Free Embroidery Designs

My fiance and I run a screen printing business and came across a non-working BAS-416 machine. We have fixed it! Now we want to learn how to digitize images. Any insight and/or links to resources would be greatly appreciated!

I was going to give my usual answer in that you need a software program for creating your own designs and that it takes quite a bit of time to learn to digitize a professional quality product.

However, after viewing the manual for this model, I am beginning to think the machine is as equality difficult to learn. I cannot tell what machine embroidery format it requires.

http://www.brothercom.ro/docs/2-Partsbook%20-%20carti%20piese%20de%20schimb/Masini%20de%20brodat%20BROTHER/BES-1210BC%20BAS-401,412A,416A/BES-1210-BAS-416A%20Instruction%20Manual.pdf

Most owners of professional embroidery machines, have a company rep help them set-up and learn to use the machine.

The format appears to be .dst (Tajima). Finding a software program is not difficult. Most, if not all will save in the format of all embroidery machines.

Machine embroidery software requires a Windows OS.

If you do a search of free machine embroidery software or free machine embroidery trials you will get a sampling how to create your own designs.

Good luck in your adventures into machine embroidery.

I have been asked to transfer and embroidery by hand an image and some lettering on to work uniform of a cousin of mine, this is the first attend at embroidery and actually getting the image of what she wants and the adding the extra words of her workplace is stressing me out, has any one any really simple put affective ways of achieving this project, I have a simple sewing machine and have also have been looking up how to free embroidery by machine, I have the wooden hoop, and nothing else, i.e. water water-soluble stabilizer or pencils etc.. I also have no idea how to place the design on her work tunics and tops. Please help a complete novice. Any tips or ideas would really be appreciated.

If this is your first embroidery project, then tell your cousin to find a professional embroidery shop and have it done. Beginners can very rarely make professional looking embroidery by hand… it takes months and years before you get to the point that you can do lettering in a professional manner, for instance. Lettering by free motion embroidery is almost as difficult.

And in the meantime, practice. But not on someone’s uniform.

Best book I know of on free motion machine embroidery: Fanning and Fannig: http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Machine-Embroidery-Creative/dp/0801976480 Hand embroidery is a much broader subject: I’d probably start you with one of Erica Wilson’s books, and then move you to Royal School of Needlework Embroidery Techniques by Saunders, Butcher and Barret.

In answer to your question: how would I do the transfer? I’d either use a heat transfer pencil, a perforated stencil and chalk, direct drawing with a soft lead pencil, or basting. Depends on the substrate being embroidered.

Anyone knows about a FREE program to convert JPG, PNG, TIFF, etc., files to PES.
I have heard about Buzz2Stitches and Embird, but I just need to convert 2 JPG’s/PNG’s to PES format in order to have a friend of mine to do the embroidery for me. I’ll never use that kind of software again.

Remember, keyword here, FREE! 😀 Thanks.
I already know that I have to convert the file (digitalize) it; that it isn’t as easy as converting a JPG to a GIF or PNG. I know that I need special software for that. And that is the reason why I’m looking for a FREE app or way to digitalize the picture, because I’m not going to pay $300+ for a piece of software that I will only use once in a life.

There is really not any such thing as "conversion" of image files to embroidery, just digitizing them.

You (or someone) definitely need a digitizing program to digitize the jpg (or whatever file type) image to a file that can be stitched out. These programs are many and varied and not only cost money, but take a lot of time to learn how to use well (as opposed to take 5 minutes to use badly).

I understand where you are coming from not wanting to buy (not to mention anything about learning how to use) this sort of software for a single use. However, the other option is to pay someone to do it for you – someone who already knows how to use the software, and who will do it for you (but unless you know someone really nice with these skills, you would have to be prepared to pay for this service). I would think this would be a far cheaper option than buying software and then taking years to learn how to use it, just to digitize 2 pictures.

I would suggest try googling for someone who offers to digitize images for a fee. Some professional embroidery shops also offer this service (may not be inexpensive to do one or 2 images due to the time it takes to digitize images well). Keep in mind that they are not converting but digitizing, and while some programs can produce a digitized version quite quickly, the quality of the stitchout often reflects the effort and time it took to digitize it.

Good luck,
Marcia in the beautiful Gold Coast, Australia