I recently received the MB7e machine and Artistic Digitizer software and was excited to try it out! I began by deciding how big I wanted the design to be by using the hoop templates and settling on the M2 hoop and max size.
With my Artistic Digitizer layout opened and set to the right size, I explored the Clipart library. There were a ton of cute designs but the mushrooms caught my eye. After placing one of the mushrooms onto my workspace, I enabled the view stitch setting to see exactly how it would look once embroidered. The stitching wasn't as tidy as I wanted so I used the Stitch Flow tool to adjust it.
In order to re-color the different parts of the mushroom, I ungrouped it and selected each section one by one. The program makes it simple to search for and reassign colors. Once everything was colored appropriately and the stitching looked how I wanted, I regrouped the entire mushroom back together so it could be moved and duplicated.
I wanted the mushrooms to have a 3D look so I added a 3D underlay. What I chose would stitch several overlapping layers of satin stitches in the center of the design. This was level 2 (3D-2) but you could add as many as five layers to create an extremely 3D look!
Next I was ready to create my design! Because the design would be placed in the hoop at an angle, I tilted my in-program hoop to better visualize what it would look like. I did this by selecting Machine/Hoop in the left toolbar and setting its rotation to 45 degrees.
I then placed my first mushroom where I wanted it and duplicated it twice. Once the three mushrooms were placed where I wanted them, it was clear they needed some greenery. I found several leaf designs in the Clip Art Library and placed them into my design.
Now that I was satisfied with the design, I exported it as a .JEF file to a thumb drive, opened it on my MB7e and threaded it. It was easy to check that the colors were threaded through the correct needles with the Ready to Sew display.
Preparing the fabric properly was important because of its thick, fluffy texture. I used a tear away stabilizer as a stability layer under the fabric as well as a wash away stabilizer on top to prevent fabric fibers from poking through the stitching. Placing everything into the hoop required loosening its screw all the way to the largest setting. Once everything was secured and loaded into the machine, I used my serger cart to support the weight of the rest of the robe.
As you can see here, the 3D underlayer setting begins by stitching an outline and then continues to build two layers of stitches before finishing the top layer. Working one color at a time, the machine finished the design with the green leaves.
Popping it out of the hoop was so satisfying and all that was left was snipping the jump threads of the white dots! I'm so pleased with how this turned out and I already find myself reaching for this robe over my other one. It gives just that little extra touch of whimsy in my day to day life.
I hope you found this informative and inspirational to add a bit of excitement to your old staples!
