If you are a fan of stipple quilting, you may be very happy to know that you can now achieve perfect results with the new Stipple fill in Bernina Embroidery Software version 6!

Create a closed object, and from the Fill stitch dropdown list, select “Stipple Run”. In the diagrams below, I created two 6″x6″ squares. One has a single stitch outline to show the boundary of the stipple fill. The other contains the stipple fill!

The default settings are:

Stitch length = 2.5mm
Run Count = 1
Loop Spacing = 0.2 in
Inset Step = 1

Changing the Run Count does not make a visible difference in a screen print, but it does have a difference in the stitchout! Run Count can have values of 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9. A Run Count of 1 creates a single running stitch. A Run Count of 3 does “forward back forward” for each stitch. A Run Count of 5 does “forward back forward back forward” for each stitch. Etc!

In this example, the loop spacing has been set to 0.1 in. The stitch length has also been decreased to 2.0mm, to create a smoother line.

Setting loop spacing to 0.0 in creates a very tiny micro-stipple. The stitch length has also been decreased again, to 1mm. These stitches take a while to generate – so be patient after hitting Apply or OK!

This shows a 1″ square containing the tiny micto-stipple.

Inset Step defines the amount of space between the edge of the object and the stipple. In this example:
Stitch Length = 2mm
Loop Spacing = 0.2 in
Inset Step = 2.

Chances are you are not going to have a space that contains only Stipple fill! How about using it to quilt the area surrounding a design? In this example, I inserted a design from my Hearts CD over the top of the square containing the Stipple fill. Unfortunately, the Stipple fill is showing through the open spaces in the design.

What you really want to do is remove the stitches from underneath the heart. But the “Remove Overlaps” button is not active.

The easiest way to activate the “Remove Overlaps” button is to create an object containing a Step fill.

I ungrouped the Heart design (when you insert a design, all the elements of it will be grouped together), selected the Candlewicking stitch outline for the heart and changed it to a Step fill. Now if you select the Step filled heart the “Remove Overlaps” button is active – so click on it!

When you delete the Step filled heart you will fine that the Remove Overlaps has taken away all stitches underneath, including the rest of the heart. The easiest way to solve this problem is to re-insert the heart design.

 In this example:

Loop Spacing = 0.1 in
Inset Step = 3

As well as Stipple Run, you will also see Stipple Stemstitch and Stipple Backstitch on the fill stitch list. This example shows Stipple Stemstitch with the default settings, Loop Spacing = 0.2 in and Inset Step = 1.

Stipple Stemstitch has a much smoother line if you increase the Loop Count. In this example it has been increased to 0.4 in.

Stipple Backstitch looks very similar to Stipple Run, but when stitched out will give a nicely defined line – great if you want to give your quilting some more definition!

It’s been a while since I’ve written about the new features in v6 of the Bernina Embroidery Software. Life got kind of crazy for a while there! Teaching a class on the new features today got me back into the swing of things, so here goes!

Outline Design is found as the 3rd button up from the bottom on the Digitize toolbar. It’s only active if you have an existing object selected!

Create a new design, or insert an existing design into a new embroidery file. I have chosen to use “Motif 1 Small” from my Heather Feather CD, rotated by 45 degrees clockwise, with the positioning square removed. I placed the design in a jumbo hoop so that there is plenty of space to play with around the design!

Ctrl+A to select all of the design. Outline Design is now active, so click on it.

Here are some examples showing the results of different settings:

On the left, Offset = 1mm, Outline Count = 2, Outline Type = Single
On the right, Offset = 2mm, Outline Count = 4, Outline Type = Single

On the left, Offset = 2mm, Outline Count = 8, Outline Type = Single
On the right, Offset = 5mm, Outline Count = 2, Outline Type = Satin

Some really fun things start to happen when you add an outer border and use the “Fill Holes” option!

A satin stitch border has been added, and then everything was selected before applying Outline Design with:

Offset = 4mm
Outline Count = 4
Outline Type = Single

Offset = -4mm
Outline Count = 4
Outline Type = Single

I think that the Bernina Embroidery Software is the only embroidery software that will allow you to use a negative offset for an outline design function!

Look what happens when you check Outline Holes!

Offset = 4mm
Outline Count = 4
Outline Holes
Outline Type = Single

To fill in the gaps, increase the Outline Count:

Offset = 4mm
Outline Count = 8
Outline Holes
Outline Type = Single

Below the outlines outside the border have been deleted.

In this example, I applied Outline Design twice to the original design. Make sure to group the whole design, including the border, to make it easy to select everything for the second application of Outline Design.

