Creating chenille borders

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Use Chenille > Chain for decorative stitching resembling links of a chain. Can be used as a delicate fill or as a border for moss fills. Right-click to adjust settings.

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Use Traditional Digitizing > Digitize Run to create row of single stitches along a digitized line.

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Use Graphics Digitizing > Digitize Open Shape to digitize open shapes. Press <Ctrl> to constrain.

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Use Toolbox > Simple Offsets to create simple outlines for any filled embroidery or closed vector object.

Chenille objects, particularly with moss stitching, need to have a border to contain stitches within the shape and provide edge definition. One or two offset run-arounds provide a clear edge and help to secure chenille fills. The Compound Chenille tool allows up to three (1-3) offset borders to be generated before and after the fill. Typically, a compound object will include moss fill with a chain run border before and after to tie it all together. You can, however, digitize single-line borders manually. For this, you often use the Run method with Chain stitching.

Tip: If your machine supports it, you may also combine chenille with regular tie-off stitching.

To digitize a chenille border...

1Select Digitize Run input method. Chenille Run stitches are similar to lockstitch except that stitch length should be constant.

2Open Object Properties and turn off Variable run length.

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3Set a suitable stitch length. This value determines the size of chain. The larger the value, the larger the pattern. It is a matter of experience and preference based on yarn thickness.

4Choose Chain stitch type for chenille runs and borders.

5Digitize the boundary like any embroidery object:

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Tip: Use the prompts in the Prompt Bar to help you digitize. If you make a mistake, press Backspace to delete the last reference point. Press Esc to undo all new reference points.

6Press Enter to complete.

Tip: Use Backtrack and Repeat to reinforce outlines while specifying the direction of stitching.

Tips...

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