the bobbin underneath the needle
Use the embroidery hoop to spread out and tighten the material into a flat surface
Lock the side of the embroidery hoop onto the y-axis rail on the embroidery machine
Reposition the file on the design area if necessary
Ensure that the presser foot is fully down, before clicking the green button on the front of the machine to begin the job
After each color, before putting up the presser foot, click the scissor icon on the machine to release the thread.
Repeat steps 12, 16, and 17 until the design is complete
Removing the clamps, cut out the design if necessary
Cut off excess threads

Setting up the Bobbin and the Machine¶

To begin using our machine, the Brother 6-Needle Home Embroidery Machine I watched a video on winding the bobbin, as well as a video on prepping the machine. These videos were good at introducing the machine and the basic setup for threading. Fortunately, the machine also labels each step, so it was quite intuitive.

Since my design had three colors, I had to use three different threads, consisting of white, black, and blue. These each had bobbins already threaded, so all I had to do was install them into the machine.

With the help of Landon Broadwell, I threaded the needle and inserted the bobbin underneath. Next, I clamped down the material, which was a felt-like sheet, using the embroidery hoop. I ended up layering two of the sheets together in the clamp to ensure higher durability.

After installing the hoop onto the machine, I pushed the presser foot down and ran the job by clicking the green button.

The LCD displays the design, the color order in which the design is created, and the estimated time to finish.

Look at it go!!

Here is what it looked like straight out of the machine:

Overall, although there were some rough patches, it turned out pretty good! I used a pair of scissors to trim off the excess threads, as well as to cut it out of the material.

Another miffy added to the army!!

Reflection¶

Thank you to Mrs. Dhiman for letting us use her embroidery machine, threads, and general materials for this week! It was super convenient to use, and I loved being able to use a sewing machine again for the first time in a couple of years. On a general note, I liked this week a lot not only because of the creative freedom it has, but it was the first time I felt like I could take a breather in a while. This week was tough in terms of school work too, so it was nice to have that balance.

Last update: June 13, 2024