Here is how I made a custom handkerchief for my dad! I wanted to embroider a special design on the handkerchief/napkin using the Brother 6-Needle Home Embroidery Machine. Embroidery is the process of creating designs of fabrics using a needle and thread. This is the first time I have used a machine to make a design.

Supplies

Cloth
Thread
Brother 6-Needle Home Embroidery Machine

Step 1: Designing the Embroidery Files (INTRO)

I started by designing my first embroidery file which I would send to our embroidery machine. I used two softwares to design my files: Ink Stich and Sew Art. Using these softwares, I designed the logo of a beach that I visit (Bald Head Island). My design consited of a turtle and the BHI abreviation text.

Step 2: Designing the Embroidery Files (Ink Stitch)

Ink/Stitch is an Inkscape Plug-in that allows you to create embroidery files.

There are 7 main types of stitches in Ink/Stitch:

Underlay - gives base, prevents fabric from bunching
Fill Stitch - “coloring in area”
Satin Column - cylinder that goes back and forth
Line - give line width
Customize it (draw out each line of the column)
Straight Stitches - ex. Ice cream cone
Single Stitch - use dotted/dashed lines

These are the steps that I documented:

Create a design.
Make the object you designed a path.
Hit plus sign to make new layer (ex. Background layer and border layer) (You can switch order of layers in menu) (You can hide layers if want to set specific parameters).
Move the path to a layer - select layer.
Go to the plug in menu and select Ink/stitch > English > Embroidery params.
Simulate the embroidery paths.
Export as a file to USB (DST file type - most basic file type - cannot scale).

I included a video of my simulated file.

Step 3: Designing the Embroidery Files (Sew Art)

After learning about this first software, my teacher (Dr. David Taylor) recommended that we learn about Sew Art. I took him uo on his offer. He had learned about the software at the Fab 14 conference in Toulouse. The pro version of the program is free for 30 days!

Here are the general steps that Dr. Taylor outlined for me!

Start with canvas
Bringing in images
Posterize tool (need to cut down colors) (De-speckle tool)
Image color reduction (can merge colors - do this slowly)
Auto it (create embroidery layers) (put down paths)
Export as a .tif file

Here is my file with the layers outlined.

After the file is exported as a .tif, I had to use a supplementary program called Sew What to export the .tif it to the Brother Embroidery Machine. In this program, I was able to combine my turtle file from Sew Art and my “BHI” text from Ink Stich into one file!

Step 4: Setting Up the Machine

The Brother 6-Needle Home Embroidery Machine has...

6-Needles
8” x 12” Maximum embroidery area
1000spm (stich per minute) maximum embroidery speed
Large 10.1” built-in high definition LCD display with large icons and scrolling menu
16 built-in video tutorials so you can learn as you go
High-Speed Acceleration means projects will be completed faster
60 built-in embroidery designs, 12 monogramming font styles, 140 frame pattern combinations, 37 lettering fonts, 50 built-in utility stitch designs and 10 buttonhole styles in 3 sizes
On-screen letter input and editing
Smart stitch management with progress bar and direct entry to pin-point the exact stitch
Intuitive Color Management for easy design customization
Color Grouping allows multiple regions to be selected at a time for editing color
Color Sort feature to cut down on thread changes when combining designs
Droplight LED Positioning Marker to see where the needle will drop

To set up the machine, you need to:

Thread the needle
Change the bobbin
Set up the embroidery hoop

I have included videos above detailing each step.

Step 5: Embroider!

The final step is to embroider your design onto your fabric! I included all of my files in this zip folder for future crafters to download!

Here are some extra tips that could help in the process:

When picking out a photo to embroider, try to find a simple image that does not have a lot of colors. This will help when you are reducing the colors in the program. (Keep in mind that you are almost limited to 6 colors with the Brother embroidery machine). I tried to embroider complex images at first and it took up a lot of my time. I was sad
Try to practice on a scrap piece of fabric. If you practice with a cheaper material, there is less risk if your design messes up!
Start by making simpler items like keychains or handkerchiefs. It is much harder to get a design straight and tangle-free with a larger item like a t-shirt.
Don’t try to embroider brand names and sell them. It is illegal.
Make sure to check the thread all the way to the spool. There could be complications with the thread higher up on the treading track.
Keep an extra stylus and USB flash drive near the machine. These items are small, but they are very important in the embroidery process. The stylus is the tool that allows you to use the touch screen. The flash drive will allow you to upload your design.
Don’t try to timelapse your embroidery without a tripod. I tried to do this and was left with a tired hand and shakey video.