First application:
Offset = 4mm
Outline Count = 4
Outline Holes
Outline Type = Single

Second application:
Offset = 8mm
Outline Count = 2
Outline Holes
Outline Type = Satin

Some of the single stitch outlines from the first application are hidden underneath the satin stitch outlines from the second application. They could be removed if you really want to – each outline created is a separate object and so can be deleted if desired.

The fact that each outline created is a separate object can be put to good use when coloring – each outline can be selected independently and the color can be changed.

I hope that this has given you some ideas and enough insights to be able to go away and play. I would love to see what you create with the Outline Design tool!

To download the new thread chart for Aurifil Cotton Mako, please enter your name and email address here:

You will receive an email with a link to the download page for the file, along with instructions on where to put it.

Thanks to Alex Veronelli from Aurifil for helping to create this thread chart!

Samples of Embroidered Applique using Aurifil Cotton Mako

Above are the results of applying the Morphing Effect to a 2″ diameter circle filled with the lacework fill (default settings) and outlined with satin stitch, stitch width = 0.06″. Below see the results for a square with the same fill and outline.

Top row: Pinch, Ripple, Skew Horizontal, Wave Horizontal.

Bottom row: Punch, Twirl, Skew Vertical, Wave Vertical.

There are definitely possibilities to be explored!

Quick and easy.

When using the Morphing Effect, there is a recommendation to increase stitch spacing by about 20%. The default stitch spacing is usually 0.40mm, so an increase of 20% gives you a new stitch spacing of 0.48mm.

There are 8 different morphing effects, which can be used individually, or more than one can be applied to an object. For all, select the object or objects that you wish to morph. And then click on the desired effect in the Morphing Effect panel.

Picture View is no more! It has been replaced by the Art Canvas. Art Canvas is no longer “just” a place to import a picture. It is a fully functioned vector editing tool – using CorelDraw Essentials 4.

Creating a star is easy! Click on the Star tool. Click and drag to create a star. Holding down the Ctrl key while clicking and dragging will create a symmetrical star. Holding down the Shift key while clicking and dragging will create a star that expands from the center. Holding down both Ctrl + Shift while clicking and dragging will create a symmetrical star that expands from the center.

Select the star and you can change the number of points. You can also change the sharpness of the points – to make them short and fat or long and slim.

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Having created some shapes, you can now select one or all of them and “Convert to Embroidery” at the touch of a button! A simple outlined shape will create the same shape as an embroidery object, with a single running stitch outline.

A shape with a thicker outline and a fill will create an embroidery object with a thicker outline and a fill!

And now we are ready for Morphing Effect!

Quick and easy!

Bernina Embroidery Software v5 has a tab for Design View and a tab for Artistic view. Most of the editing takes place in Design View. But if you want to see what the embroidery is “really” going to look like, you have to switch over to Artistic View.

Bernina Embroidery Software v6 has an Embroidery Canvas. No more switching between tabs. Simply press “T” to toggle from one view to the other. You can edit in either view!

Quick and easy.

Go into any arts and craft store and chances are there will be a section devoted to stamps. What if you could create your own stamps and use them in your embroidery? Bernina Embroidery Software version 6 has given us a way to do just that!

Start out with a filled object. Satin fill works for smaller obects, but you will run into problems if your stitch length gets too long. Step fill has dozens of variations and can give you all sorts of different effects. The example on the left is the default step pattern #1 with default stitch spacing and length.

Select a stamp. Click to set the anchor point. Click again to set the guide point. And there is your stamp!

Top left is the basic stamp using basic stamp letters, giving an outline to which ever shape is stamped. Top right the stamp has been softened.

Bottom left is a raised stamp – the inside has been changed to a satin stitch. Watch the size of the stamp – if it get’s too big the satin stitch will be too long. Bottom right is a raised and softened stamp.

Don’t like the stamp that you have created? Select the object and Clear All Stamps so that you can start again!

Just about any digitized object can become a stamp. Version 6 comes with lots of embroidery samples, many of which make great stamps. On the right is part of one of the floral samples, basic stamps on the top row, raised stamps on the bottom row.

What if you want to change the size of the stamp? Easy to do! Click to set the anchor point. Then hold down the Shift key and drag to the required size before clicking again to set the guide point.

If you have a specific idea for a stamp in mind but can’t find the right object to stamp with, create your own! Version 6 gives you everything you need to digitize your own stamps, using all the functionality of the open curve tool.

The following simple digitized stamp was created and then used to create the following design.

Each quadrant was stamped 3 times, using the Shift key to re-size and rotate the stamp as necessary.

The 4 quadrants were then selected and raised stamp was checked.

Got questions about how to use this tool? Drop me a line in a comment and I will be happy to provide an answer to the best of my ability!