Tips & Techniques

Endless Hoop exercise in 3D Embroidery by Jan

In this exercise, we will choose a design and then edit out the red flowers and the leaves and stem that go along with just those flowers.

Open the 3D Embroidery and choose the 100 X 170 hoop or the "endless hoop" in vertical position.

Click "view" on the toolbar and find the "extra" file which holds the design called "Climbing Flower".

Click on the "edit tab" and right click on the green color and right click on the orange and the yellow so those colors will disappear off the screen. The colors on the control panel are now only a diagonal and all that is showing on the screen is the red flowers.

Click on "free hand select" or "box select" or even "make block of visible area". If you choose "free hand select", you have to draw a circle around the design that is left. If you choose "box select", you click above and to the left of the design and drag a box over it. If you choose "make block of visible area", it automatically creates an outline box around the design.

Now, that it is selected, click on the red X which is the "delete" button on the toolbar and the red flowers are eliminated.

Right click on the green color and the leaves and stems appear. We still have to remove the upper stem with those fine leaves above the lowest big leaf in the picture.

If we choose "start" range slider and move it to the right, we see that the top part of the stems and leaves stitches first. So, move that slider back to the beginning again and then move the "end" slide to the left and watch the green leaves that we don't want to eliminate disappear off the screen so they will be saved.

When you get close to the last of the tiny leaves, touch the arrow on the left to move a stitch at a time so you don't go too far. Now, only the stitches we want to eliminate are left on screen, so select those stitches with the "box block" or "freehand select" and then touch the red X to delete that part of the design.

Click on "draw all stitches" icon. Click on the Design page.

Move the design so that the lower outline is on the center horizontal line and the top mirror is centered on the center vertical line. Zoom in to be sure.

The design is still "selected", so click on "copy" and then "paste" and another design will appear.

Zoom in and touch the "vertical mirror" which is the top triangle on the outline box.

Move the design down under the first design and because there is a outline as you move it, you can easily see where to match the first design to the second one. Make sure the vertical mirror point is centered on that vertical line for perfect placement and the top outline is directly on the center horizontal line.

Once you are happy with your placements, click on "combine" and touch the "center design" icon so the first and last stitches of the design will be centered.

Color sort so the flowers will stitch all the same colors at one time. You may want to put some notes in the "notes section" and click on "apply" to apply them.

Click on the "endless" icon and decide if you want the beginning markers at the top or the bottom.

Then save the design with a name of your choice and in the folder you prefer.