Here’s a new Digitizing Practice! Enjoy the holidays and practice your digitizing skills with this Christmas bell.
Fill out the form below and the image and a PDF guide will be sent to your email inbox.
Download the image from your email and use your creativity to trace and digitize the image, however you would like. The PDF guide will include a numbered digitizing plan and suggestions and tips for tracing the image.
Create A Digitizing Plan
Decide which shapes to trace first – look at the image and think of it as layers. Trace the layers in back first. Trace the shapes that should stitch first and leave the details for last.
Digitizing suggestions
The following notes are a few suggestions to help you follow a digitizing plan for this image.
These notes include the order in which I suggest you trace the shapes and the stitch tools that would be the most appropriate for the that shape.
Of course, I encourage you to use your creativity and use whatever stitch and thread colors that you would prefer! That is the benefit of digitizing our own designs. No two will ever be the same!
bell
- trace with the Applique tool
inside bell – lower (shadow area)
- use the Fill stitch tool
- after tracing, choose a new fill texture in the properties box
small bell circle
- trace using the Artwork Shape tool and then convert to a Satin stitch
holly leaves
- use the Fill stitch tool
- trace in two halves for each leaf for added texture
- add vein in the middle of the leaf – change to a BEAN stitch
bow
- trace in sections (segments) using the Fill stitch tool
- do each side of the bow separately
- trace the center of the bow as a separate shape
- trace the tails separately
- edit the angle lines on each segment to create shadows and dimension
Digitizing Steps
Follow these 5 digitizing steps for each shape, as a guide, to get you started.
editing suggestion
You can delete the satin stitch border (from the bell) that is underneath the bow area. This will help to eliminate some of the bulkiness (from under the bow) when you stitch the design.
For those of you who belong to the Embroidery Gatherings Membership Club, here is a link to a lesson on Removing Satin Borders in Appliques.
Not a member of our Embroidery Gatherings Membership Club? Join as a Complimentary Trial Member and see what it’s all about!
need help?
Here are two ways to get the help you need to digitize your own designs.
1. Have a digitizing question?
Join the Embroidery Gatherings Facebook group and ask your questions, anytime.
2. To receive lots of extra TLC with FTCU digitizing….
You can get one-to-one digitizing help by joining our Embroidery Gatherings Membership Club. There are over 75 step-by-step written lessons and videos to help you learn to digitize your own embroidery designs using the FTCU software. We can create a personalized “journey” for you to learn to digitize!
Click HERE to find out more information.
share your design!
After you have finished, you are welcome to share your design image with our Embroidery Gatherings Facebook group. We would love to see your creativity!
Fill out the email form below and a PDF copy of this digitizing practice and the image, will be emailed to you!