Avoid common mistakes when creating your first embroidery design in WILCOM Embroidery Studio and improve your workflow from the start.
Stuck at the Start? Here’s How to Begin with Confidence
After following this step-by-step guide, you’ll be able to create your first embroidery design—or improve your current ones—with better structure and less frustration. Johan, a professional embroidery designer with over 14 years of experience, walks you through each step so you can feel confident from the beginning.
Struggling with WILCOM’s Interface? Here’s How to Navigate It Easily
Before you start working, it’s essential to understand the interface layout:
- Top panel: tools for transforming, editing, and viewing
- Left panel: digitizing tools
- Right panel: object list and design properties
- Bottom panel: color palette
You can move and customize these panels to suit your workflow.
Is Your Screen Misaligned? Fix It in Minutes
If circles look stretched or the grid appears uneven, your screen isn’t calibrated. To fix this:
- Draw a circle and check if it’s perfectly round.
- Go to Special > Hardware Setup > Monitor Display.
- Measure the box with a ruler and adjust the values accordingly.
This ensures your designs appear with accurate proportions on screen.
Don’t Know How to Import an Image? Use This Simple Method
- Switch to Graphics Mode using the top tab.
- Copy your image from the desktop (Ctrl+C) and paste it into WILCOM (Ctrl+V).
- Switch back to Embroidery Mode.
- Once the image is placed, define its size in millimeters and lock it using the K key to avoid accidental movement.
Confused About Layer Order? Use This Visual Technique
Before digitizing:
- Think of your design in color layers.
- The black outline should go last, slightly overlapping the fill areas to hide imperfections.
This results in a cleaner finish and helps cover any exposed fabric.
Struggling to Trace Borders? Use the Right Tool
Use Fusion Fill (F2) for border outlines:
- Trace any internal holes first using curve nodes (right-click).
- Then trace the outer contour.
- Press Enter to automatically close the shape and let the software generate stitch angles.
Does the Shape Look Off? Refine It with Reshape Tool
If your curves don’t look right:
- Use the Reshape Tool (H).
- Adjust existing nodes to smooth the shape.
- Add stitch angles using the Stitch Angle Tool if needed.
This improves the overall look and avoids visible errors in the embroidery.
Don’t Want the Fabric to Show Through? Overlap Your Layers
Make sure your fill nodes go slightly under the border outline. This ensures layers overlap and prevents fabric from showing if it shifts during stitching.
Confused by Node Types? Here’s the Right Way to Use Them
- Left-click: creates a corner node
- Right-click: creates a curve node
Use more than one node for wide curves to maintain proper shape. With practice, placing each point will become more intuitive.
Too Many Separate Objects? Use Branching to Save Time
If you have multiple shapes in the same color:
- Select all the relevant objects
- Use the Branching Tool (I)
- Choose the entry and exit points
This merges them into a single object and optimizes the stitching sequence—minimizing trims and jump stitches.
Designing Eyes or Simple Shapes? Use Complex Fill
For basic shapes like eyes:
- Use Complex Fill
- Trace the shape, press Enter twice, then add the stitch angle
- Duplicate the object to reuse it instead of redrawing
It’s fast and effective, especially when you don’t need varied stitch angles.
Need to Fill Flat Backgrounds? Here’s a Clean and Quick Method
For flat fill areas:
- Use Complex Fill
- Use a single stitch angle
- Work with contrasting colors to improve visual clarity during digitizing
This speeds up your workflow and ensures a clean final result.
Which Stitch to Use When Satin Fill Doesn’t Work for Backgrounds?
In this part of the design, we use Tatami Fill instead of Satin (Plumetis) to cover the background. Satin stitch only works well for edges, while Tatami offers a flatter and more even fill. To begin:
- Select the Tatami Fill stitch.
- Don’t change any settings yet.
- Turn off the “show stitches” view.
- Start tracing using corner and curve nodes, following the centerline of the border.
How to Prevent Fabric from Showing Between Fill and Border
The trick is to make the border slightly overlap the fill area. This ensures there’s no uncovered gap, which could look like a mistake in the final embroidery.
What to Do if the Fill Disappears While Tracing New Shapes
Make sure no object is selected before starting a new shape. If something is selected, the software will treat the new shape as a hole inside the existing object. To fix it:
- Press Escape or click outside the workspace to deselect.
How to Organize Layers to Avoid Mistakes
Drag the background layer to the beginning of the sequence so it stitches before the border. This prevents visual errors and gives the design more structure.
How to Improve Texture by Adjusting Stitch Angle
- Use the Stitch Angle Tool.
- Change the direction to add texture and avoid flat-looking designs.
- Adjust the angle especially for elements like wool, faces, and ears.
How to Fix Visual Errors Caused by Stitch Angle
Move the object’s exit point (cross icon). This corrects simulation glitches and ensures the actual result looks more like what you see on screen.
How to Avoid Unnecessary or Invisible Stitches
If two borders overlap, don’t fill the area underneath. Also, avoid adding fill stitches where other shapes will overlap later.
How to Create Details Like Eyes and Legs with Precision
- For eyes, use curve nodes and apply different stitch angles to add visual contrast.
- For legs or limbs, switch to Satin Stitch (Plumetis) to create a more raised, dimensional effect.
What to Do When New Objects Cause Visual Errors
If a newly created object appears glitched, it’s likely due to a misplaced exit point. Leave those adjustments for the end—once all the shapes are in place.
How to Avoid Floating Threads and Unnecessary Trims
- Organize the stitching sequence by color and logical direction.
- Use the tie-in and trim options to ensure knots are made before any cuts.
How to Adjust Stitch Density Based on Fabric Type
- For Tatami Fill: Use a density of 0.38 and stitch length of 3.7 mm.
- For Satin Stitch: Turn off auto spacing and set to 0.40.
- Disable fractional spacing to prevent open gaps on curves.
How to Prevent Border Misalignment on Stretch Fabrics
Enable Pull Compensation for fill stitches. Increase the value until the border visibly overlaps the background properly.
How to Center and Finalize Your Design
- Center the design at X = 0 and Y = 0.
- Make sure all objects are in the correct order.
How to Add Text to Your Embroidery Design
- Use the Text Tool.
- Type your phrase (e.g., “100% Natural Wool”).
- Press G to generate the stitches.
- Adjust size, color, and density as needed.
How to Save Your Design in Editable and Machine-Compatible Formats
- Always save a copy in .EMB format for future edits.
- Then use “Save As” and choose your machine format (e.g., .DST for Tajima machines).
Why You Should Always Stitch a Sample First
No matter how good the design looks on screen, what really matters is how it stitches out. Doing a test run allows you to:
- Spot visual or technical errors
- Adjust settings based on the fabric type
Conclusion – The Design Doesn’t End on the Screen
Digitizing in WILCOM is just one part of the process. What truly matters is how the design performs on the machine and on the fabric. That’s why testing, adjusting stitch densities, and organizing layers properly are key to achieving professional embroidery results.
This step-by-step guide is designed to help you solve the most common issues and avoid frustration at the embroidery stage. Practice and attention to detail will make all the difference in your results.
See you soon and wishing you success in all your embroidery projects!
