Before creating a great work of pattern art, you need to see the big picture of the digitizing process. Creating patterns for the Statler Stitcher consists of drawing the quilt path in AutoDesk’s AutoSketch drawing software and then exporting it to a format that the Statler Stitcher software understands. The AutoSketch format is SKF. The exporting format is DXF. The Statler Stitcher software automatically converts the pattern into the Statler format, called a QLI. This lesson covers the basics of how to construct a pattern file and get that pattern into the Statler software with expected results.

This lesson will cover the AutoSketch interface in an elementary way. It outlines the basic software layout and how to setup the environment for the creative process of digitizing patterns. Note: The software will, of course, need to be installed.

The assignment for this lesson is to take a screen capture of AutoSketch after you have setup everything. Upload the screen capture to the assignment link below.

This lesson begins with a little background on drawing software. There are essentially two types or drawing types: Bitmap and Vector. The difference is derived from how the information is stored. In a bitmap editor, the drawing is made up of many squares, each with a unique color identifier. This is much like how a printing machine puts small dots on a page, but when viewed far enough back, the dots form a picture. A line is nothing more that a series of dots. Vector drawings use a database of information to store the details of the drawing. Each piece of the drawing has properties that define its shape, color, location and so forth. The drawing does not actually exist until the software “looks at it”, at which time each piece is drawn on the screen. The advantage of a vector-drawing program is that the pieces retain identity after they are drawn. In other words you can select, modify and remove a piece after it has been drawn. Also a vector line is always crisp and clear, because it is drawn at the scale being viewed. Whereas a bitmap becomes pixilated as it grows – an effect that many people are familiar with when looking at a picture taken with a poor quality digital camera.

The Statler Stitcher, as with any computerized machine, needs a description of the path to follow with the sewing head. Vector-based drawings are perfect for this need, since the details of the lines and arcs is easily stored, scaled, and redrawn later.

Proper pattern digitizing must follow certain rules. These rules are established by the control system that runs the Statler Stitcher. Many of these rules stem from the fact that the pattern describes the “motion path” of the sewing head. The majority of errors that happen when trying to open a pattern in the Statler Stitcher software come from violating one of these rules. This lesson explains the rules. Later lessons give practical application and exercises for each rule.

Enough discussion, it is time to roll up the sleeves and get to work. This lesson covers the digitizing of an actual pattern file, albeit a simple pattern. This lesson does not cover every possible method and action involved in creating a pattern. The goal is to go through each basic step, exploring the critical concepts and aspects of pattern digitizing covered in previous lessons. Practice the exercises until your are comfortable will every step. As with many processes, it can be tempting to skip over seemingly unimportant steps. This is folly. Each step is important when creating good digitizing habits and saving time.

Once a pattern has been digitized, it must be converted to a format that the Statler Stitcher understands. This lesson covers the process of file conversion, the various file types and checking the pattern in the Statler Stitcher software.

Everyone has heard the famous misquote of Robert Burns’ “To a Mouse”: “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” Well, digitizing patterns is no exception. Despite best efforts and plans, patterns may return errors when they are opened in the Statler Stitcher software. The key is to understand the errors and know how to fix them. These errors can be separated into two groups: Opening Errors & Unexpected Pattern Results.

A Statler Stitcher user can operate their system in bliss for many years without ever diving into the world of pattern digitizing. In fact, the pattern digitizer is often times not the quilter. This is due to the huge variety of patterns available from many talented pattern authors. Yet there will always be a limit on any Statler Stitcher users who never gain the advantage of being able to create patterns. This lesson covers one such example of a type of pattern that will never be found in a pattern author’s library - Custom Lettering!

Welcome to the final lesson! When I am stopped at trade shows or meet with associates on the web, one of the most common questions I get is about digitizing pictures for the Statler. Well, there is good news and bad news. The bad news is that I have yet to ever find software that will automatically digitize an image. Therefore the work is primarily manual. The good news is that the actual process is quite simple.