StitchBuddy HD has become a Swiss Army knife for machine embroiderers, with all editing features on iPads, and now even on iPhones…

As it has been quiet for some time I'd like to tell you about the current development of StitchBuddy, which is keeping me busy for the last and definitely for the next weekends…

I‘m proud to announce that both iOS apps (StitchBuddy View and HD) are compatible with Apple‘s new iOS 11 without any modifications! At least from my point of view there’s no reason to delay updating your device ... By the way: My free app for school schedules - „SchoolRoom“ - is compatible, too.

StitchBuddy's move to iCloud is completed, update required for Dropbox users!

StitchBuddy HD / StitchBuddy View v2.13.0 is available in Apple's App Store, and now all apps are supporting iCloud Drive for file synchronization.

When I introduced StitchBuddy View as a universal app on iOS, documents of StitchBuddy should become accessible on all devices, for all StitchBuddy companion apps, and without the hassle of iTunes synching. So I decided to look into cloud-based file synchronization.

Back in those days Apple's iCloud was lacking an official way to access files on Macs or Windows computers, leaving me with its most prominent competitor, Dropbox. StitchBuddy's file synchronization was introduced in 2013, and despite various fixes and enhancements, there was and still is room for improvement: The synchronization process is quite fragile and especially for high numbers of designs pushed to its limits, so I have considered a redesign for quite some time.

And now it's time to move forward: Dropbox will shut down the functions I'm currently using end of June 2017 (API v1), which would require a lot of code changes in StitchBuddy. In addition iCloud has become more mature, e.g. offering iCloud Drive to seamlessly share files between your computer and iOS devices.

For these reasons I've decided to migrate StitchBuddy HD / StitchBuddy View from Dropbox to iCloud synching in the next months. Currently I'm working on a sample app, learning about strengths and weaknesses and how to deal with potential hick-ups. It will take some time, but I'm confident iCloud-enabled versions of StitchBuddy will be available on iOS in the first half of 2017.

• Selection of background color (iOS)
• Background colors can be printed (optional)
• PDFs are created rasterized or vectorized (iOS)
• Stitch optimization improved
• VP3 import fixed (for old files with thread offsets)
• Context menus work with <Ctrl> + left mouse click (OS X)

StitchBuddy 2.10.3 is a free update for all registered users, and can be either downloaded from the corresponding Download page (OS X), or (after Apple's approval in a few days) updated in Apple's App Store (iOS).

Please leave a comment at Facebook, a rating / review in the App Store, and spread your opinion about StitchBuddy by word of mouth.

Have a wonderful July, 4th!

For customizable background colors in StitchBuddy HD / View I had to create a tool to select a color: While on OS X default color pickers are available, iOS doesn't provide such a control out of the box.

I decided to go with a color wheel, which in my opinion is the right way to pick from multiple colors without loosing usability. There is still some work to do before StitchBuddy's next versions on iOS will allow you to select a background color and an option to print it as well, but this feature will definitely come.

StitchBuddy 2.9 is a free update for all registered users, and can be either downloaded from the corresponding Download page (OS X), or updated in Apple's App Store (iOS).

Please leave a comment at Facebook, and spread your opinion about StitchBuddy by word of mouth.

1. When a file exists on Dropbox, but not on the iPad, and its modification date is before the previous synchronization: It can be assumed that this file has already existed at the last successful synchronization, was synchronized, and afterwards was available on both sides, Dropbox and StitchBuddy. So after the last sync it was deleted on the iPad and therefore needs to be deleted on Dropbox, too.
2. When a file exists on the iPad, but not on Dropbox, and its modification date is before the previous synchronization: The same case vice versa ... the file has already existed at the last successful synchronization, so it was on both sides afterwards, and was delete on Dropbox in the meantime. Therefore it is now deleted on the iPad.

In addition the sort order in the folder navigation view was corrected, which was confused by folder names beginning with numbers or special characters, and I fixed a minor issue, when the scroll position was slightly offset after leaving the app from the gallery.

• Gallery with subfolder support (iOS)
• Designs can be opened in other apps (iOS)
• X-ray view shows underlays when selecting stitches
• Madeira Rayon thread colors added
• Support of JEF+ file format (read-only)
• Support of Janome MC 9900 (new hoops)

In the meantime I have learned about users holding thousands of designs in StitchBuddy HD / View, unfortunately pushing these apps over their limits: The flat gallery can't keep track of all the preview images, literally running in cycles, the synching can't complete in time, and the apps might stall or even crash. These issues are high on my priority list, and after releasing the iOS 7 versions my next goal is to improve StitchBuddy with a more robust and powerful gallery and synching process, so you can save and manage more designs on your iOS device.

But how to handle the current situation? I recommend to put subfolders into StitchBuddy's folder on Dropbox and put the majority of files into these folders: StitchBuddy won't synch them, keeping its number of files at a manageable level, and you can use the Dropbox app on your iPad / iPhone to move working files to and from the application folder. For sure only a bypass, but at least a possibility to have all your designs at reach when being mobile, and still keeping StitchBuddy responsive.

StitchBuddy View

StitchBuddy View is a small version of StitchBuddy HD, and gives you all your embroidery designs in a pocket:

Without editing features it was possible to make StitchBuddy View small enough to fit on your iPhone / iPod Touch: Search all designs in a gallery, view your embroideries down to stitch level, and share designs with others. StitchBuddy View integrates with your Dropbox, so you just set up the synchronization and all designs are automatically updated between your computer, iPad, and iPhone. Just like that.

And even better: On the iPad StitchBuddy View offers the same interface as StitchBuddy HD, giving you a crisp view of every design detail, and you can exchange designs between both versions using the Dropbox synchronization.

StitchBuddy View is available in Apple's App Store and it is FREE!