Embroidery Digitizing: A Basic Introduction

Embroidery digitizing is the skill of turning artwork into stitches, and it opens up endless creative possibilities. This introduction covers the core tools in Hatch Embroidery and shows you how to start practicing straight away.

The two shapes behind every design

Everything you digitize is made from open shapes and closed shapes. Open shapes are lines that don't join up, like stems, swirls or borders. Closed shapes join back to their starting point, like circles, squares and petals. Combine the two and you can build almost anything.

Practice with your own artwork

Insert a simple piece of artwork and trace over it using the open and closed shape tools:

• Left-click for a corner point, giving you crisp lines and sharp points
• Right-click for a curve point, giving you smooth, rounded edges
• Enter to finish the shape

The secret to accurate shapes is knowing when to use each type of point, so practice on a few different designs until it feels natural.

Build your skills in Hatch Academy

• Digitizing Introduction
• How to Digitize: A Beginners Workshop
• Digitizing Basics (Getting Started with Hatch 4, Part 3)

Prefer to let Hatch do the heavy lifting? Auto-digitizing turns images into stitches in a few clicks, or explore all the digitizing tools in Hatch.

Ready to buy?

Compare the four levels to find the right fit, then choose your Hatch Embroidery software.

Where to get help

For technical questions about installation, licenses, or error messages, start with the FAQs or the Help Center. If you want to learn how to do something in the software, Hatch Academy is the place to go.