StitchBuddy HD

Version 3.8.0 of StitchBuddy for macOS / StitchBuddy HD for iOS was just released after beta testing for over a month. It is mainly focusing on thread colors, with an additional thread chart, search capabilities for threads on iOS, and - maybe most important - support for Bernina EXP+ designs: (aka “Bernina USB EXP“).

The last improvement was tricky as Melco EXP and Bernina EXP+ designs are sharing the same file extension (although the latter comes with additional files, holding color information and thumbnails). Therefore StitchBuddy on macOS cannot distinguish the correct target file format based on your selection in the “Save As…“ dialogue, and you need to enable Bernina EXP+ in the app’s preferences. StitchBuddy HD on iOS always saves in the current file format of a design.

Both In-App purchases to save designs with more than 1,000 stitches were called “StitchBuddy Pro“ on macOS and iOS / iPadOS: When these licenses were introduced nobody thought about cross-platform applications, but it was a bad decision in hindsight leading to some confusions:

Customers of one app assumed their purchase would unlock the other. Especially when moving from StitchBuddy HD to macOS it looked like a bargain, and I can understand frustrations when users realized another purchase was required. On the other hand both apps - StitchBuddy on macOS and StitchBuddy HD on iOS / iPadOS - are quite different in their feature sets and ecosystems, justifying different prices.

I’m currently working on StitchBuddy to support Bernina EXP+ (often called Bernina USB EXP), a design format actually persisting of three different files:

1. A design file (*.exp) which is a standard Melco EXP design.
2. A thread file (*.inf) holding the thread colors not supported by Melco EXP.
3. A thumbnail file (*.bmp) for illustration on the embroidery machine.

The EXP part is well-known and supported by StitchBuddy for years, but I’m lacking any Bernina test environment to verify the others: The .inf and .bmp files seem to be correct when analyzed on my Mac, but there’s nothing like the real world.

StitchBuddy’s updates for macOS and iOS / iPadOS are supporting Apple’s new “Liquid Glass” design.

After some weeks of intense work I’m proud to release StitchBuddy with a new, modern user interface:

Annual major updates of Apple’s operating systems are expected later this fall, but I already tested StitchBuddy with some early releases.

Every year Apple releases new major updates of macOS and iOS / iPadOS, this year jumping to version 26. Early beta testing has started for developers - the public beta is expected these days, and I took a first glance at StitchBuddy with macOS 26 “Tahoe” and iPadOS 26:

I just released StitchBuddy / StitchBuddy HD 3.5.0.

Both apps are now supporting a new thread chart, Smart Thread Multitalent, a multi-purpose thread produced in Germany. And I have worked on App News, which are presented at app launch.

Just a short notice to inform you about StitchBuddy’s most recent update, version 3.4.4 for macOS and iOS.

The internal code for communicating with Apple’s App Store was completely rewritten, e.g. for requesting prices or licenses, performing In-App purchases, and asking for reviews. With this change I was able to remove dependencies to 3^rd party software, which might have caused future issues. As a consequence app requirements have been raised to macOS 12 and iOS / iPadOS 16.

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.

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.