2024

Finding information about StitchBuddy has become much easier!

StitchBuddy’s support articles (FAQs and video tutorials) have been moved into a knowledge base, which is not only offering some navigation similar to the previous pages, but also features a full-text search: You can enter one or more keywords of your problem, and the search result will show all relevant articles, and each article includes links to all related posts in the same category. You can also browse through the navigation, learning much more about StitchBuddy

Apple has approved StitchBuddy 3.4.2 for macOS and StitchBuddy HD 3.4.2 for iOS / iPadOS. These versions are mainly introducing improvements when editing DST designs.

These files are encoding a command to trim a thread with some consecutive jump stitches - which are normally combined by StitchBuddy. When this issue was reported I disabled jump optimization for DST files as a quick-fix, leading to erratic leftovers after moving / deleting parts of a design.

Installing the app “Stitch Viewer Pro” from Active Graphics Software was disabling all embroidery designs in StitchBuddy HD on iPhones / iPads ("greyed out" icons in the document browser). StitchBuddy HD 3.4.1 was released as a corrective update.

The issue was caused by some design flaw from Apple: According to them every file format should be represented by a single and unique identifier, the UTI ("Uniform Type Identifier“). Apple is assuming that only the owner / designer of a file format is defining its UTI, and all 3^rd parties are using the very same.

Now featuring background images with StitchBuddy for Mac.

These photos or graphics can either improve visual representations of your designs, or act as templates, guiding you when manually creating shapes. A new video tutorial is showing how to set images as backgrounds, and how they serve both purposes.

Today macOS 15 “Sequoia” has started its public beta phase, and StitchBuddy for Mac is joining…

In macOS 15 “Sequoia” Apple is going to drop support for legacy Quick Look plugins (aka “QLGenerators”), and will require new extensions to display file content. For over 16 years StitchBuddy has provided Quick Look previews and thumbnails in macOS, and of course it will continue with Sequoia, even with some improvements:

I just released StitchBuddy 3.3.2 (macOS), addressing some minor bugs and improvements:

• Rulers are indicating dragged mouse positions
• Context menu item to close all open subpaths
• Open subpaths are handled when filling shapes
• SVG paths with identical start / end points are closed
• Feedback if no SVG path was imported
• Quick Look plugin is reflecting thread numbers

The new version will be distributed in waves and automatically updates your Mac (depending on its system settings). And you can manually install it from Apple’s Mac App Store at any time.

Both StitchBuddy apps have been recently updated: StitchBuddy HD 3.3 takes mobile embroidery file management to the next level. Please check out the corresponding video tutorial and learn about new possibilities, e.g. direct access to USB pen drives, so you can transfer designs to your embroidery machine with your iPhone or iPad. I have decided to increase the pricing of “StitchBuddy Pro” on iOS to USD 19.99, reflecting these new capabilities. It’s the first price increase for over ten years, and of course all existing customers will keep their license as is.

StitchBuddy HD for iPad / iPhone is entering its beta phase, introducing enhanced file management capabilities and a fresh user interface

The design’s gallery was completely reworked, now featuring a similar experience like Apple’s Files app, Numbers or Pages: Various storage locations can be accessed directly from the app, including USB drives. Operations like move / copy / delete (and even converting into other embroidery formats) can be performed with multiple files and folders selected. In addition the menu structure had been redesigned, offering a much cleaner look & feel.

I just released a new update of StitchBuddy HD (for iPhone / iPad): Version 2.3.5 will mostly catch up with recent core additions and corrections which were already incorporated into StitchBuddy for Mac:

• Gunold Poly thread chart added
• Reading VP3 designs fixed
• Janome RE36b hoop orientation corrected
• Icon preview of EXP designs added

The last one is extremely important as a redesigned StitchBuddy HD - as mentioned in this forum discussion - would rely on iOS capabilities for gallery thumbnails. Melco EXP designs were unsupported due to a conflicting file extensions (which is already claimed by some Apple system files). I was able to fix it at least for thumbnails (previews are still not supported).

Finally, StitchBuddy users have a home base to connect and share experiences!

Over the years StitchBuddy has built up quite a user base, and all the time I was looking for options to host a community: A public space to share news, collect ideas and provide help - not only by email, but in discussions with others.