Frequently Asked Questions

Can I create embroideries with StitchBuddy?

With StitchBuddy v3.0 some basic digitizing capabilities were introduced: Simple vector shapes can be defined and outlined / filled with stitches. But mainly StitchBuddy is an editor of existing embroidery files, with no sophisticated ways to digitize from scratch or convert (bitmapped or vectorized) graphic files into embroideries.

The last years more and more software vendors are offering their products on macOS, too. Unfortunately these solutions are mostly quite expensive and often offered as a subscription, only.

Embird Studio plugins "Sfumato" and/or "Digitizing Tools" might be reasonable priced alternatives (I don't know them myself), but they'd require a Windows installation and license in BootCamp or any virtual PC like Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion or Oracle VirtualBox.

For Inkscape (an open-source vector-based graphic program) an export plugin for EXP files exists, but I'd consider its status as "experimental" in the very best case. A very valuable resource is "svg2embroidery", a PHP script by Ellen Wasbø which converts SVG files into EXP embroidery designs. This way you can use the powerful user interface e.g. from Inkscape to compose your design, and Ellen provides some useful tutorials (how to create satin stitches, fill stitches, ...). Thanks, Ellen!

And the last years the community project InkStitch has put quite some effort in extending Inkscape's capabilities to machine embroidery. Definitely something to consider before spending big money on a commercial solution or looking into Windows alternatives.